Red Sox Designate Nick Burdi For Assignment

The Red Sox have designated right-hander Nick Burdi for assignment, reports Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com. In a corresponding move, Boston is set to select the contract of left-handed reliever Jovani Moran from Triple-A Worcester, Cotillo adds.

Burdi himself indirectly indicated on social media that a move had been made, tweeting: “Thank you Red Sox for letting me put on a big league uniform again. Will see what the next chapter brings!”

The 32-year-old Burdi pitched 5 1/3 shutout innings for the Sox earlier this season before heading to the injured list due to a foot injury that ultimately moved him to the 60-day IL. He was reinstated earlier this month but optioned to Worcester rather than added back to the active roster. Burdi has been excellent in Triple-A, logging a 1.88 ERA, 32.7% strikeout rate and 10.2% walk rate in 24 innings.

Despite that success both in limited MLB action and in the upper minors, he’ll now head to waivers within the next five days. That’s the only course of action for Boston now that the trade deadline has passed. Every other club will have the chance to claim Burdi, with waiver priority based on the reverse order of MLB-wide standings.

A former second-round pick (No. 46 overall by the Twins in 2014), Burdi was a standout closer at Louisville whose triple-digit heat made him a potential impact reliever in the majors. Injuries have repeatedly derailed his career, however. He’s had a pair of Tommy John surgeries and also undergone thoracic outlet surgery.

Burdi has made brief appearances in parts of six major league seasons but has only 30 1/3 MLB frames under his belt, during which he’s posted a 5.34 ERA. With so many injuries under his belt — plus the lost minor league season in 2020 — Burdi has only pitched 207 1/3 professional innings (majors/minors combined) since being drafted back in ’14. His fastball, which used to average better than 98 mph, is sitting 95.7 mph in Triple-A this season.

Burdi’s spot on the roster will go to another former Twin. Moran, 28, was acquired from Minnesota in the December swap that sent catcher/infielder Mickey Gasper to the Twin Cities. He missed the first two-plus months of the season while finishing off the rehab from Tommy John surgery but has pitched well since returning to the mound in June. Moran has pitched 18 1/3 Triple-A innings and delivered a solid 3.44 earned run average. More encouraging is a massive 35.1% strikeout rate against a tiny 4.1% walk rate.

Moran was excellent for the 2022 Twins, turning in a 2.21 ERA with a 32.9% strikeout rate in 40 2/3 innings — albeit with an ugly 11% walk rate. His numbers tanked in 2023, however, as Moran posted an ERA north of 5.00 and walked nearly 15% of his opponents in a nearly identical sample of innings before undergoing Tommy John surgery after the season.

At his best, Moran has regularly missed bats at high levels but also issued walks too frequently. He’s primarily a two-pitch reliever who sits 93-94 mph with his four-seamer and couples it with a changeup he throws nearly as often as the heater. If the Sox can get Moran back on track, he’d be controllable for another five seasons, though there’s a ways to go before that’s any sort of real consideration. He has one minor league option year remaining, and that option hasn’t been used so far in 2025, as Moran hasn’t been on the 40-man roster yet. If he’s sent back down for 20 or more days at any point from here on, he’d be out of options next season.