The Red Sox announced that they have selected left-hander Shane Drohan as well right-handers David Sandlin and Tyler Uberstine to the roster. They opened 40-man spots by designating right-hander Josh Winckowski for assignment, trading left-hander Brennan Bernardino to the Rockies and trading left-hander Chris Murphy to the White Sox, moves which were previously reported. The three selections were reported by Chris Cotillo of MassLive prior to the official club announcement.
Boston already lost Drohan once in the Rule 5 Draft. The White Sox picked him back in 2023, but Drohan underwent a nerve compression procedure in his shoulder during spring training 2024 and began the season on the 60-day IL. He was hit hard when he was cleared for a rehab assignment, returned to the Red Sox, and finished the year back on the IL with shoulder troubles.
Unsurprisingly, that injury-wrecked season kept him from being selected in the 2024 Rule 5. That worked to Boston’s benefit. A healthy Drohan bounced back with 54 innings of 3.00 ERA ball. He struck out 34.5% of opponents against a 9.4% walk rate while sitting 93-95 with his four-seamer. Drohan still missed ample time on the injured list — this time due to a forearm issue — but he’s typically been productive when healthy, thanks largely to a plus changeup. He’ll turn 27 in January.
Sandlin, 25 in February, came to the Red Sox from the Royals in a 2022 swap sending righty John Schreiber to Kansas City. He reached a career-high 82 1/3 innings while pitching in Double-A this season and working to a tidy 3.61 earned run average with strong rate stats. The Sox moved him to a relief role upon bumping him to Triple-A, likely to manage his workload after pitching just 57 innings in 2024 and 66 innings in 2023. It was a struggle, as the righty was tagged for a 7.36 ERA while pushing his innings count far into uncharted territory. He wound up with an overall 4.50 ERA in 106 1/3 frames.
The 26-year-old Uberstine was Boston’s 19th-round pick in 2021. He split 2025 between Double-A and Triple-A, tossing 120 1/3 innings with a combined 3.58 ERA. Uberstine fanned 26.9% of opponents against an 8% walk rate. He’s a bit undersized at 6’1″ and 200 pounds, but he’s had success at nearly every minor league stop. Were it not for a Tommy John procedure that wiped out all of his 2023 season and most of his 2024 campaign, Uberstine may already have gotten a big league look. Now, coming off a healthy 120 innings with strong results, he figures to be in line for a call to Fenway Park at sometime in 2026.
