Headlines

Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Red Sox Rumors

Red Sox Release Rich Hill

By | at

The Red Sox released Rich Hill, tweets Christopher Smith of MassLive. The veteran southpaw can latch on elsewhere for the final few weeks of the regular season. Since he’d be signing after the start of September, he will not be eligible for this year’s postseason if he continues playing.

Boston designated the 44-year-old Hill for assignment on Friday when they promoted rookie righty Luis Guerrero. That ended his latest stint with the Sox after four big league appearances. Hill logged 3 2/3 innings of two-run ball. He struck out five of 15 batters faced while issuing a trio of walks. With his fastball sitting in the mid-80s, Hill leaned most frequently on a 70 MPH breaking ball in that limited sample.

Whether Hill signs with another team or sits out the rest of the season, he managed to get to the majors for a 20th straight year. This was the Massachusetts native’s eighth different stint with the Red Sox, including minor league deals, and his fourth separate appearance at the big league level in Boston. Hill deliberately waited until the tail end of the season to sign, inking a minor league contract with the Sox in mid-August. The team called him up ten days later.

MLB’s oldest active player now returns to the open market. If he signs anywhere for the stretch run, it’d be with a contender. Hill can’t play in the postseason but could potentially work in a swing role to help push a team to October. He reportedly drew interest from the Yankees, Dodgers and Twins when he was building up earlier in the summer.

All three of those teams occupy a playoff spot. New York holds a half-game lead on the Orioles in the AL East, while a slumping Minnesota team is trying to hang onto a 3.5-game edge on the American League’s final Wild Card spot. Los Angeles has all but wrapped up another NL West title, but they’re looking to lock down the top seed in the National League while dealing with a number of rotation injuries.

Mets Designate Pablo Reyes, Select Eddy Alvarez

By | at

The Mets have selected the contract of recently acquired infielder Eddy Alvarez from Triple-A Syracuse and designated fellow infielder Pablo Reyes for assignment in order to open space on the active roster and 40-man roster, tweets Mike Puma of the New York Post. Alvarez was acquired from the Red Sox in exchange for cash earlier today.

Like Alvarez, Reyes was also acquired from the Red Sox in exchange for cash — although that swap took place back in May. The Mets selected him to the big league roster earlier this month when rosters expanded to 28 players. Reyes did not make a plate appearance with the Mets but did score a run after entering their Sept. 1 game as a pinch runner. He hit .183/.234/.217 in 64 plate appearances with Boston earlier this season.

The 31-year-old Reyes gave the Red Sox nearly league-average offense last season — .287/.339/.377 in 185 plate appearances — but has generally been a light-hitting utilityman in a big league career that’s now spanned four teams (Pirates, Brewers, Red Sox, Mets) across parts of six seasons. In 572 plate appearances at the MLB level, Reyes is a .248/.309/.349 hitter. He’s spent time at every defensive position other than catcher — pitcher included — but has primarily been a second baseman/shortstop/third baseman.

A career .277/.347/.450 hitter in parts of six Triple-A seasons, Reyes has a solid minor league track record but has never found extended success in the majors. He’s out of minor league options and thus can’t be sent down without clearing waivers first, and even then he’d have the right to reject an outright assignment in favor of free agency by virtue of the fact that he’s been outrighted previously in his career. He’ll head to waivers now that he’s been DFA and will likely clear, as he did back in May when Boston also designated him for assignment.

Mets Acquire Eddy Alvarez

By | at

The Mets have acquired infielder Eddy Alvarez from the Red Sox in exchange for cash, per the teams’ transaction logs at MLB.com. Alvarez was on a minor league deal and eligible to be traded as such. He won’t be postseason-eligible with his new team due to the fact that he’s joining the organization after the Aug. 31 eligibility deadline, but he’ll give the Mets some infield depth in the wake of Jeff McNeil’s season-ending wrist fracture.

Alvarez, 34, has appeared in parts of three big league seasons, spending time with the Marlins and Dodgers from 2020-22. He’s played a total of 50 games and recorded 142 plate appearance with a lackluster .183/.262/.262 batting line in that time. He’s been far better in a larger sample of Triple-A work, however. Alvarez has slashed .247/.348/.463 in 114 games with Worcester this season, smacking 18 homers and going 18-for-25 in stolen base attempts. His 24.1% strikeout rate is higher than average, but so is his 10.6% walk rate. Alvarez has appeared in eight Triple-A seasons and owns a career .277/.381/.467 slash in 1855 plate appearances there.

Defensively, Alvarez has seen time at every position other than catcher and first base. He’s primarily been a middle infielder, with 3777 career innings at shortstop and 1930 innings at second base (minors and big leagues combined).

The Mets don’t necessarily need to turn to Alvarez right off the bat. With McNeil out for the remainder of the regular season, they can turn to Jose Iglesias as the primary second baseman, with versatile Pablo Reyes occupying a utility role on the bench (and, of course, with MVP candidate Francisco Lindor at shortstop). Down in Triple-A, the Mets have top prospect Luisangel Acuna already on the 40-man roster in the event of further injury.

That said, the Mets are also without infield prospect Brett Baty for another several weeks due to a fractured finger. Between Baty, McNeil and Ronny Mauricio (out for the year with an ACL tear), the Mets’ infield depth is pretty banged up at the moment. In the event of an additional injury on the MLB side, Acuna could be called into action, or New York could turn to a non-roster veteran in Triple-A like Mike Brosseau, Yolmer Sanchez or perhaps the newly acquired Alvarez. Even if he never sees the majors with his new club, he’ll give the Mets some late-season depth and versatility to help navigate a handful of hits to their infield depth chart.

Red Sox To Select Richard Fitts

By | at

The Red Sox are planning to select the contract of right-hander Richard Fitts tomorrow, according to Christopher Smith of MassLive.com. Per Smith, there’s a “really great chance” Fitts starts tomorrow’s game against the White Sox, though it’s also possible he’s used as a bulk reliever behind an Opener. The club’s 40-man roster is currently at capacity, meaning corresponding moves will be necessary to accommodate Fitts’s addition to both the 40-man and active rosters before tomorrow’s game.

Fitts, 24, was a sixth-round pick by the Yankees in the 2021 draft. After making his pro debut the following year, he reached the Double-A level with New York last year and delivered an impressive season with a 3.48 ERA in 152 2/3 innings of work across 27 starts where Fitts struck out 25.9% of batters faced. Over the offseason, Fitts was shipped to Boston alongside right-hander Greg Weissert and pitching prospect Nicholas Judice in the trade that sent Alex Verdugo to the Yankees.

It’s a trade that now looks rather lopsided in favor of the Red Sox, as Verdugo has struggled to an 84 wRC+ with New York this year and his lackluster performance has even prompted the club to consider bumping him from the lineup to accommodate top prospect Jasson Dominguez, though that has not happened to this point. Meanwhile, Weissert has provided the Red Sox with solid middle relief this year with a 3.81 ERA and 4.14 FIP in 52 innings of work. Now Fitts is set to join him in the majors coming off what has been a solid season at Triple-A, albeit not one as impressive as he posted at Double-A with the Yankees last year. In 116 2/3 innings of work this year, Fitts has posted a 4.17 ERA with a 22.6% strikeout rate against a 7.5% walk rate, as well as a career-best 42.4% grounder rate.

The right-hander will now make his way to Boston and look to carry that success he’s seen in the upper minors over into his major league debut. Should he start tomorrow’s game as expected, he’ll pitch opposite White Sox right-hander Chris Flexen, who sports a 5.36 ERA in 29 appearances with Chicago this year. While the Red Sox have a full rotation featuring Tanner Houck, Nick Pivetta, Brayan Bello, Kutter Crawford, and Cooper Criswell at the moment, the club will now be able to offer their regular rotation extra rest ahead of a pair of tough series against the Orioles and Yankees next week by slotting Fitts in for a spot start.

Of course, the Red Sox are longshots to make the postseason at this point with a lackluster record of 72-70. Fangraphs gives the club a 9.9% chance to make the playoffs, although in order to do so they would need to run down either the Twins (76-66) or Royals (78-65) to capture an AL Wild Card spot with the AL East almost certainly out of reach. Even if getting their regular starters an additional day of rest ahead of a tough stretch of the schedule is unlikely to make an impact in the standings, however, it’s worth noting that the Red Sox would’ve needed to add Fitts to the 40-man roster this offseason even if they didn’t want him to get him big league exposure down the stretch in order to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft, from which he’ll need to be protected this winter.

Red Sox Activate Trevor Story From 60-Day Injured List

By | at

As expected, the Red Sox activated shortstop Trevor Story from the 60-day injured list, as the former two-time All-Star is set for his big league action since the first week of April.  In the corresponding 40-man roster move, right-hander Isaiah Campbell was called up from Triple-A and placed on the big league version of the 60-day IL, so Campbell’s season has officially been ended by right elbow inflammation.  As reported earlier today by NESN’s Jahmai Webster, catcher/infielder Mickey Gasper was optioned to Triple-A to make space for Story on the active roster.

While diving for a grounder in Boston’s game with the Angels back on April 5, Story suffered a severe shoulder injury that required what was thought at the time to be a season-ending surgery.  Story went through rehab and felt better than expected as he regained strength in his shoulder, and things have improved to the point that Story will make it back onto the field with a few weeks to spare in the 2024 campaign.

Since signing a six-year, $140MM free agent deal with the Red Sox prior to the 2022 season, Story has appeared in only 145 games, as his shoulder surgery was only the latest in a long string of injuries.  He was at least a league-average hitter with an even 100 wRC+ from his .238/.303/.434 slash line and 16 homers over 396 plate appearances in 2022, but he has an ugly .575 OPS in the 202 PA since even that debut season in Boston.

Story’s glovework has still remained solid even throughout his struggles at the plate, so at the very least, his return should improve what has been a dismal defensive showing by Boston’s middle infielders in his absence.  Ceddanne Rafaela and David Hamilton have shared most of the shortstop duties in Story’s absence this year, though Hamilton is on the IL himself with a finger fracture that threatens to end his season.

As Story resumes his old post at shortstop, the Red Sox will be moving Rafaela to second base, in the hopes that the rookie can both find more individual success at the new position and also help the Sox finally find an answer at the keystone.  Rafaela is one of an astounding 11 players who have seen time at second base for Boston this season, and the move to the other side of the infield should make Rafaela more of a defensive asset.

Campbell made his Major League debut with the Mariners in 2023, and had made a good first impression with a 2.83 ERA in 28 2/3 innings out of Seattle’s bullpen.  The Red Sox were intrigued enough to acquire Campbell for Luis Urias back in November, but between injuries and a lot of time in Triple-A, Campbell has managed only a 16.20 ERA in 6 2/3 innings for Boston at the big league level.  Due to his health issues, Campbell hasn’t pitched since he took the mound for Triple-A Worcester in the middle of July.

AL East Notes: Bichette, Kjerstad, Hendriks

By | at

Bo Bichette is scheduled to begin a Triple-A rehab assignment beginning on Tuesday, the Blue Jays told reporters (including Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi and Arden Zwelling).  Bichette has been on the injured list since suffering a right calf strain on July 19, which was the third calf-related issue for Bichette within about a month’s time.  It wasn’t clear at the time of the placement if Bichette would be able to return before the season was over or if the Jays might just shut him down, but it looks like the shortstop should be able to make it back for at least a bit more action before the 2024 campaign wraps.

While the Jays are well out of contention, returning to the field should provide some peace of mind for Bichette about his health as he wraps up the worst season of his six-year career.  The two-time All-Star hit only .222/.275/.320 over 331 plate appearances, delivering a 69 wRC+ that was far below his previous career mark of 127.  Bichette’s turn from star to replacement-level player was one of many reasons behind the Jays’ rough season, and it has raised fresh speculation about Bichette’s long-term future in Toronto, or even if he’ll still be a Blue Jay by next Opening Day.  These questions obviously won’t be answered in the small sample size of however many MLB games Bichette is able to play in September, but returning to the Jays lineup and hitting like his old self would allow him to take something positive from an otherwise lost year.

Other updates from around the AL East…

  • The Orioles announced that Heston Kjerstad will start a rehab assignment at the team’s A-ball affiliate in Aberdeen beginning tomorrow.  Kjerstad has been on the concussion-related injury list since August 1, marking his second stint on the concussion-IL since he was hit in the head by a Clay Holmes pitch on July 12.  The good news is that Kjerstad has cleared concussion protocol and now looks ready to return to action.  Now in his second MLB season, the former top prospect has continued to show glimpses of his potential with a .261/.370/.420 slash line in 81 plate appearances with Baltimore this season, and a healthy Kjerstad could provide a nice boost for the O’s heading into the playoffs.
  • Liam Hendriks was slated to throw back-to-back outings as part of his ongoing minor rehab assignment, though the Red Sox and the reliever have pulled back on the idea since Hendriks is feeling some slight discomfort.  “There was a little bit of an issue [in the elbow], but nothing that can’t be worked out,” Hendriks told the Boston Globe’s Julian McWilliams and other reporters.  “I think I need to limit my own throwing….The muscle groups right there aren’t quite built up to withstand that just yet.  I need to kind of ease them in a little bit better.”  Hendriks and manager Alex Cora downplayed the setback, and the hope is that Hendriks will be able to make it back to the Red Sox roster before the season is over.  Hendriks hasn’t pitched in the majors since June 2023, as a Tommy John surgery in August of that year has put his career on hold.

Red Sox Designate Rich Hill For Assignment

By | at

The Red Sox announced Friday that they’ve designated left-hander Rich Hill for assignment. His spot on the roster will go to right-hander Luis Guerrero, whose contract has been selected from Triple-A Worcester.

Hill, 44, returned to the majors after sitting out the first two-thirds of the season. He’d said dating back to early in the offseason that he planned to wait until midway through the 2024 campaign before pursuing a return, taking the downtime to be with his family and, ideally, then being fresher for the finish to the current season. Hill began the 2023 season as a solid innings eater at the back of the Pirates’ rotation but faded considerably following a trade to the Padres.

Last month, Hill showcased for big league clubs and drew a wide array of scouts. He said at the time he felt he was ready to throw five innings and jump right onto a big league mound. The grizzled southpaw signed a minor league deal with the Red Sox — incredibly, his eighth career free-agent deal with Boston — and was indeed up in the majors after just one Triple-A appearance, wherein he tossed a pair of shutout innings.

The Sox didn’t plug Hill into the rotation, instead opting to use him in the bullpen. His first two outings could scarcely have gone better. He tossed 2 2/3 perfect innings, fanning three opponents. Over his next two appearances, Hill was tagged for a combined two runs on a homer and three walks. He fanned another two batters along the way. Overall, Hill pitched just 3 2/3 innings during his latest Red Sox run, logging a 4.91 ERA with five strikeouts and three walks.

Now that Hill has been designated, he’ll head to waivers. He’d be ineligible for a new club’s playoff roster if he’s claimed, though it’s at least somewhat feasible that a postseason contender seeking some pitching depth could still make a low-risk pickup and plug him into one of the final spots on its staff. If not, Hill can head to Worcester to continue pitching in Triple-A or again become a free agent. It’s not entirely clear whether he’ll aim to continue pitching, and with his 45th birthday coming next March, it’s fair to wonder how long he intends to keep going. At the very least, Hill fanned one-third of the batters he faced during this brief Red Sox run (five of 15), so there’s some reason to believe he could still have a bit left in the tank.

Guerrero, 24, has had a nice season in Triple-A, pitching to a 3.31 with a huge 33.1% strikeout rate but also a bloated 13.4% walk rate in 54 1/3 innings. MLB.com ranks him 28th among Sox farmhands, touting a fastball that sits 96-98 mph and reaches 100 mph at times. He complements that pitch with a splitter and slider. Guerrero throws hard and misses bats in bunches, but like so many young flamethrowers, his effectiveness is undercut at times by shaky command. This year’s 13.4% walk rate for Guerrero is an exact match for his career rate across all minor league levels combined.

Red Sox Re-Sign Brad Keller To Minor League Deal

By | at

The Red Sox and Brad Keller have evidently reunited on another minor league deal, as he started for Triple-A Worcester yesterday. He had elected free agency last week after being designated for assignment but seems to have signed a fresh pact. If the deal was formalized prior to September 1, he will be postseason eligible with the Sox.

Keller, 29, has been on and off the Boston roster for the past few months. He actually started the season with the White Sox on a minor league deal. He was added to that club’s roster in late April but lasted about three weeks before being designated for assignment, clearing waivers and electing free agency.

He then signed with the Sox and was on their 40-man roster for a few months but elected free agency in mid-August when they attempted to option him to the minors. As a veteran with more than five years of service time, he can’t be optioned without his consent. He went to the open market but quickly re-signed on a new minor league deal. He was added back to the roster last week but designated for assignment one day later, which led to another trip to free agency and this new minor league deal.

Around all of those transactions, Keller has managed to throw 41 1/3 innings over 16 appearances on the year, allowing 5.44 earned runs per nine. His 16.7% strikeout rate is below average but he has limited walks to a 7.8% clip while getting grounders on 50% of balls in play. He’s also logged 51 Triple-A innings on the year with a 4.06 ERA and similar peripherals.

Keller was once a strong rotation member with the Royals but his recent years have been fairly similar to his 2024 campaign. By the end of 2020, he had a 3.50 ERA in 360 1/3 innings but he has a 5.18 ERA in 360 frames from 2021 to the present.

The Red Sox recently lost James Paxton to the injured list for the rest of the year, putting him on the list of guys who won’t return to the club this season, next to Lucas Giolito, Garrett Whitlock and others. They currently have a rotation of Tanner Houck, Nick Pivetta, Brayan Bello, Kutter Crawford and Cooper Criswell. There are some workload concerns in there, as Houck, Crawford and Criswell have already set personal highs in terms of innings pitched in a season. Quinn Priester is another option on the 40-man roster but he has an 8.10 ERA in five Triple-A starts since being acquired from the Pirates.

If they need a spot start at some point this month or someone in that group needs to go on the injured list, Keller should be good to go since he pitched five innings yesterday. The Sox also have Josh Winckowski and Rich Hill on the roster but Hill hasn’t gone more than an inning and a third with the club so far. Winckowski has had plenty of multi-inning outings but hasn’t gotten into a game since August 23, so it might be hard for him to suddenly throw five or six innings on demand.

Red Sox Notes: Hamilton, Story, Hendriks, Martin

By | at

The Red Sox placed infielder David Hamilton on the 10-day injured list yesterday due to a left index finger fracture, which he suffered on a bunt single the day before. He told reporters that the timetable would be four to six weeks but that he’s hoping to get that down to two to three weeks, which would be based on his pain tolerance. Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic was among those who relayed the info on X.

The Sox have had a rotating cast of characters covering second base this year. They had planned on giving the gig to Vaughn Grissom after acquiring him from Atlanta for Chris Sale in the winter. But Grissom has been injured or struggling for most of the year, which opened the spot for others. Apart from Grissom, ten different players have seen at least a bit of action at the keystone for Boston this year.

No one really took hold of the job but Hamilton arguably performed the best of the group. His .248/.303/.395 batting line this year only translates to a 91 wRC+, indicating he’s been 9% below average, but he’s stolen 33 bases in 37 tries and has played both middle infield positions. His work at shortstop hasn’t been graded well but he has nine Defensive Runs Saved and three Outs Above Average at second. Overall, FanGraphs considers him to have been worth 1.6 wins above replacement on the year.

He may not get a chance to alter those numbers in the wake of his injury. The four-to-six-week timeline would essentially wipe out his regular season at this point. Even if he has a chance to come back quicker, that would probably require the Sox to stay in the race. They are currently 3.5 games back of a playoff spot. If they fall back in the coming weeks, there wouldn’t be much point in rushing Hamilton back before he’s 100% healthy.

For now, the Sox will likely keep the carousel of players going through the keystone, with Nick Sogard, Romy González and Mickey Gasper some of the options on the roster. Perhaps they will recall Grissom at some point, though he’s currently getting regular playing time at Triple-A Worcester.

Another X-factor in the club’s middle infield plans will be Trevor Story, who is trying to return to the club before the season is done. He has been trying to come back from April shoulder surgery that was initially thought to be season-ending and tells Rob Bradford of WEEI (X link) that a rehab assignment will be his next step, though he didn’t provide a specific date for starting that rehab.

Even if Story does return to the Sox this year, it’s anyone’s guess what form he will be in. The Sox signed him to a six-year, $140MM deal going into 2022 but haven’t received much on that investment yet. He has missed significant time due to various ailments, including this year’s shoulder surgery and last year’s elbow surgery. He has only appeared in 145 games for the Sox since signing that deal and has hit just .227/.288/.394 in his 598 plate appearances.

It’s fair to conclude that the lack of health has played a big role in tamping down his production, but that also means there might still be some rust if he returns to the club in the next few weeks. Still, it could be good for the long term if he gets some playing time under his feet before the winter. He’s still a big part of the club’s future, with three years remaining on that deal. Ceddanne Rafaela has been playing shortstop of late but he’s not hitting much and still has options. He could be sent down to the minors or perhaps be bumped into a utility role since he’s also a capable outfielder.

Turning to the pitching staff, right-hander Liam Hendriks could be back in the majors soon. The righty underwent Tommy John surgery last year but has started a rehab assignment and made four appearances in the minors this month. He tells Alex Speier of The Boston Globe that he’s targeting a return next weekend.

Now 35, Hendriks has been on quite a tumultuous journey in recent years. He missed the start of the 2023 season while dealing with a diagnosis of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. After beating cancer, he returned to the mound with the White Sox but only made five appearances before requiring the aforementioned surgery. The Sox signed him in the offseason to a two-year deal with a $10MM guarantee and another $10MM in incentives, knowing that they probably wouldn’t get much out of the righty in the first season.

That was a logical step for the Sox as Hendriks was dominant prior to this odyssey. From 2019 to 2022, he made 226 appearances with a 2.26 earned run average, 38.8% strikeout rate and 5.1% walk rate. On top of that, both Kenley Jansen and Chris Martin are set to hit free agency after 2024, so signing Hendriks in the winter was a preemptive move to address the 2025 bullpen ahead of schedule.

It’s also possible that Martin could be back. He tells the Baseball Isn’t Boring podcast (X link) that he’s planning on pitching again next year, in what would be his age-39 season, as long as he feels good through the end of the current campaign. He also spoke positively of the Red Sox organization and seemed open to a return.

Martin and the Sox signed a two-year, $17.5MM deal heading into 2023. He has thrown 86 2/3 innings over the course of that deal with a 1.77 ERA, 25.1% strikeout rate, 48.1% ground ball rate and tiny 2.9% walk rate. Given the continued strong results, he figures to get strong interest from the Sox or any other club around the league if he wants to keep his career going.

Brad Keller Elects Free Agency

By | at

Righty Brad Keller elected free agency after being waived by the Red Sox, tweets Chris Cotillo of MassLive. Boston designated Keller for assignment on Tuesday when they called up Rich Hill.

It’s a repeat of the process that played out two weeks ago. Keller elected free agency on August 13 rather than accept an optional assignment to Triple-A, the right of any player with at least five years of service time. He very quickly re-signed with Boston on a minor league contract and was called back up on Monday. Keller logged four innings of relief that night, allowing five runs on seven hits and a pair of walks. Boston swapped him out for Hill the next day.

The 29-year-old Keller has split this season between the White Sox and Red Sox. He has absorbed 41 1/3 innings over 16 appearances, generally working in low-leverage relief. Opponents have tagged him for a 5.44 ERA behind nearly two home runs per nine innings. Keller’s 16.7% strikeout rate is well below average. He’s getting grounders at a strong 50% clip, but opponents have done a lot of damage when they’ve gotten the ball elevated.

Keller has never had a strong strikeout and walk profile. His calling card has been his ability to keep the ball on the ground. That translated into serviceable back-of-the-rotation numbers for the Royals, for whom he posted a 4.27 ERA over six seasons. Keller’s final season in K.C. was a disaster, as he walked a staggering 21.3% of batters faced. The Royals eventually announced that he’d been diagnosed with thoracic outlet syndrome.

The Sox could again try to bring Keller back on a non-roster deal. He’s had some success this year in Triple-A, combining for a 3.52 ERA over 46 innings between Chicago’s and Boston’s affiliates. Keller has started nine of 12 appearances in the minors and can serve as rotation or long relief depth wherever he lands.

Show all

MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

hide arrows scroll to top