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Boston Red Sox | Red Sox notes: Hirokazu Sawamura, Austin Davis…

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Boston Red Sox | Red Sox notes: Hirokazu Sawamura, Austin Davis designated for assignment in bullpen shakeup

Sox ‘pen has mlb-worst 5.95 era since the trade deadline.

The confusing Red Sox made another set of disorganized roster moves on Monday afternoon.

Stuck behind four teams with seven games separating them from an American League Wild Card berth, the Red Sox axed two veteran relievers in favor of a pair of minor league journeymen.

Right-hander Hirokazu Sawamura and lefty Austin Davis were designated for assignment in preparation of the Red Sox’ series against the Minnesota Twins, paving the way for righties Kaleb Ort and Zack Kelly to get promoted from Triple-A Worcester.

Sawamura looked like a nifty signing from Japan prior to last season, and put up a respectable 3.06 ERA in 2021, although with a concerning 1.45 WHIP and legitimate command issues. He’s been worse this year and, given the Sox are unlikely to pick up his $3 million option for next season, the DFA was more than reasonable.

Davis was acquired from the Pirates for Michael Chavis at last year’s trade deadline, when the Sox picked up a pair of relievers in Davis and Hansel Robles in addition to outfielder/first baseman Kyle Schwarber.

This year, though, the Sox subtracted one from their relief core while trading Jake Diekman to the White Sox and ignored their bullpen needs altogether, with chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom offering an unsatisfactory explanation.

“We pursued a lot of different options,” Bloom said after the deadline. “And that’s not to say we don’t have faith in and see upside in the guys that are here… and some guys who are in Triple-A as well. We do think we have talent here to have more consistent results in the pen than we’ve had, and we are hopeful that we’ll be able to do that.”

Since then, the Sox bullpen has an MLB-worst 5.95 ERA.

With Diekman out of the picture and the struggling Darwinzon Hernandez quickly sent back to Worcester, Davis became the only lefty available for manager Alex Cora, who gave him chance after chance, though Davis has been consistently poor since the start of July (9.00 ERA).

Ort hasn’t been any better (9.00 ERA in 15 innings). Kelly, 27, has a 2.72 ERA in Worcester but has never pitched in the big leagues before.

No sign of Casas

The moves are fairly simple in that neither Sawamura nor Davis were performing of late, with both contributing to reliable bullpen meltdowns in recent weeks.

However, one would think the sixth-worst team in the A.L. should be able to safely shift their focus to the future at this point in the season, but have chosen to keep first base prospect Triston Casas in Worcester for at least another series.

Casas homered and was on base twice for the Woo Sox on Sunday. He’s now reached base multiple times in nine of his last 11 games, hitting .385 with a .529 on-base percentage in that stretch.

The organization’s top prospect entering the year, Casas seems primed for a big league opportunity at some point. With rosters expanding on Thursday, it could spark the first chance for Casas when the Red Sox return home for a four-game set vs. the Rangers.

For now, they’ll keep rolling with Franchy Cordero, Bobby Dalbec and Christian Arroyo, who was in the lineup at first base on Monday.

Mata promoted

Down in Worcester, the WooSox continue to field an interesting roster.

Monday, the Red Sox promoted one of their top pitching prospects, Bryan Mata, from Double-A Portland to Triple-A Worcester.

Mata will make his Triple-A debut against the Buffalo Bisons (Blue Jays affiliate) on Tuesday at 6:45 p.m. at Polar Park (televised live on NESN Plus).

Mata has had an unconventional path. After the COVID-canceled minor league season in 2020, Mata suffered an elbow injury in spring training 2021 and missed all of that year recovering from Tommy John surgery.

But the 23-year-old right-hander is returned to action this June and has impressed, with a 1.85 ERA and 58 strikeouts in 48 2/3 innings over 10 games with Portland.

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Matt Dermody designated for assignment by Red Sox

By WBZ-News Staff

June 9, 2023 / 7:34 AM EDT / CBS Boston

BOSTON -- Matt Dermody's stint with the Red Sox lasted just a few innings. The lefty starter is being designated for assignment by Boston after his outing against the Guardians in Cleveland on Thursday night.

Dermody was elevated from Triple-A ahead of Thursday night's game, and then allowed three runs (all coming off a pair of Jose Ramirez homers) over his four innings. He was tagged with the loss as Boston fell, 10-3, to Cleveland.

The 32-year-old's promotion was surrounded with controversy after his homophobic tweets from 2021 resurfaced ahead of the move. Boston now has a week to either trade Dermody or put him on waivers.

Moving on from Dermody opens up a spot on the active roster for outfielder Adam Duvall, who is expected to be activated from the 60-day IL ahead of Friday night's game against the Yankees in New York. Duvall fractured his left wrist while diving for a ball in the outfield on April 9. 

Duvall got off to an incredible start for the Red Sox, clubbing 10 extra-base hits -- four homers, five doubles, and a triple -- over the first eight games this season.

The WBZ News team is a group of experienced journalists who bring you the content on WBZ.com.

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Boston Red Sox Leader Chaim Bloom Comments on the Decision to DFA Infielder Christian Arroyo

• Author: Brady Farkas

In this story:

The Boston Red Sox designated infielder Christian Arroyo for assignment on Friday in order to make room for infielder Luis Urias, who was acquired at the trade deadline on Tuesday.

The Red Sox will have seven days to trade him, release him or outright him to the minor leagues.

The 28-year-old is hitting .241 this season with three home runs and 24 RBI. 

He's in his seventh year in the big leagues with the Giants, Rays, Guardians and Red Sox. He had been with Boston since 2020 and helped the Sox reach the American League Championship Series in 2021, when he hit .262 in 57 games.

The big knock on Arroyo has always been his inability to stay healthy. He's never played more than 87 games in a season.

Red Sox Chief Baseball Officer Chaim Bloom spoke on Friday about the decision to do this, saying it was a difficult one.

"Really hard. The baseball side of it, Christian has not been able to get on track consistently this year. It's tough because he's a better player than this and I know he's going to have success again. What makes it harder is what he means to us... I think this is a guy who appreciates Boston, who has really bonded with our fans, that makes it hard..."

The Red Sox are 2.0 games back of the Toronto Blue Jays in the chase for the third and final wild card spot in the American League.

The two teams play each other on Friday at 7:10 p.m. ET.

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Red sox sign world series winner duvall; former closer barnes designated for assignment.

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The Boston Red Sox have officially added outfielder Adam Duvall, a recent World Series winner, and decided to put former All-Star closer Matt Barnes up for grabs in order to make that happen.

Multiple reports made six days ago indicated that Duvall had agreed to terms with the Red Sox on a one-year contract that would pay him at least $7 million dollars. The deal, which reportedly includes up to an additional $3 million in possible performance bonuses, was pending a physical.

Duvall, 34, will be in his 10th major league season, having played for the San Francisco Giants (2014), Cincinnati Reds (2015-18), Miami Marlins (2021) and Atlanta Braves (2018-20, 2021-22).

He was an All-Star with the Reds in 2016 and won a Gold Glove for the Braves in 2021, batting .228 with 38 homer runs and National League-leading 113 runs batted in to help lead them to a World Series championship.

In all, Duvall has a career .230 average with 163 homers and 478 RBI.

Duvall had a memorable game at Fenway Park on Sept. 2, 2020 , when he hit three homers and drove in five runs for the Braves in a 7-5 win over the Red Sox.

"Very, very excited to have Adam on board here. A player we've liked for a while," said Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom. "He loves hitting at Fenway. We've seen it way too much in other uniforms. Hopefully, he will love it just as much in our uniform. This guy really has the ability to impact both sides of the game."

The addition of Duvall helps the Red Sox move starting center fielder Kiké Hernández, who has played every position aside from catcher in the major leagues, from the outfield to the infield to become Boston's starting shortstop. Earlier in the offseason, the Sox lost longtime shortstop Xander Bogaerts to free agency and Bogaerts' replacement, Trevor Story, to elbow surgery .

To further bolster their infield depth, the Red Sox acquired shortstop Aldaberto Mondesi from the Kansas City Royals in exchange for left-handed relief pitcher Josh Taylor on Tuesday. Boston will also acquire a player to be named later or cash considerations from Kansas City as part of the trade.

Bloom said the organization made a difficult decision when the club designated Barnes for assignment in order to make room for Duvall on the team's 40-man roster.

Barnes, 32, is a homegrown right-handed pitcher who was selected by the Red Sox with the 19th overall pick in the 2011 first-year player draft.

"The conversation itself was one of the more difficult ones that I've had," Bloom said. "It's certainly nothing negative about him. I think it's more a statement of where we're at with the 40-man roster. Beyond that, I want to see the process play out first before I'd say more."

Players who are designated for assignment are immediately removed from their team's 40-man roster, and within seven days of the transaction, the player can either be traded or placed on irrevocable outright waivers. Players who clear waivers may be sent outright to the minor leagues or released, but those like Barnes with more than three years of major league service time may reject the outright assignment in favor of free agency.

Barnes made his MLB debut in September 2014 and played in each of the following eight seasons for the Red Sox. He owns a career 4.07 earned run average with 47 saves and 547 strikeouts in 429 appearances.

The Connecticut native was part of Boston's 2018 World Series championship team and named an American League All-Star in 2021, but he has struggled to find that All-Star form over the last season and a half. He made 44 appearances for the Red Sox in 2022, posting a 4.31 ERA with eight saves in 39 2/3 innings pitched.

Barnes ranks second in Red Sox history in both relief appearances and strikeouts in relief.

Several key members of the 2018 title-winning team chose to sign elsewhere in free agency. While Bogaerts went to the San Diego Padres, designated hitter J.D. Martinez signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers, and right-handed pitcher Nathan Eovaldi signed with the Texas Rangers.

The Red Sox, meanwhile, have signed All-Star closer Kenley Jansen and outfielder Masataka Yoshida , a star player in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball league. Boston has also signed All-Star infielder Justin Turner , formerly of the Dodgers, and two-time Cy Young Award winner Corey Kluber.

The biggest splash of the Red Sox's offseason was the commitment of $331 million to keep All-Star third baseman Rafael Devers under contract with the team for the next 11 seasons.

Information from The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Cooper Criswell knows he has an opportunity with the Red Sox, and he’ll gladly accept any role

SARASOTA, Fla. — Cooper Criswell was called up to the majors then optioned back to Triple A eight times by the Tampa Bay Rays last season.

“I got to know all the airlines,” Criswell said. “I picked up some frequent flyer miles, for sure.”

The collective bargaining agreement allows players three days off when they’re sent back to the minors and Criswell took full advantage of them, getting some beach days with his wife, Alex.

“Last year was the most days off I ever had,” he said. “We joked about that a lot. The front office of the Rays was good to me. If the team was on the road, they’d let me wait until they got back home before I went on the roster.”

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The 27-year-old righthander managed to get in 10 games during his short stays on the major league roster and allowed 21 earned runs over 33 innings in relief.

Criswell pitched at least two innings every time, giving the bullpen a break. Tampa Bay was 6-4 when he pitched.

“Whenever they called me up, it was because they needed innings,” Criswell said. “I understood what I had to do. I was glad to get the opportunities.”

The Rays shuffle the deck like a Las Vegas magician and Criswell was designated for assignment shortly after the season. He was a free agent for a month before the Red Sox signed him for $1 million.

Other teams called, too. But Criswell was won over by the presentation from pitching coach Andrew Bailey. The level of preparation reminded him of Rays pitching coach Kyle Snyder, one of the best in the business.

Now Criswell has a chance to make the rotation or be in the bullpen. The Sox aren’t quite sure yet.

“We’re stretching him out,” manager Alex Cora said. “We talked to him before camp started and said we didn’t know where this would take us. But he will contribute this year, he will.”

That could be as the No. 5 starter. Or perhaps as a long reliever and occasional sixth starter. The other option would be to send him to Triple A Worcester.

Facing a lineup with six projected starters, Criswell held the Orioles to two runs on four hits over four innings on Saturday in a 5-4 loss. He walked one and struck out three at hitter-friendly Ed Smith Stadium.

Criswell has a 3.77 ERA over five games with 8.2 strikeouts per nine innings.

Criswell does not throw particularly hard. But he works the corners and the lower third of the strike zone with a two-seam fastball and changeup that comes into righties and a slider that runs away from them.

“The slider has some outlier movement,” Bailey said. “He has a long history of strike-throwing and induces a lot of weak contact.”

As the Rays did, the Sox have encouraged Criswell to throw a cut fastball higher in the strike zone to keep the hitters off his other pitches.

“It’s much better than it was last season,” he said. “I feel very confident with it. I was able to get some popups with it [on Saturday] when I needed to.”

The Sox also are working on improving Criswell’s fastball velocity, which averaged 88.4 miles per hour last season. There’s little chance he’s ever going to live in the 90s, but eliminating the occasional 85 or 86 would make a big difference.

“Some of the fruits of the labor are paying off,” Bailey said. “He’s sustaining his velocity deeper into the game.”

Criswell has told Bailey and Cora he’ll happily take on any role. That’s a product of being a coach’s son.

Tim Criswell played minor league baseball from 1983-87, starting out as a pitcher before becoming a utility player. He then became a teacher and basketball coach at Carrollton (Ga.) High.

“My dad always said to know your role, whether you’re a starter, the sixth man or a bench player,” said Criswell, who played for his father. “I always bought into that. He didn’t take it easy on me because I was his son.”

Criswell’s older brother, Riley, earned a basketball scholarship to Holy Cross but was unable to play because of a career-ending injury during his senior year of high school.

The Crusaders kept him on the team as a student assistant and he was named to the Patriot League academic honor roll. He’s now an executive with a company in Atlanta.

With Lucas Giolito out for the season, a door opened for Criswell. The transaction king with a modest contract might need a place to stay in Boston, not just a hotel room for the night.

“You can see his confidence growing,” Cora said. “We think we have something with this guy.”

Peter Abraham can be reached at [email protected] . Follow him @PeteAbe .

Former Red Sox outfield prospect Marcus Wilson announces retirement

F ormer Red Sox outfield prospect Marcus Wilson took to social media on Sunday to announce his retirement from professional baseball.

As part of a heartfelt Instagram post , Wilson gave “a special thanks to a select few from the Red Sox” as well as his coaches from the Diamondbacks and Mariners organizations. He also showed gratitude towards his mother, wife, and daughter before indicating that he was going to shift his focus towards a career in mixed martial arts.

“I’ve had a lot of time to digest everything that’s been going on and I feel good about my decision so going forward if you ever wanna hit me up don’t be weird about it I’m really fine lol!” Wilson wrote. “I’m excited for my new journey I’m going to be taking up martial arts and ever since 2020. I’ve been extremely fascinated with the sport and finally excited to get to do martial arts! Peace and love everybody. Thank you.”

Wilson, 27, was originally selected by the Diamondbacks with the 69th overall pick in the 2014 amateur draft out of Junipero Serra High School in Gardena, Calif. The Los Angeles-area native forwent his commitment to Arizona State University by signing with the club for $1 million that summer.

As he continued to climb up the minor-league ladder, Wilson established himself as one of the better outfield prospects in Arizona’s farm system. He was then traded by the Diamondbacks to the Red Sox for catcher Blake Swihart in April 2019.

Wilson bounced between then-High-A Salem and Double-A Portland in his first season as a member of the Red Sox organization, but he ended the year on a strong note with the Sea Dogs and was added to Boston’s 40-man roster that November in order to receive protection from the Rule 5 Draft.

Unfortunately, Wilson did not play any affiliated ball in 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic wiping out the minor-league season. He instead spent the final three or so weeks of the 2020 campaign at the Sox’ alternate training site in Pawtucket and then made the jump to Triple-A Worcester the following spring.

In his first stint with the WooSox, Wilson batted .242/.370/.452 with 10 home runs and 30 RBIs over 64 games (265 plate appearances). Despite putting up those solid numbers, the right-handed hitting infielder was designated for assignment by the Red Sox in the wake of the July trade deadline. He was then claimed off waivers by the Mariners, but spent the rest of the 2021 season with Seattle’s Triple-A affiliate in Tacoma before yet again losing his spot on a 40-man roster that October.

Wilson remained with the Mariners through the winter and returned to Tacoma for the start of the 2022 season. After clubbing 12 homers and posting an .806 OPS in 59 games (238 plate appearances) for the Rainiers, Wilson earned his first big-league call-up in late June. He made his major-league debut against the Orioles at T-Mobile Park on June 29 and drew a walk in his first career plate appearance after pinch-hitting for Sam Haggerty in the eighth inning of a 9-3 win.

Wilson appeared in a total of three games for the Mariners, going 1-for-5 with a single, a run scored, that one walk, and four strikeouts while seeing playing time in both right and center field. He was then sent back down to Tacoma in early July before being designated for assignment and outrighted off Seattle’s 40-man roster, which cleared the way for him to elect free agency at the end of the year.

Last February, Wilson returned to the Red Sox on a minor-league contract for the 2023 season. Serving as upper-level outfield depth, Wilson was limited to just 37 games with the WooSox and spent much of the first half of the year on the development list before being released. He had not signed with another team prior to announcing that he was hanging up the cleats for good on Sunday.

All told, Wilson slashed .248/.351/.406 with 141 doubles, 21 triples, 71 home runs, 327 RBIs, 394 runs scored, 114 stolen bases, 380 walks, and 850 strikeouts while logging starts at all three outfeed spots in 729 career minor-league games (2,941 plate appearances). That includes parts of four seasons (2019-2021, 2023) with the Red Sox in which he peaked as the No. 20 prospect in the system in Oct. 2019, per SoxProspects.com rankings history .

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MLB Trade Rumors

A’s Designate Angel Felipe For Assignment

By Leo Morgenstern | March 16, 2024 at 2:14pm CDT

After finalizing a one-year, $2.5MM contract with J.D. Davis , the Athletics announced that they have designated Angel Felipe for assignment to open up a spot on the 40-man roster. The 26-year-old right-hander recently underwent Tommy John surgery , and he will sit out for the entirety of the 2024 season.

Felipe made his big league debut with the A’s this past summer. In 14 appearances (15 IP), he recorded 19 strikeouts but gave up 13 walks. While he allowed only six hits – five singles and a double – his control problems led him to give up seven earned runs. This was a common theme throughout his time in the minors, as well. Felipe knows how to induce groundballs and limit home runs, but his poor command comes around to bite him more often than he’d like. With all that being said, it’s worth mentioning that Felipe gave up three of his walks and three of his earned runs in his final appearance on August 14. He went on the IL with an elbow injury the next day and would not pitch for the rest of the season. Had his elbow recovered over the winter, he would have been a candidate for Oakland’s Opening Day roster.

Instead, Felipe will sit out until some point in 2025. Given his injury status and lack of prospect pedigree, there’s a good chance he passes through release waivers unclaimed. Oakland could have freed up a roster spot for Davis by placing Felipe on the 60-day IL instead of designating the young hurler for assignment. However, by taking this route, the team avoids having to pay Felipe a major league salary. Presumably, they took those potential savings into account when they offered Davis a contract.

27 Comments

Classy org stays classy.

Should be corrected in future negotiations as I agree. An injured player on the 40 man roster should get paid in full other than perhaps if it can be proven the injury was not baseball related.

Oh no, every a’s fan in America was looking forward to seeing this guy … both of them!

You’re like the Carlos Mencia of the MLBTR community. You do the same dee dee dee joke over and over again. You’re not funny.

in a classy sport. They just put the A’s back on revenue sharing after ownership clearly embezzled the money for half a decade.

Damn TJS and then a DFA.

Time to flip Felipe

People seem to be Feliping out over this move.

Why not just put him on the 60-day?

He would collect MLB salary and service time the entire time. He’ll be brought back on a “minor league deal” so that he can still rehab at team facilities but not be paid as much to not be able to pitch. This is fairly standard procedure for injuries of this severity.

Not trying to argue, but are there examples of this being fairly standard procedure? It seems like I see more of teams moving people to the 60-day DL, but I could be wrong.

Yeah, the A’s don’t get much benefit of the doubt.

It is now the IL, not the DL

raydh, I can’t think of examples off the top of my head, but when the Angels did the same thing with Austin Warren earlier this off-season, the article here on mlbtraderumors noted that it was fairly standard procedure. However, Warren ended up signing with the Giants instead of resigning with the Angels.

We all know what he meant

Cool. Thanks.

Yes, but the reminder can’t hurt

Disability advocates urged the change and I support them

That was different because it was earlier in the offseason, so the 60-day IL wasn’t an option yet.

Pretty scummy thing to do when they could just put him on the 60-day IL. Clearly a penny pinching move by possibly the worst owner in MLB.

I could see them signing him back on a minor league deal to control his rehab

If he’s got true potential, hopefully a classier organization like the Red Sox sign him (tongue in cheek).

I wouldn’t consider the Sox to be more or less classy, they’re just cheap.

The Angels could use an Angel.

This is right up Farhans alley. SFG has an open spot on their 40 man. Pick him up then 60 day IL. Only costs $750K. For that kind of arm it’s worth it.

It would be a full circle move

Funny I looked over the 40 man roster , and I said Angel good as gone DFA . My roster also has Soderstrom and Butler starting in AAA . Allen to IL Hernaiz makes opening day at SS Jordan Diaz is DFA off the 40 man to make room for Carlos Perez Catcher who makes opening day as back up C

You put more thought into this than the FO.

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With Red Sox roster cuts, two catcher spots narrowed to three candidates

• Updated: Mar. 18, 2024, 2:14 p.m. |
• Published: Mar. 18, 2024, 2:01 p.m.

Catcher Tyler Heineman has been optioned to Triple-A Worcester. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) AP

• Christopher Smith | [email protected]

FORT MYERS, Fla. — The Red Sox have optioned catcher Tyler Heineman to Triple-A Worcester . He was one of 10 players who Boston cut from its spring training roster Monday .

Four catchers remain in camp competing for two spots on the Opening Day roster. Connor Wong and Reese McGuire, who both are on the 40-man roster, have the edge. But Roberto Peréz, a two-time Gold Glover and non-roster invitee, also is in the mix. The Red Sox also have 28-year-old non-roster invitee Mark Kolozsvary still in camp but he’s expected to begin the season at Worcester. So it’s more like three candidates competing for two spots.

Peréz is able to opt out of his minor league contract with Boston to become a free agent Saturday if the Red Sox don’t add him to the 40-man roster. McGuire, meanwhile, has no minor league options remaining and so he must make the team or be designated for assignment.

The 32-year-old Heineman provides depth at Worcester in case a catcher on the big league roster were to get hurt during the season. Boston acquired Heineman (104 major league games) from the White Sox this past offseason. As mentioned, Boston also has Kolozsvary as a depth option. He has appeared in 11 major league games in his career.

“If something (an injury) happened, we’re very comfortable,” Cora said.

Cora liked what he saw from Heineman during camp.

“He’s a good defender,” Cora said. “Offensively, switch-hitter. He found a few things during camp with (hitting coach) Pete (Fatse) and the group that are gonna help him.”

Heineman went 5-for-13 (.385) with a .467 on-base percentage, four runs, one RBI, two walks and two strikeouts in eight Grapefruit League games.

“It’s a different group than in the past,” Cora said. “I don’t know if it was on purpose or not but our catching group has a different mindset. Kolo, Heiney, Peréz and obviously the two guys here. It’s just more in tune with what we have to do to prevent runs. That’s not a knock on Christian (Vázquez) . ... It just seems like the communication has been a lot better this year. And that’s something I really like.”

Wong received the bulk of the starts at catcher last season. He caught 121 games, including making 105 starts. He seems like a lock to make the roster. He’s 12-for-28 (.429) with two homers and six doubles this spring after blasting a home run in the fourth inning of Monday’s game against Minnesota.

That leaves McGuire (no options) and Peréz (Saturday opt-out) competing for one spot.

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