The Red Sox have signed free agent outfielder Trayce Thompson to a minor-league contract, the club announced on Monday. The deal comes with an invitation to major-league spring training.
Thompson, who turns 34 next month, is the younger brother of five-time NBA All-Star Klay Thompson and the son of two-time NBA champion Mychal Thompson. He is a veteran of seven major league seasons who has appeared in 369 total games for the White Sox, Dodgers, Athletics, Cubs, and Padres.
Originally selected by the White Sox in the second round of the 2009 draft out of Santa Margarita Catholic High School (Calif.), Thompson broke in at the big league level in 2015. The right-handed hitter has since batted .212/.300/.411 with 41 doubles, five triples, 45 home runs, 126 RBIs, 128 runs scored, 17 stolen bases, 115 walks, and 346 strikeouts over 369 plate appearances in the majors.
After slashing .163/.285/.294 with two doubles, six home runs, 17 RBIs, 17 runs scored, two stolen bases, 24 walks, and 77 strikeouts in 72 games (179 plate appearances) between the Dodgers and White Sox in 2023, Thompson did not appear at the major league level in 2024. He instead split the year between the Mets’ and Cubs’ Triple-A affiliates, registering a .233/.315/.471 line with 19 doubles, one triple, 23 home runs, 66 RBIs, 58 runs scored, nine stolen bases, 46 walks, and 120 strikeouts across 107 games spanning 432 trips to the plate.
On the other side of the ball, Thompson has proven capable of playing all three outfield positions. Between his stops in Syracuse and Iowa last season, the 6-foot-2, 225-pounder made 55 starts in center field, 31 starts in right field, and 13 starts in left field. In total, he recorded seven outfield assists and committed two errors in 192 chances.
Thompson becomes the 21st player to receive a non-roster invite from the Red Sox this spring. He will wear the No. 37 at camp in Fort Myers and figures to provide the club with experienced outfield depth at Triple-A Worcester to open the 2025 campaign.
(Picture of Trayce Thompson: Nuccio DiNuzzo/Getty Images)
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