Rays Add Cam Booser To 40-Man Roster
The Rays added lefty reliever Cam Booser to their 40-man roster, the team announced. He will not break camp, as the club optioned him to Triple-A Durham. Tampa Bay placed righty reliever Steven Wilson on the 60-day injured list to open a spot on the 40-man roster. He’s dealing with lumbar disc inflammation and will be out for at least the first two months of the season.
Tampa Bay also announced four expected IL placements. Taylor Walls (right oblique strain) and Gavin Lux (right shoulder impingement) went on the 10-day injured list. Ryan Pepiot (right hip inflammation) and Edwin Uceta (right shoulder impingement) go on the shelf for at least 15 days. The Rays can backdate those moves to March 22.
Booser signed a minor league deal in January. That included an upward mobility clause which required the team to add him to the 40-man roster or cut him loose if another club were willing to give him a roster spot. The Rays opted for the former route, though his two remaining option years meant they can still keep him in the minors.
The 33-year-old southpaw (34 in May) had an impressive camp. He fired 11 innings of one-run ball with 12 strikeouts and four walks. Booser has a 95 mph fastball but leaned more heavily on his mid-80s cutter than anything else this spring. He has pitched in parts of two MLB seasons. Booser found success as a rookie with the Red Sox in 2024 but struggled after being traded to the White Sox a year ago. He allowed a 5.52 ERA with huge walk and home run rates across 31 innings for Chicago, who dropped him at the end of the year.
Rays Roster Notes: Vilade, Palacios, Boyle
Utilityman Ryan Vilade has made the Rays’ Opening Day roster, manager Kevin Cash told reporters, including Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. The 27-year-old was acquired in a trade with the Reds early in the offseason. Vilade could fill in around the infield while shortstop Taylor Walls is sidelined.
Vilade has spent parts of three seasons in the big leagues. He’s stumbled to a .141/.200/.188 in 71 plate appearances. Vilade has shown more promise with the bat in the minors, including a 135 wRC+ in 113 games at Triple-A between the Cardinals and Reds organizations last year.
The main draw for Vilade is his flexibility as a defender. He’s played every position except pitcher and catcher in the minors. Vilade hasn’t played shortstop since 2019, but he appeared at every other infield spot and all three outfield positions at Triple-A this past season.
The Rays sent outfielder Justyn-Henry Malloy and infielder/outfielder Richie Palacios to minor league camp on Friday. Both players were candidates for a bench role alongside infielder Ben Williamson, outfielder Jonny DeLuca, and backup catcher Hunter Feduccia. Prospect Carson Williams was sent to minor league camp earlier this week, only to be brought back after Walls went down. He’s likely headed toward the majority of the shortstop playing time as Walls recovers from a strained oblique.
Malloy came over in a minor trade with the Tigers after getting designated for assignment in late December. His lack of defensive value made him a peculiar fit for a Tampa Bay roster that typically prioritizes versatility. Malloy kept the strikeouts in check this spring, but he hit just .222 with just two extra-base hits.
Palacios is the more surprising cut. He stole 19 bases while providing league-average production with the bat in 2024. He bounced all over the field, spending most of his time at second base and right field. Palacios got off to a hot start this past season, posting a 138 wRC through mid-April. He then went down with a knee sprain that kept him out until September. The additions of Cedric Mullins and Gavin Lux were suboptimal for the lefty-swinging Palacios, given the platoon tendencies of the Rays.
“Richie, he’s a really good player,” manager Kevin Cash said. “It’s tough to see a scenario where he’s not helping us at some point, (with) his versatility. Just there wasn’t really a lane for him of the gate, as we are right now, coming out with health.”
On the pitching side, Joe Boyle will join Palacios and Malloy in minor league camp. As has become a theme in his career, the hard-throwing righty had a phenomenal 34.0% strikeout rate this spring, but it came with a 17.0% walk rate. Boyle got up to 74 pitches in his most recent outing, so he was preparing as a starter. Tampa Bay didn’t have an obvious spot in the rotation with free agents Nick Martinez and Steven Matz joining incumbents Drew Rasmussen, Ryan Pepiot, and Shane McClanahan.
Topkin also notes that left-hander Cam Booser was informed he won’t make the big-league squad. He came to Tampa Bay on a minor league deal back in January. Booser’s deal includes an upward mobility clause. If he triggers it, he’ll be offered to the rest of the teams in the league. If another team is willing to give Booser a place on the roster, the Rays will be forced to do the same or work out a trade.
Photo courtesy of Nathan Ray Seebeck, Imagn Images
Rays, Cam Booser Agree To Minor League Deal
The Rays have agreed to a minor league contract with left-handed reliever Cam Booser, per the team transaction log at MLB.com. He’s a client of Northwest Sports Management. The log doesn’t specify as much, but MLBTR has confirmed that Booser will be in major league camp with the Rays as a non-roster invitee.
Booser, 33, spent the 2025 campaign with the White Sox organization, tossing 31 innings in the majors and another 14 2/3 frames in Triple-A. That was his second season with big league work, adding onto the 42 2/3 frames he logged with Boston in 2024. In 73 2/3 innings between the BoSox and ChiSox, Booser carries a 4.28 earned run average, a 23.9% strikeout rate and a 10.7% walk rate. He’s an extreme fly-ball pitcher, inducing grounders at just a 31% clip.
Booser sits 95.5 mph with his four-seamer and complements the pitch with a cutter averaging 88 mph and a slider that sits 81.7 mph. His solid strikeout rate is supported by a 13% swinging-strike rate in the majors, and his 89.5 mph average exit velocity, 10.4% barrel rate and 38.9% hard-hit rate are all at or close to the league average among relievers. Booser has never struggled to miss bats much in the minors, but command troubles have been present throughout his professional career.
After trading Mason Montgomery in the three-team swap that sent Brandon Lowe to Pittsburgh and brought Jacob Melton from Houston to Tampa Bay, the Rays’ only lefty in the bullpen is Garrett Cleavinger. They don’t have any left-handed relievers on the 40-man roster in the minors, though any of Joe Rock, Ian Seymour or DFA pickup Ken Waldichuk could conceivably work out in relief if the team prefers to explore a role change. All three are on the 40-man roster.
The Rays haven’t been especially active in bringing players aboard on non-roster deals with invitations to spring training, so at the moment Booser is one of the more experienced NRIs who’ll be in camp with Tampa Bay. That can always change in the weeks ahead, of course, but barring the addition of another lefty or two, the hard-throwing Booser probably has a chance to force his way into the Opening Day picture with a big spring showing.
American League Non-Tenders: 11/21/25
Every American League team has officially announced their non-tender decisions. It was a quiet evening in terms of subtractions, with only the Rangers parting with any marquee players. All players who were non-tendered are free agents without going on waivers. A few teams dropped pre-arbitration players from the back of the 40-man roster. It’s possible they preferred not to expose them to waivers and are hopeful of re-signing them to non-roster deals.
Here’s a full list of today’s activity in the AL, while the National League moves are available here. All projected salaries are courtesy of MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz.
- The Angels announced they’ve non-tendered outfielder Gustavo Campero and catcher Sebastian Rivero. Campero is a depth outfielder who has hit .202/.272/.346 over the past two seasons. Rivero operated as the club’s third catcher for most of the season but spent the final few weeks on the active roster. Neither player had been eligible for arbitration. All their arb-eligible players were easy calls to retain.
- The Astros technically made one non-tender, dropping infielder Ramón Urías after he was designated for assignment earlier in the week. He’d been projected at $4.4MM.
- The Athletics officially non-tendered outfielder JJ Bleday, the club announced. He’d been designated for assignment on Tuesday, so this was inevitable unless they found a trade partner. Bleday had been projected at $2.2MM.
- The only non-tenders for the Red Sox were first baseman Nathaniel Lowe and reliever Josh Winckowski, each of whom had been designated for assignment on Tuesday. Lowe was projected at $13.5MM, while Winckowski was at $800K.
- The Guardians non-tendered outfielder Will Brennan and relievers Sam Hentges and Nic Enright. The latter had been designated for assignment on Tuesday. Hentges hasn’t pitched since undergoing shoulder surgery in September 2024. He underwent a right knee procedure a few months ago and will be delayed this offseason. Brennan only appeared in six MLB games this year and underwent Tommy John surgery while in the minors in June. He’d been projected at $900K.
- The Mariners non-tendered reliever Gregory Santos, reports Francys Romero. He’d only been projected at $800K, narrowly above the MLB minimum, so the move was about dropping him from the 40-man roster. Seattle acquired the 26-year-old righty from the White Sox over the 2023-24 offseason. He has only made 16 MLB appearances with a 5.02 earned run average over the past two years because of lat and knee injuries. Seattle also non-tendered relievers Trent Thornton and Tayler Saucedo (the latter of whom was designated for assignment on Tuesday). Thornton had been projected at $2.5MM and is coming off a 4.68 ERA through 33 appearances. He suffered a season-ending Achilles tear in August.
- The Orioles non-tendered swingman Albert Suárez, the team announced. Everyone else in their arbitration class was offered a contract, surprisingly including first baseman Ryan Mountcastle (as first reported by ESPN’s Jeff Passan). Suárez, 36, was a solid depth starter in 2024. He was limited to five MLB appearances this past season by a flexor strain but is not expected to require surgery.
- The Rangers non-tendered each of Adolis García, Jonah Heim, Josh Sborz and Jacob Webb. MLBTR covered those moves in greater detail.
- The Rays only non-tendered outfielders Christopher Morel and Jake Fraley, each of whom had been designated for assignment earlier in the week. Marc Topkin of The Tampa Bay Times reported last night that the Rays were open to bringing back Fraley at a lower price than his $3.6MM arbitration projection.
- The Royals non-tendered outfielder MJ Melendez and reliever Taylor Clarke, per a club announcement. Melendez, who’d been projected at $2.65MM, was an obvious decision. The former top prospect never developed as hoped and is a career .215/.297/.388 hitter over parts of four seasons. Clarke isn’t as big a name but comes as the more surprising cut. He’d been projected at just $1.9MM and is coming off a 3.25 ERA with a 21.4% strikeout rate over 55 1/3 innings out of the bullpen.
- The Tigers are non-tendering utility player Andy Ibáñez, according to Romero. He’d been projected at $1.8MM. The righty-hitting Ibáñez had been a solid short-side platoon bat for Detroit between 2023-24. His production against southpaws dropped this year (.258/.311/.403), limiting his value. The Tigers optioned the 32-year-old to Triple-A in early June and kept him in the minors until shortly before the trade deadline. Detroit also dropped the six pitchers they’d designated for assignment earlier in the week: Tanner Rainey, Dugan Darnell, Tyler Mattison, Jason Foley, Jack Little and Sean Guenther.
- The only Twins non-tender was outfielder DaShawn Keirsey Jr., who’d been designated for assignment this morning to make room for the Alex Jackson trade. Everyone in the arbitration class was brought back.
- The White Sox non-tendered outfielder Mike Tauchman, as first reported by Bruce Levine of 670 The Score. The lefty hitter turned in a solid .263/.356/.400 line in 93 games this past season. Tauchman has gotten on base at plus rates in three straight years but was also non-tendered by the Cubs a year ago. The 34-year-old (35 next month) had been projected for a $3.4MM salary. The Sox also announced they’ve dropped lefty reliever Cam Booser and first baseman Tim Elko. Neither had been eligible for arbitration. The former posted a 5.52 ERA in 39 appearances after being acquired from the Red Sox last winter, while the latter hit .134 in his first 23 MLB games despite a 26-homer season in Triple-A.
- The Yankees announced five non-tenders. Relievers Mark Leiter Jr., Scott Effross, Jake Cousins and Ian Hamilton were all cut loose, as was pre-arbitration righty Michael Arias. Leiter, who’d been projected at $3MM, never clicked in the Bronx after being acquired at the 2024 deadline. He posted a 4.89 ERA in 70 innings as a Yankee. Hamilton, Effross and Cousins were all projected just above the MLB minimum but are cut to clear roster space. Hamilton was on and off the active roster and posted a 4.28 ERA in 40 big league frames this year. Effross was limited to 11 appearances and has been plagued by various injuries for the past three and a half years, while Cousins is working back from Tommy John surgery. Arias has never pitched in the big leagues and could be brought back on a minor league deal.
The Blue Jays tendered contracts to all unsigned players on the 40-man roster.
White Sox Place Davis Martin On IL With Forearm Strain
The White Sox announced a series of moves ahead of tonight’s series opener in Toronto. They have recalled right-hander Wikelman González, a move that was reported earlier. They have also selected the contract of left-hander Jake Palisch from Double-A Birmingham. Left-hander Cam Booser has been placed on the 15-day injured list due to a left shoulder strain. Right-hander Davis Martin also hits the 15-day IL, in his case due to a right forearm strain, retroactive to June 17th. Right-hander Caleb Freeman has been designated for assignment to open a 40-man spot for Palisch.
In the immediate short term, the Martin injury is quite unfortunate for the Sox. He was scheduled to start tonight’s game in Toronto, though that obviously won’t be happening now. It further hobbles a rotation that has taken a few hits recently. Jonathan Cannon landed on the IL due a lower back strain earlier this month. Adrian Houser is away from the club for a few days on the paternity list.
Without Martin taking the ball tonight, the Sox will perhaps have to cobble together a bullpen game, which is unfortunate timing. They just played a doubleheader yesterday and used eight different relievers to get through the day. Tyler Alexander was the one guy in the bullpen who didn’t throw yesterday, so perhaps he will soak up some innings tonight, while González and Palisch provide two fresh arms. The club also doesn’t have a starter listed for Sunday, with Aaron Civale going on Saturday. Perhaps Houser will be back by Sunday or maybe another bullpen game will be in order.
Putting the short-term concerns aside, it’s always unnerving when a pitcher’s throwing arm is injured. Martin underwent Tommy John surgery in May of 2023, missing that entire season. He returned last year and logged 50 innings with a 4.32 earned run average. He’s added another 80 2/3 innings this year with a 3.91 ERA. Adding to that total will be on pause for now and the Sox will presumably provide some more information about how severe the injury is and how long they expect him to be out of action.
Martin will also need to be replaced in the rotation beyond today’s game. Once Houser is back, he’ll slot in alongside Civale, Shane Smith and Sean Burke. Mike Vasil has started his last three appearances and could perhaps take Martin’s spot.
Palisch, 26, is having a decent season but seems to be something of an emergency call. An undrafted free agent signing from 2022, he has never really popped up on the radar of prospect evaluators. He came into this year with a 4.24 ERA in 97 2/3 minor league innings.
Here in 2025, he has a 1.19 ERA in 53 Double-A innings, though that doesn’t paint the whole picture. His 7% walk rate is good but his 17.4% strikeout rate is subpar. He’s benefitted from a .225 batting average on balls in play, 79.8% strand rate and 1.7% home run to fly ball rate. Regardless of what his true skill level might be, he can help the Sox eat some innings. He has thrown either five or six frames in each of his past seven appearances.
Freeman, 27, was added to the club’s roster just last month. He has since thrown 3 1/3 innings over five appearances, allowing two earned runs on five hits and a walk while striking out three. He’ll now head into DFA limbo, which can last as long as a week. If he were to pass through waivers unclaimed, he would stick with the Sox as non-roster depth. From 2021 to the present, he has thrown 166 2/3 minor league innings with a 3.89 ERA, 26.1% strikeout rate and 14.9% walk rate.
Photo courtesy of Thomas Shea, Imagn Images
White Sox Acquire Cam Booser
6:06pm: The trade has now been announced, with Booser headed to Chicago in exchange for right-hander Yhoiker Fajardo. To make room for Booser on the club’s 40-man roster, the White Sox designated Corey Julks for assignment. Fajardo, 18, posted a 3.91 ERA in 13 starts during the Dominican Summer League this year. Julks, 28, hit .214/.275/.306 in 66 games with the White Sox this year.
4:01pm: The White Sox and Red Sox are in agreement on a deal that will send left-hander Cam Booser to Chicago, according to a report from Robert Murray of Fansided. The return headed to Boston in exchange for Booser’s services is not yet clear, though James Fegan of Sox Machine reports that a minor league player is the return and Chris Cotillo of MassLive further clarifies that the return is expected to be a minor league pitcher.
Booser, 33 in May, made his big league debut with the Red Sox back in April. After kicking off his professional career with the Twins in 2013, he climbed the minor league ladder but hit a wall in High-A during the 2017 season. He eventually resurfaced in independent ball in 2021 and bounced between indy ball and the minor leagues for the Diamondbacks until joining the Red Sox organization for the 2023 season.
Once he finally made his big league debut last year, he pitched quite well for the club with a 3.38 ERA in 42 2/3 innings of work with a 23.5% strikeout rate with an 8.7% walk rate. That was good for a solid 3.80 FIP, though an elevated 80% strand rate and a low 8.3% home-run-to-fly-ball ratio suggest the possibility of some regression in Booser’s profile as represented by a 3.92 SIERA and a 4.40 xFIP. Despite his somewhat questionable peripherals and an unusual path to the big leagues, however, Booser profiled as a quality middle relief option from the left side.
With Aroldis Chapman and Justin Wilson already added to the bullpen from the left side in Boston and Brennan Bernadino in the fold as a more established lefty option as well, Booser had become somewhat expendable for the Red Sox. That’s evidently led him to join the White Sox bullpen, where he joins former Yankees reliever Ron Marinaccio among external additions this winter. Booser figures to be much higher on the lefty relief depth chart in Chicago than he would’ve been in Boston, as he trades the competition of established veterans like Chapman and Wilson out for less established arms like Jared Shuster and Fraser Ellard.
Red Sox Select Zach Penrod, Designate Tyler Heineman
The Red Sox announced five transactions this morning, including the news that left-hander Zach Penrod‘s contract has been selected to the big league roster. Catcher Tyler Heineman was designated for assignment to open up a spot on the 40-man roster, and left-hander Cam Booser and right-hander Zack Kelly were both optioned to Triple-A Worcester to create space on the active roster. Boston also called up southpaw Bailey Horn from Triple-A. Julian McWilliams of the Boston Globe (X link) was the first to report on the Penrod, Booser, and Horn transactions, while MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo (via X) reported yesterday that Kelly was being optioned.
Kelly and Booser were two of six pitchers used by the Red Sox in Friday’s 5-4 loss to the Yankees, so today’s moves brings some fresh arms into Boston’s relief corps. For Penrod, he is now on the verge of his Major League debut, making quite a culmination of a six-year pro career that began as an undrafted free agent.
Penrod pitched briefly with the Rangers’ rookie league club in 2018 but he then spent two years on the sidelines due to both a Tommy John surgery and the canceled 2020 minor league season. The southpaw returned to pitch in the independent Pioneer League from 2021-23, and this performance caught the eye of Red Sox scouts and led to a minor league deal partway through the 2023 season. This year, Penrod has a 4.16 ERA over 62 2/3 combined innings at Double-A and Triple-A ball, as well as a huge 34.8% strikeout rate.
There is a pretty wide variance in those minor league numbers, as Penrod posted a 2.80 ERA in 35 1/3 Double-A innings and a much heftier 5.93 ERA in 27 1/3 frames in Worcester. Control has been a bit of a question mark for Penrod throughout his career, and his walk rate also spiked up to 16.1% in Triple-A after a more palatable 9.1% number in Double-A action.
Still, the strikeouts are playing at both levels, and Penrod’s upper-90s fastball makes him an interesting bullpen weapon for the Red Sox to explore. Penrod has mostly started throughout his pro career but worked out of the pen for 10 of his 15 appearances in Worcester, so Boston figures to use him in a long relief role here at the tail end of the 2024 season. As Alex Speier of the Boston Globe explored back in May, Penrod’s development of a slider as a third pitch after his fastball and changeup could help him carve out a path as a starter, but the 27-year-old is surely pleased to work in the majors in any capacity.
The Red Sox acquired Heineman in a trade with the Mets back in February, and he has spent almost the entire season in the minors save for two games at the MLB level. Connor Wong and Reese McGuire handled most of the catching duties for the Sox this season, and after Danny Jansen was acquired at the trade deadline, McGuire was outrighed to Triple-A and Heinemen was pushed even further down the depth chart.
With his two appearances in a Red Sox uniform, Heineman has now now suited up for five different teams at the big league level over his five seasons in the Show, and he has also been organizational depth for six other franchises. Heineman has hit .216/.297/.280 over 286 career plate appearances, with 174 of those PA coming as a member of the Pirates and Blue Jays in 2022. Because Heineman has been outrighted before, he has the ability to elect free agency and reject an outright assignment from Boston if he clears DFA waivers.
Red Sox Place Tyler O’Neill On 10-Day IL, Activate Chris Martin
The Red Sox announced a series of roster moves this evening, headlined by the club placing outfielder Tyler O’Neill on the 10-day injured list due to a left leg infection. The move is retroactive to August 4. Replacing O’Neill on the active roster is infielder Enmanuel Valdez, who has been recalled to the big league roster, and the Red Sox also activated right-hander Chris Martin from the 15-day IL. Lefty Cam Booser was optioned to Triple-A to make room for Martin.
O’Neill, 29, was acquired from the Cardinals over the offseason and has enjoyed an excellent campaign during his first season in Boston. In 342 trips to the plate this season, the 29-year-old has slashed an excellent .268/.357/.544 (142 wRC+) with 16 doubles and 22 homers. While he’s striking out at a hefty 31.9% clip, he’s paired those strong power numbers with a solid 11.1% walk rate that has given him a more well-rounded profile than he flashed in his career-best 2021 campaign when he crushed 34 homers and posted a 143 wRC+ but walked at a clip of just 7.1%.
The slugger’s performance this year seems likely to line the pending free agent up for hefty raise in free agency this winter, although one red flag for O’Neill has been his frequent trips to the shelf. After suffering hamstring, back, foot, and shoulder injuries during his final two seasons with St. Louis, he’s now made three trips to the shelf with the Red Sox this year: once for a concussion in April, once due to knee inflammation in May, and now today’s most recent ailment that manager Alex Cora described to reporters (including Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe) as a worsening infection on his left leg that has caused swelling.
The silver lining in O’Neill’s repeated trips to the IL this year is that they’ve all been fairly short-lived, and Cora indicated that this one should be more of the same as he’s likely to be activated once eligible to return next week. In the meantime, the Red Sox figure to turn to some combination of Jarren Duran, Wilyer Abreu, Ceddanne Rafaela, and Rob Refsnyder in the outfield. With Rafaela frequenting the outfield in recent days, Valdez should help to shore up the club’s middle infield mix alongside David Hamilton, Nick Sogard, and Romy Gonzalez. The 25-year-old enjoyed a strong rookie season in 2023 but has taken a step back this year with a .226/.282/.402 slash line in 182 trips to the plate at the big league level.
As for Martin, the right-hander’s return to action is welcome news for a beleaguered Red Sox bullpen that has been second-worst in the majors since the start of July, ahead of only the White Sox. The 38-year-old veteran sports a solid 3.42 ERA with a matching 3.40 FIP in 26 1/3 innings of work this year and is coming off an even better season in 2023 where he dominated to the tune of an eye-popping 1.05 ERA in 55 appearances. Adding Martin to the late-inning mix to be the primary set-up man for closer Kenley Jansen should further shore up a bullpen that got reinforcements in the form of Lucas Sims and Luis Garcia prior to the trade deadline. He’ll take the roster spot of Booser, who heads to Triple-A to become the club’s top depth option with an excellent 2.77 ERA and 2.99 FIP in 39 innings of work this year.
While the bullpen will hopefully be revitalized by the return of Martin, Cora suggested to reporters today (including Abraham) that the Red Sox intend to skip right-hander Nick Pivetta‘s next start. While the veteran righty doesn’t appear to be injured, Cora indicated that he’s “not responding well” coming out of his last start and that the club had some concerns about a dip in his velocity. With a day off scheduled tomorrow, the Red Sox will be able to utilize the rest of their rotation on regular rest without needing to call up another arm to take the spot on Pivetta. The righty has a middling 4.44 ERA through 18 starts this year thanks primarily due to a trio of brutal outings his last three times out that have seen him surrender 13 runs (12 earned) in 14 innings of work while serving up six home runs.
Red Sox Outright Naoyuki Uwasawa
TODAY: The Red Sox outrighted Uwasawa to Triple-A after he cleared waivers, according to Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe (X link).
JULY 9: The Red Sox have selected the contract of right-hander Trey Wingenter, per Chris Cotillo of MassLive on X. Wingenter was acquired from the Tigers on the weekend and had an assignment clause in his contract, meaning he needed to be added to the roster. To make room for him, the club has optioned left-hander Cam Booser and designated right-hander Naoyuki Uwasawa for assignment. They also optioned infielder/outfielder Enmanuel Valdéz and recalled infielder/outfielder Jamie Westbrook.
Uwasawa, 30, had spent his entire career with the Nippon Ham Fighters of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball until signing a minor league deal with the Rays over the winter. He wasn’t going to make the Rays’ roster out of camp but had an upward mobility clause in his deal, meaning he would have to be traded if any other club was willing to give him a spot. The Red Sox were interested and sent cash to the Rays to get a deal done, though they have largely kept Uwasawa on optional assignment.
The righty has made two appearances at the big league level this year, with one earned run allowed in four innings. He’s mostly been serving in a swing role at the Triple-A level, with fairly uninspiring results there. He has a 6.54 ERA in 42 2/3 innings over 13 appearances, including six starts. He only struck out 18.5% of opponents while giving out walks at a 12.3% clip. The club tried moving him to a relief role, with his six most recent appearances coming out of the bullpen, but without a significant improvement. He had a 6.32 ERA in his first seven appearances this year and a 7.15 ERA in the last six.
The Sox will now have a week to trade Uwasawa or pass him through waivers. Since the waiver process takes 48 hours, any potential deal would have to come together in the next five days. His results this year have been poor but teams could perhaps be interested based on his NPB track record. He tossed over 1,000 innings in that league with a 3.19 ERA before making the move to North American ball, though that came despite a fairly tepid 19.7% strikeout rate. The lack of velocity/strikeout stuff was the biggest knock on him before crossing the Pacific and those concerns seem to have been borne out so far.
AL East Notes: Martin, Torres, Garcia
The Red Sox placed Chris Martin on the 15-day injured list yesterday (retroactive to July 4) and called up left-hander Cam Booser from Triple-A to fill Martin’s spot in the bullpen. Martin is suffering from right elbow inflammation, and manager Alex Cora told the Boston Globe’s Julian McWilliams and other reporters that there isn’t yet any plan for Martin to undergo any testing. The hope is that the 15-day rest (which encompasses the All-Star break) is all it takes for Martin to feel better and return to the mound.
This is the second time Martin has been on the IL this week, as he also missed two weeks in June dealing with anxiety. Over 26 1/3 innings this season, the right-hander has a strong 27.9% strikeout rate and an elite 1.9% walk rate, while posting an 3.42 ERA that has been inflated by some troubles with home runs. Martin’s SIERA is 2.44, by comparison, and his .313 BABIP reflects a bit of bad batted-ball luck. Despite the time spent on the injured list, Martin still leads the Red Sox with 10 holds and is the club’s top set-up option for closer Kenley Jansen.
More from around the AL East…
- Gleyber Torres continues to be bothered by a nagging groin injury, as the issue forced the Yankees second baseman to make an early exit from yesterday’s 5-3 loss to the Red Sox. Torres isn’t in today’s lineup, as it appears New York is giving him at least one day of rest — considering how Monday is an off-day for the Yankees, it seems conceivable that Torres also might not play Sunday in order to receive a more extended break. The groin problem is the latest wrinkle in what has been a rough season for Torres, who is hitting only .223/.297/.344 with eight home runs in 355 plate appearances.
- Blue Jays reliever Yimi Garcia will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Buffalo today, and Sportsnet’s Arden Zwelling (X link) writes that Garcia might just need one appearance before rejoining Toronto’s active roster. Even if Garcia does get a second outing on Tuesday, it looks like the right-hander should be on pace to be activated from the 15-day IL before the All-Star break. Garcia has been on the IL since June 17 due to ulnar neuritis in his throwing elbow, and a healthy return would be huge both for the Jays’ struggling bullpen, and for Garcia’s value heading into the July 30 trade deadline. With the Blue Jays increasingly looking like sellers, a pending free agent like Garcia is a natural candidate to be moved before the deadline.