The Red Sox have signed infielder Vinny Capra to a minor league deal, according to the transactions tracker on Capra’s MLB.com profile page.
Capra, 29, has played in the majors in parts of four seasons since making his big league debut back in 2022. A 20th-round pick by the Blue Jays in the 2018 draft, Capra climbed the minor league ladder until he made an eight-game cameo in Toronto throughout the 2022 campaign. He was non-tendered shortly thereafter, and while he re-signed with Toronto on a minor league deal he was traded to Pittsburgh in exchange for catcher Tyler Heineman in April of the 2023 campaign. Capra has been riding the waiver wire ever since, with brief stints in the majors and longer track records at Triple-A for each of the Pirates, Brewers, and White Sox organizations.
He spent the 2025 campaign with Milwaukee, Chicago, and the White Sox Triple-A affiliate in Charlotte. This season was by far Capra’s largest opportunity in the majors, as he appeared in 47 MLB games with 105 trips to the plate between the Brewers and White Sox after topping out at nine games and 21 trips to the plate across his three previous years as a big leaguer. Unfortunately, Capra didn’t do much with the opportunity as he hit just .125/.157/.177 in that time, with a 23.8% strikeout rate against a microscopic 2.9% walk rate and just three extra-base hits.
It wasn’t exactly a strong impression, but Capra’s ability to capably handle second and third base as well as shortstop and even occasional work in the outfield still makes him a solid depth piece for virtually any team on a minor league deal like this one. While he’s yet to break through in the majors, his numbers at Triple-A are quite respectable, including a .286/.384/.440 slash line with Charlotte this year. That lifted his career line at Triple-A to .272/.368/.389 across 257 games.
For the Red Sox, Capra is unlikely to be much of a consideration for a big league bench job headed into Spring Training. The team seems likely to add at least one infielder, whether that be a reunion with Alex Bregman or the addition of a new bat like Kazuma Okamoto. That new addition will likely join Trevor Story and Marcelo Mayer as regulars on the infield, with players like Kristian Campbell, David Hamilton, Romy Gonzalez, Nate Eaton, Vaughn Grissom, Nick Sogard and Tristan Gray all also in the mix for time on the infield among players on the club’s 40-man roster. If injuries or a 40-man roster crunch thin out that group, perhaps then Capra could enter Spring Training in competition for a bench spot alongside players like Gray, Sogard, Grissom, and Eaton.
wow high impact signing for sure
Vinny and Sunny are gonna have a good time
More high impact than your lame joke.
He will WOW you in spring training. Then after roster announcements on opening day he can’t seem to produce like he did when it was warm out. Enjoy while you can.
Simply depth.
Depth for a team in which this guy will never even sniff the aroma of a cup of coffee? Why? He’s close to 30 and he can’t hit. I was hoping the Red Sox would get rid of a guy that fills that role already. Instead they add another one?
Its a minor league deal this has no impact on the major league team at all..unless he performs..why does this bother you so much?
“…Capra could enter Spring Training in competition for a bench spot alongside players like Gray, Sogard, Grissom, and Eaton.”
Just seems like the Red Sox should be trying to improve on this lot and not just add to it… and David Hamilton should have been included on this list.
Poolhalljunkies
Its a minor league deal this has no impact on the major league team at all.
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Casual fans don’t understand why you need minor league depth.
It’s a minor league contract. Do you expect them to sign Schwarber to a minor league contract?
Injuries happen and they have many minor league rosters to fill. How many of us had heard of Sogard or Eaton beforehand?
Monstah – I used to get mad at these moves too. So many more pressing issues to tackle. But, its moves like this that keep the spreadsheet nerds in the Analytics Dept happy. Somewhere deep in the bowels of Fenway theres a Yale graduate touching himself over this move. LOL
This is what theyve been doing the last couple years, one move for the fans, one for the analysts….
If they continue to make the big club better I’ve promised myself not to make a fuss at these moves.
I don’t understand why anyone would get mad at these moves. Breslow could add his grandfather to the Salem Yaks, and I wouldn’t know it, and I wouldn’t care about it.
Joe – it doesn’t matter, really
However, I never will quite understand signing a 30yo as “organizational depth”. Theres gotta be a 23yo out there that can be as bad as Capra, no?
there aren’t going to be 23 year old signing minor league contracts like this. It’s 28-30 somethings that petered out in AAA not 23 year olds who are probably still developing.
He is more or less taking over Blaze Jordan’s would-be role. At least Blaze had potential and a cool name
Ace – so there isn’t an unsigned/undrafted, Dominican, Venezuelan, Mexican player or college player anywhere thats 23-25 and is as bad as Vinny Capra?
Sad: People that work in baseball think more highly of Capra. He actually played 24 games for the Brewers and 23 games for the White Sox in 2025. He also had a .824 OPS in AAA last year. Capra will turn 29 in July. He was 28 in AAA in 2025 where the average age is 26.3. So, the Brewers, White Sox and Red Sox all disagree with you and Monster’s thinking. I also think it is good to have players that have been in the majors playing with developing players. On top of all this, they can always dump Capra if someone better becomes available.
Suit – well, differing philosophies can agree to disagree. Only the spreadsheets are undefeated LOL.
There is really no analytics to make me believe that Capra can/will ever be useful, so why not take a flyer(?)
The new style GM will make moves that are easily defendable based on metrics. I prefer otherwise, my choice.
Nick missed an opportunity to really jazz up the title of this article and maximize the clicks.
Former Blue Jays middle infielder signs with rival Red Sox!
LOL!
Vinny Capra for Tyler Heineman is a trade I’d completely forgotten.
Oddly, Vinny isn’t related to ex-MLBers Nick or Buzz Capra, who also weren’t related.
Frank?
What is so odd? The last name while not being as common as “Smith”, “Davis” or “Brown”, is not so uncommon that there’s an automatic relationship in one’s mind (at least not mine).
Mr Smith Goes to Worcester
Why?
Need to fill out minor league rosters in addition to the major league roster.
That is a great question. I think I’m mad that they even did this.
That’s pathetic. bro.
Doesn’t belong in the minors. Maybe try the bananas
The final piece!
OK, sure, its old and tired, but so am I……
Wow, this is out of the blue! Jon Heyman didn’t even hear about it first!
Just give us the World Series already
Veteran presence is overrated.If you can’t hit .260 or be a great fielder,you should just retire from baseball.
This guy is useless in the league, he’s filler, may be a great guy but can’t hit an ounce
Why not Vaughan??? I don’t get why they even traded for him
Thank God he will never appear in a White Sox uniform ever again.
Everybody deserve to have a job, but Red Sox always signing players with no floor no cealing, no nothing. Wasting of manpower’s wages and contract. What’s the idea of being a scavenger? That’s what the Red Sox have become since many years ago. Sad but true.
So you don’t like Romy or Refsnyder? That’s odd.
The definition of a “depth signing”
Full throttle.
AAA depth is all this is, maybe a 2-3 game cup of coffee. Hey, they need players for the minors, it’s not all prospects, and this is who he is.
He’s 30. He shouldn’t even be playing in the minors. He’s just taking ABs from the developing players.
he’s not taking an ABs from any developmental players. Teams make signings like this all the time. Getting worked over these types of signings is silly.
Disagree, if someone isn’t ready for that level and you’ve got no one to play there you shouldn’t force a dude to play over his head.