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Red Sox Place Nick Pivetta On IL With Right Flexor Strain

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12:20 pm: Pivetta’s flexor strain is mild, Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow tells reporters (including Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe). The right-hander could come off the IL as soon he is eligible, barring any setbacks. In the meantime, the Red Sox will skip Pivetta’s turn in the rotation when off days allow and fill in the gaps with either Chase Anderson or Cooper Criswell.

11:56 am: The Red Sox have placed starting pitcher Nick Pivetta on the 15-day injured list with a right flexor strain, the team announced. The IL stint is retroactive to April 6. Brennan Bernardino has been recalled from Triple-A Worcester to fill Pivetta’s spot on the active roster.

It’s been a rough day for the Red Sox so far. Earlier this morning, manager Alex Cora revealed that shortstop Trevor Story is headed for an appointment with orthopedic surgeon Dr. Neal ElAttrache due to “concern with the bone structure” of his shoulder. His 2024 season could be in jeopardy. The possibility of losing Story and Pivetta will loom large over the Red Sox’s home opener today at Fenway Park.

Elbow problems are always worrisome, especially for pitchers, and especially given the recent rash of injuries to star hurlers like Spencer Strider, Shane Bieber, and Eury Pérez. Pivetta was expected to take the mound tomorrow against the Orioles. Now, he is not eligible to rejoin the Red Sox until April 20. There is currently no timeline for his return. However, it’s getting hard to hear the words “flexor strain” and not prepare for the worst.

Twins right-hander Anthony DeSclafani recently underwent season-ending flexor tendon surgery. Rays righty Drew Rasmussen missed most of the 2023 season and remains on the IL after suffering a flexor strain last May. At the time, he hoped to be back for the stretch run in August and September, but eventually, he needed an internal brace procedure to repair his elbow. To make things worse, flexor tendon injuries often cooccur with UCL injuries. Dodgers starter Walker Buehler initially landed on the IL with a flexor strain in June 2022; two months later, he went under the knife for Tommy John.

A perennial breakout candidate, Pivetta, 31, often underperforms his advanced metrics; he has a career 4.81 ERA and 4.00 SIERA. Still, he has blossomed into a reliable arm for the Red Sox, tossing 498 1/3 innings with a 4.26 ERA and 6.2 FanGraphs WAR since 2020. He has pitched at least 140 innings in each of the past three seasons, and his only previous trips to the IL were due to COVID-19 protocols in 2021. The righty looked especially sharp in his first two starts this season, giving up a lone earned run while striking out 13 and walking just one over 11 innings of work.

The Red Sox, already without Lucas Giolito for the season, will be hard-pressed to replace Pivetta in the rotation if his flexor strain proves to be serious. For his part, Pivetta’s injury could not have come at a worse moment. He is set to reach free agency for the first time this offseason.

Red Sox Were Finalists For James Paxton This Winter

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The Red Sox largely failed in their pursuit of starting pitching this winter, swapping lefty Chris Sale out for Lucas Giolito only for the latter to miss the entire 2024 season due to a UCL injury, making right-handed depth options Chase Anderson and Cooper Criswell the club’s only starters added this winter with a chance to impact the 2024 club. The club coming up empty is not an indication they weren’t involved in the pitching market at all, however, with Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reporting that the club was a finalist for southpaw James Paxton, per the lefty himself.

Paxton, 35, spent the past two seasons in the Red Sox organization but only pitched in 2023. He made 19 starts for the club last year, pitching to a 4.50 ERA (101 ERA+) and 4.68 FIP overall. While he posted a strong 2.73 ERA and 3.63 FIP in ten starts prior to the All Star break, Paxton’s brutal final three starts in August and September caused his numbers to balloon as he allowed a whopping 17 runs in 9 2/3 innings of work before being shut down for the season due to knee inflammation.

Abraham relays that, according to the left-hander, there was mutual interest in a reunion between his camp and the Red Sox before he ultimately settled on pitching closer to his West Coast home in Seattle. Adding the veteran southpaw to Boston’s heavily young and right-handed rotation mix would have made plenty of sense for the club, but instead the team is set to rely on internal youngsters like Kutter Crawford, Garrett Whitlock, and Tanner Houck to round out the rotation alongside Brayan Bello and Nick Pivetta.

Red Sox Place Trevor Story On Injured List With Shoulder Subluxation

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The Red Sox placed shortstop Trevor Story on the 10-day injured list with a left shoulder subluxation this evening, per a team announcement. Infielder David Hamilton was recalled to take Story’s place on the active roster. The news comes on the heels of Story exiting yesterday’s game after diving to field a groundball. Chief baseball officer Craig Breslow informed reporters, including Alex Speier of the Boston Globe, that it’s not yet clear if Story will need surgery or will play again this season. Story is set to undergo an exam on Monday to determine if he’s sustained any structural damage that would require him to go under the knife.

It’s the latest brutal development for Story during his Red Sox tenure, which has been fraught with injury-related struggles. Story, 31, enjoyed a run as one of the game’s best offensive shortstops from 2018 to 2020, slashing an impressive .292/.355/.554 while earning two All Star appearances, two Silver Slugger awards, and three top-12 finishes in NL MVP voting. Since coming to Boston on a six-year, $140MM deal prior to the 2022 season, however, Story has appeared in just 145 games with a .227/.288/.394 slash line amid wrist, heel, and UCL injuries. Now the latest injury to plague Story since joining the Red Sox has put the remainder of his 2024 season in doubt after he appeared in just 43 games last season.

With Story likely sidelined for at least a significant period, if not the entire season, the Red Sox are now set to turn to a patchwork infield mix featuring Enmanuel Valdez, Pablo Reyes, and Hamilton up the middle with Romy Gonzalez as another option on the club’s 40-man roster. Reyes has the most big league experience of that group, with a .255/.317/.363 slash line in 216 career big league games that’s good for a wRC+ or 83, while Valdez’s 87 wRC+ in 57 career major league appearances leads the group.

Taking Story’s place on the roster for the time being is Hamilton, a 26-year-old who made his MLB debut with the Red Sox last year. The youngster appeared in just 15 games with the club during his first big league season and struggled at the plate, slashing a paltry .121/.256/.182 in that brief stint. He posted stronger numbers at the Triple-A level, slashing .247/.363/.438 in 103 games while splitting time between shortstop, second base, and center field.

None of those options inspire confidence, though the club’s outlook up the middle could improve when infielder Vaughn Grissom makes his season debut after being sidelined with a hamstring strain to open the season. Per MLB.com, Cora has suggested that Grissom could begin a rehab assignment in the near future, potentially setting up a return in late April or early May. Grissom was set to open the season as the club’s starting second baseman prior to his injury, though it’s possible that a prolonged absence by Story could lead the Red Sox to experiment with Grissom at shortstop, where he spent the majority of his time in the minor leagues.

One other option at the club’s disposal would be to use top prospect Ceddanne Rafaela on the infield dirt. The youngster has acted as the club’s regular center fielder this season but has experience in the major and minor leagues at both shortstop and second base. Moving Rafaela to the infield would also free up additional at-bats in the club’s crowded outfield mix, which features Jarren Duran, Tyler O’Neill, Wilyer Abreu, and Mastaka Yoshida in addition to Rafaela himself. Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe relays that Breslow downplayed the idea of Rafaela moving to the infield, however, noting the value of the youngster’s superb glovework in center field.

Trevor Story Exits With Left Shoulder Pain

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Red Sox shortstop Trevor Story injured his shoulder on Friday as he dove to field a groundball. He hit the ground in significant distress and eventually left the game holding his arm. Shortly afterward, the team told reporters (including Christopher Smith of MassLive) that he exited with “left shoulder pain.” Presumably, the Red Sox will provide more details after the game, although Story might need further evaluation on Saturday before receiving a proper diagnosis.

Story has been something of an injury magnet throughout his career, spending time on the injured list in six of his first eight MLB seasons from 2016-23. He tore a thumb ligament in 2016, suffered a shoulder strain in 2017, sprained his thumb in 2019, dealt with elbow inflammation in 2021, and fractured his wrist (and suffered a heel contusion) in 2022. Most recently, he spent the first four months of the 2023 season recovering from an internal brace procedure to repair his UCL.

The Red Sox, who signed Story to a six-year, $140 million contract ahead of the 2022 campaign, were counting on him to be their regular shortstop this year. He struggled tremendously at the plate in 2023, slashing .203/.250/.316 in 43 games. However, he looked phenomenal at shortstop, producing 8 DRS and 8 OAA in just 314 defensive innings. Surely, the Red Sox were hoping that after a regular, healthy offseason, Story could get back on track at the plate. Over his first seven seasons, he produced an .849 OPS and 111 wRC+.

Instead, it seems as if Story is headed to the injured list early in 2024. Boston is low on infield depth with second baseman Vaughn Grissom already on the IL, but Pablo Reyes can cover at shortstop. Meanwhile, utility man Romy Gonzalez, currently at Triple-A, is a likely candidate to fill an empty spot on the bench.

Offseason In Review: Boston Red Sox

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The Red Sox had a very quiet offseason, as their big moves were trading away one starting pitcher and signing another, though the latter of the two eventually required season-ending surgery.

Major League Signings

2024 spending: $23.25MM
Total spending: $50.75MM

Option Decisions

Trades and Claims

Notable Minor League Signings

Extensions

Notable Losses

The Red Sox franchise has seemingly decided that it does not want to be a powerhouse anymore. For the first two decades of this millennium, they were incredibly aggressive, running top five payrolls for most of that time. That aggression paid off handsomely, as the Sox broke their 86-year curse and won the World Series four times from 2004 to 2018.

But since then, their top priority has seemingly been to cut the budget. After the fourth title in 2018, they seemingly wanted to trim the payroll but president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski wouldn’t do it, so they let him go. That led the club to bring in Chaim Bloom from the Rays, hoping that he could bring some small-market tactics to their large-market club. Shortly after he was hired in October of 2019, he traded Mookie Betts and David Price to the Dodgers in what was largely a cost-cutting move.

In 2023, the payroll had fallen to middle of the pack as they started the season 12th out of 30, per Cot’s Baseball Contracts. In September of 2023, the fourth season with Bloom in charge, the Sox were about to finish last in the American League East for the second time in a row and for the third time in the four Bloom years. This was apparently enough for the franchise to make another change, as they let Bloom go before last year’s season was up.

This meant Boston started the offseason looking for a new person to head up the baseball operations department, but it was a tough pitch, with many candidates quickly withdrawing their names or declining to be interviewed. After all, who would want to work for a club that’s going to provide you with few resources and then put your head under the axe when things don’t go well? But in the end, they settled on Craig Breslow, a former player and Yale graduate who had been an assistant GM in the Cubs’ front office. They also brought back old friend Theo Epstein, but he’ll be in a part ownership and advisory role, seemingly not active in the baseball decisions on a day-to-day basis.

Some wondered if the move from Bloom to Breslow would lead ownership to sign off on a bigger budget, in order to convince fans they were moving away from nickel-and-diming and returning to their aggressive ways. Chairman Tom Werner seemed to fan these flames in November when he declared that the club was going to “be full-throttle in every possible way.” Breslow did promise to be aggressive, particularly in targeting starting pitching, but the offseason ended up being mostly about shuffling deck chairs. They sniffed around the markets for Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto but never seemed to be the favorites in those markets.

In the rotation, where the club was reportedly looking to shop at the top of the market, their big splash was to sign Lucas Giolito. It was a sensible buy-low move, since he had previously looked like a borderline ace but hit a rough patch before free agency. If he could get back to his form from a few years ago, it would be a steal.

Around the same time, they also subtracted from their rotation by sending Chris Sale to Atlanta for Vaughn Grissom. The young Grissom came up as a shortstop prospect, with great offensive skills but questions about his defense. Atlanta decided to roll with Orlando Arcia at short last year, but moving Grissom to second wasn’t an option for them with Ozzie Albies there, which made Grissom more useful as a trade chip.

The two moves together looked like a fine bit of business for Boston. In the rotation, they swapped in Giolito for Sale, arguably a wash depending on your opinions of those pitchers. Alongside that, they added a potential everyday second baseman, a position that’s been a bit of a carousel for Boston since the Dustin Pedroia days.

Unfortunately, Giolito was later diagnosed with a partially torn ulnar collateral ligament and a flexor strain. He required internal brace surgery and will miss the entire 2024 season. The Sox didn’t pivot and add another starter, so the rotation that was a clear priority all winter is essentially the same as last year but minus Sale. Grissom still hasn’t made his debut with the Sox thanks to a groin strain, though he should be with the club in a few weeks.

Although that bad news about Giolito didn’t drop until early March, the Sox still had a chance to pivot. Thanks to a surprisingly slow offseason, pitchers like Jordan Montgomery and Blake Snell were still available in the later stages of the winter. The fit with Montgomery and the Sox had been speculated upon all winter, especially since he was spending some time in the area as his wife was doing a residency at a Boston hospital. But the Sox decided not to rush out to the market to replace Giolito, letting Montgomery go to the Diamondbacks on a one-year deal and even letting a back-of-the-rotation guy like Michael Lorenzen sign with the Rangers for a mere $4.5MM.

In addition to Montgomery, the club had plenty of interest in other free agents, including Yariel Rodríguez, Seth Lugo, Teoscar Hernández, Lourdes Gurriel Jr., Robert Stephenson, Shota Imanaga and many others. Ultimately, their other most significant moves were somewhat similar to the Giolito/Sale swap. They traded outfielder Alex Verdugo to the Yankees for a collection of arms, while also flipping a couple of other pitchers to St. Louis for Tyler O’Neill.

Both outfielders are impending free agents, so the two moves don’t make a huge difference to the franchise right away, but it’s a sensible enough swap for them to make. Verdugo has seemingly established what he is at this point, a solid defender with an average-ish bat, a good but not excellent player. His value wasn’t going to get much higher, as even a hot couple of months early in 2024 would come with some skepticism.

O’Neill, on the other hand, has borderline MVP upside. He finished eighth in National League MVP voting after hitting 34 home runs, stealing 15 bases and providing excellent defense that year. He’s been hampered by injuries in the two seasons since, but it makes sense for the Sox to give him regular playing time and see what happens. If he can get back in good form by the end of July, he could have more trade value than when they acquired him. He’s also making $5.85MM this year compared to Verdugo’s $8.7MM.

The Sox also considered some further teardown moves, with Kenley Jansen, Chris Martin and Masataka Yoshida’s names all floated in rumors throughout the winter. None of that trio ended up leaving Boston, though the Sox did trade reliever John Schreiber to the Royals for pitching prospect David Sandlin.

Ultimately, it seems the franchise is focused more on the future than the present. None of the free agents they signed added any money beyond 2025 and their second-largest free agent deal was for reliever Liam Hendriks. He’s recovering from Tommy John surgery and won’t pitch until around the trade deadline, at the earliest, but he could give the club a future closer with Jansen and Martin set to become free agents after 2024.

Their most significant contract was an extension for right-hander Brayan Bello, who they inked to a six-year, $55MM pact. It’s a bit of a risk since his major league work has been more decent than great so far, relying on a ground ball approach without many punchouts. But he had more strikeout stuff in the minors and could take a step forward in the years to come.

Extending other young players was also discussed, though without anything getting done so far. Right-hander Tanner Houck and first baseman Triston Casas were frequently mentioned as candidates for such a deal but nothing was finalized before the 2024 season started.

For the time being, it seems the club is content to roll with their internal options and see how things go. The 2024 season will involve a lot of playing time going to young guys like Grissom, Houck, Casas, Bello, Garrett Whitlock, Jarren Duran, Ceddanne Rafaela, Wilyer Abreu and Kutter Crawford. At the same time, the club will surely be keeping a close eye on prospects like Marcelo Mayer, Kyle Teel,  Nick Yorke, Wikelman Gonzalez and Roman Anthony, who are all starting this year at Double-A and could be pushing for big league debuts throughout the year.

The performance of those players will likely dictate how the club decides to proceed next winter and beyond. Whether that will even see them returning to a top-five payroll remains to be seen. Like last year, they came into 2024 with their payroll 12th in the league, per Cot’s. If that is your definition of “full throttle,” raise your hand.

While that plays out, there’s another unanswered question surrounding the club, as manager Álex Cora is now in a lame duck position as 2024 is the final year of his contract. He’s been coy about his future plans, with some suggesting he wants to move into a front office position while others believe he wants to take the Craig Counsell route and max out his next contract as a manager. Whether either of those paths lead to him staying in Boston is something that will have to be revealed in time.

Larry Lucchino Passes Away

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Former Red Sox, Padres and Orioles president Larry Lucchino passed away Tuesday at 78, his family announced. Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred issued the following statement in a press release:

“Larry Lucchino was one of the most accomplished executives that our industry has ever had. He was deeply driven, he understood baseball’s place in our communities, and he had a keen eye for executive talent. Larry’s vision for Camden Yards played a vital role in advancing fan-friendly ballparks across the game. He followed up by overseeing the construction of Petco Park, which remains a jewel of the San Diego community. Then Larry teamed with John Henry and Tom Werner to produce the most successful era in Red Sox history, which included historic World Series Championships on the field and a renewed commitment to Fenway Park. On behalf of Major League Baseball, I send my condolences to Larry’s family, his Red Sox colleagues and his many friends throughout our National Pastime.”

Lucchino spent six years as the Orioles’ president, from 1988-93, before spending seven years as the Padres’ president and CEO (1995-2001) and 14 years as the president and CEO of the Red Sox (2002-15). He’s widely credited with the visions behind Oriole Park at Camden Yards and Petco Park in San Diego, both of which were constructed during his time as president for those respective franchises. His 14-year run with the Red Sox included Boston’s curse-breaking 2004 World Series championship and subsequent World Series victories in 2007 and in 2013.

After stepping down from his role following the 2015 season, Lucchino remained connected to the franchise as a partial owner of the Sox’ Triple-A club and the president and CEO emeritus of Fenway Sports Group. A three-time cancer survivor, Lucchino also became the chairman of the Jimmy Fund in 2016 — a charity that has raised millions of dollars for Boston’s Dana-Farber Cancer Institute through various community-based fundraising events.

“Larry’s career unfolded like a playbook of triumphs, marked by transformative moments that reshaped ballpark design, enhanced the fan experience, and engineered the ideal conditions for championships wherever his path led him, and especially in Boston,” Red Sox owner John Henry said in a statement this morning. “Yet, perhaps his most enduring legacy lies in the remarkable people he helped assemble at the Red Sox, all of whom are a testament to his training, wisdom, and mentorship. Many of them continue to shape the organization today, carrying forward the same vigor, vitality, and cherished sayings that were hallmarks of Larry’s personality. Larry was a formidable opponent in any arena, and while he battled hard, he always maintained the utmost respect for a worthy adversary and found genuine joy in sparring with people. I was lucky enough to have had him in my corner for 14 years and to have called him a close friend for even longer. He was truly irreplaceable and will be missed by all of us at the Red Sox.”

For a comprehensive look at the impact Lucchino had in Boston, Baltimore and San Diego, this morning’s pieces from John Powers of the Boston Globe, Ryan Finley of the San Diego Union-Tribune and Andy Kostka of the Baltimore Banner are rife with old quotes from Lucchino and anecdotes shared by those who worked with him throughout his remarkable career. In addition to the Red Sox (who released statements from Sam Kennedy and Tom Werner, in addition to the aforementioned Henry statement) the Orioles have also released a statement on Lucchino’s passing:

“We are heartbroken over the news of the passing of former Orioles president and CEO, Larry Lucchino. A pioneer in the sport, we will forever be grateful for his impact on our organization, highlighted by the construction of Oriole Park at Camden Yards, The Ballpark That Forever Changed Baseball. We join our entire baseball family in mourning this loss and extend our thoughts and prayers to his loved ones and many friends throughout the game.”

We at MLBTR extend our heartfelt condolences to the family, friends and loved ones of Lucchino, as well as the countless baseball fans whose experiences of the game were impacted and enhanced by his contributions.

Red Sox Select Joely Rodriguez, Naoyuki Uwasawa

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The Red Sox announced Thursday that they’ve selected the contracts of left-hander Joely Rodriguez and right-hander Naoyuki Uwasawa — the latter of whom was just acquired from the Rays yesterday. Rodriguez will head straight to the MLB roster, while Uwasawa has been optioned to extended spring training. Righty Liam Hendriks (recovering from Tommy John surgery) and southpaw Chris Murphy (UCL sprain) have been placed on the 60-day IL to create 40-man roster space. Boston also placed righty Bryan Mata (hamstring strain) on the 15-day IL and placed infielder Vaughn Grissom (hamstring strain) and utilityman Rob Refsnyder (broken toe) on the 10-day IL.

Rodriguez, 32, was with the Sox in 2023 but pitched just 11 innings due to oblique, shoulder and hip injuries that combined to result in three different stints on the injured list. He posted a 6.55 ERA in his short time on the mound, striking out 27.5% of his opponents against an 11.8% walk rate and 45.2% ground-ball rate. He re-signed with the Sox on a minor league deal and turned in a strong showing this spring, holding opponents to a pair of runs on nine hits and three walks with nine strikeouts in seven innings of relief. He also recorded a massive 61.9% ground-ball rate.

Looking beyond last year’s struggles, Rodriguez has a decent track record in recent years. From 2020-22, Rodriguez pitched 109 1/3 frames between the Rangers, Yankees and Mets, working to a 4.28 ERA with even more encouraging secondary marks. Rodriguez fanned 25.5% of his opponents in that time and induced grounders at a huge 55.7% clip. His 10.3% walk rate was still a couple ticks north of the league average, but the lefty offered an enticing blend of missed bats and grounders while excelling at keeping the ball in the park (0.58 HR/9). Metrics like FIP (3.14) and SIERA (3.51) were rather bullish on his work.

Uwasawa, 30, has a long track record of success in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball but inked a minor league pact with the Rays over the winter. He most recently tossed 170 innings with a 2.96 ERA in NPB, though that strong mark was accompanied by a lackluster 17.8% strikeout rate and sub-par velocity. Last September, MLBTR contributor Dai Takegami Podziewski noted that Uwasawa’s fastball velocity was averaging 90.8 mph during the 2023 NPB season. Uwasawa does boast a strong 7.5% walk rate, which dropped as low as 5.9% in 2023, but he’s generally viewed as a soft-tossing finesse pitcher.

It was a rocky spring for Uwasawa, who was torched for seven runs in two innings during his debut with the Rays. He had one more rough outing and a pair of solid appearances, and the Sox got a first-hand look at him as they were his opponent in two of his four official spring outings. Uwasawa finished up his Grapefruit League campaign with a grisly 13.03, thanks largely to that first meltdown, but his track record in Japan and low cost of acquisition make him a reasonable enough flier for a Red Sox club that is thin on pitching depth after trading Chris Sale and seeing Lucas Giolito and the aforementioned Murphy go down with UCL injuries.

Red Sox Have Reportedly Not Made An Offer To Mike Clevinger

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  • The Red Sox were also frequently tied to Montgomery as a potential suitor this winter, and were a frequently speculated destination for a number of starters in all tiers of free agency. Despite that wide-ranging reported interest, however, the club only came away with right-hander Lucas Giolito this winter. In the wake of Giolito undergoing an internal brace procedure on his UCL this spring the club also added righty Chase Anderson on a big league deal, though it appears they aren’t exploring further additions to their rotation mix at this point. WEEI’s Rob Bradford reported yesterday that the club has not made an offer to the lone remaining free agent starter of note, right-hander Mike Clevinger, who pitched to a 3.77 ERA in 24 starts with the White Sox last year. The club’s internal options of Brayan Bello, Tanner Houck, Nick Pivetta, Kutter Crawford, and Garrett Whitlock will need to take a major step forward this season in order to improve upon the 4.68 ERA last year’s rotation mix posted despite losing veteran lefties Chris Sale and James Paxton.

Red Sox’ Noah Song To Undergo Tommy John Surgery

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Red Sox youngster Noah Song will begin the season on the injured list, with Chris Hatfield of SoxProspects.com reporting that the right-hander is set to undergo Tommy John surgery. He’ll be joined on the shelf to open the season by southpaw Brandon Walter, who per Chris Cotillo of MassLive is nursing a strained rotator cuff in his left arm.

Neither Song nor Walter were expected to open the season in the majors, but the twin injury updates are nonetheless a brutal blow for the club’s pitching depth at the upper levels of the minor leagues. Song, 26, is perhaps the more well known of the pair despite not yet having made his major league debut. The right-hander was one of the more well-regarded hurlers in the 2019 draft but fell to the Red Sox in the fourth round due to his military commitments as a Naval Academy cadet. He made just seven starts in the Red Sox organization before missing the next three seasons while fulfilling his military duties, though he was moved to the naval reserve prior to the 2023 season, allowing him to return to professional baseball.

The Phillies took the opportunity to select Song in the Rule 5 draft that offseason and remained in the organization for the first several months of the 2023 campaign, though he made no appearances at the big league level after beginning the season on the injured list due to a low back strain. Song made his return to a minor league mound in late June and struggled badly with Philadelphia, posting a 7.36 ERA in 11 innings of work across three levels of the minors before the club decided to designate him for assignment in late July.

Song was promptly returned to the Red Sox, and he finished the season strong with a solid 4.15 ERA in 21 2/3 frames at the High-A level down the stretch. Song appeared likely to open the season at the Double-A level for Boston this season, which could’ve potentially put him back on the big league radar at some point this year. That won’t come to pass now, however, as he figures to miss the entire 2024 campaign and perhaps some of the 2025 season as well while rehabbing from surgery.

Walter, 27, was a 26th-round pick by the Red Sox in the 2019 draft and made his big league debut with the club last season. The lefty struggled badly through nine appearances in Boston, pitching to a 6.26 ERA in 23 innings of work. His peripheral numbers indicated that his performance was better than the results indicated, as he posted a 4.60 FIP that was closer to league average. Walter’s numbers at the Triple-A level were similarly mediocre, as he threw 94 innings of 4.60 ERA ball while striking out 21.3% of batters faced.

Despite those uninspiring results, the lefty figured to provide the Red Sox with upper-level pitching depth capable of pitching out of the rotation and the bullpen behind fellow lefties Joely Rodriguez and Brennan Bernardino, though now he’ll be out of action for the foreseeable future. The club still has not only Bernardino but also arms such as Cooper Criswell and Zack Kelly available as depth options on the 40-man roster who can be called upon to supplement the big league club as needed, however.

Red Sox To Acquire Naoyuki Uwasawa From Rays

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The Red Sox have acquired right-hander Naoyuki Uwasawa from the Rays, per Jeff Passan of ESPN. Marc Topkin of The Tampa Bay Times had relayed earlier that the righty triggered an assignment clause and the Rays were close to making a trade. The Rays will receive cash considerations, per Topkin.

Uwasawa, 30, has a long track record of success in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball but inked a minor league pact with the Rays over the winter. He most recently tossed 170 innings with a 2.96 ERA in NPB, though that strong mark was accompanied by a lackluster 17.8% strikeout rate and sub-par velocity. Last September, MLBTR contributor Dai Takegami Podziewski noted that Uwasawa’s fastball velocity was averaging 90.8 mph during the 2023 NPB season. Uwasawa does boast a strong 7.5% walk rate, which dropped as low as 5.9% in 2023, but he’s generally viewed as a soft-tossing finesse pitcher.

It’s been a tough spring for Uwasawa, though the bulk of the damage against him came in his debut effort with the Rays. The Braves tattooed the right-hander for seven runs on eight hits in just two innings of work. Uwasawa has had two sharp outings (one against the Red Sox) and another rough one (also against Boston) in the weeks since that time. His spring ERA sits at a dismal 13.03, owing largely to that first meltdown of an outing.

For a Red Sox club in need of rotation depth, however, there’s little harm in adding Uwasawa to the fold — particularly since he’ll only cost them cash considerations. In parts of nine NPB seasons, Uwasawa has amassed 1118 1/3 innings of 3.19 ERA ball with a 19.7% strikeout rate and 7.5% walk rate. He’s been particularly effective in recent years, compiling a 3.08 ERA over his past six NPB seasons. He made the NPB All-Star team in both 2021 and 2023. Uwasawa also tossed two shutouts and averaged better than seven innings per start during the 2023 season.

The Red Sox will open the season with a rotation including Brayan Bello, Nick Pivetta, Tanner Houck, Garrett Whitlock and Kutter Crawford. They recently signed veteran righty Chase Anderson to a big league deal, giving them some additional depth, though he could begin the season as a long man in the bullpen. There’s plenty of talent in the group but also some injury risk and plenty of short MLB track records. Boston tried to address some of its rotation deficiency this offseason by signing Lucas Giolito to a two-year contract, but he suffered a UCL tear earlier this spring and will miss the entire 2024 season after undergoing an internal brace procedure. Depth starter Chris Murphy, too, will miss the season due to his own UCL surgery.

Uwasawa will join a group of depth options including not only Anderson but also lefty Brandon Walter and righty Cooper Criswell. The Red Sox still have far more questions than sure things on the starting staff, but Uwasawa will at least give them another wild card option at a negligible cost of acquisition.

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