Tag: minor league contract

Red Sox sign veteran OF Trayce Thompson to minor-league deal

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)

Red Sox sign veteran infielder Abraham Toro to minor-league deal

The Red Sox have signed free-agent infielder Abraham Toro to a minor-league contract, as was first reported by Daniel Alvarez Montes of El Extra Base. The deal comes with an invitation to major-league spring training.

Toro was one of nine non-roster invitees added to Boston’s spring training roster on Tuesday. The 28-year-old will earn a base salary of $1 million if he is on the major league roster this season, according to MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo.

Originally selected in the fifth round of the 2016 draft out of Seminole State College (Seminole, Okla.), Toro was once viewed as an intriguing prospect and is a veteran of six big-league seasons. The native Canadian debuted in 2019 and has since appeared in 365 total games with the Astros, Mariners, Brewers, and Athletics.

After spending parts of three seasons with Houston, Toro was dealt to Seattle in July 2021 as part of the four-player Kendall Graveman trade. He remained with the Mariners through the end of the 2022 campaign but was then traded to the Brewers with Jesse Winker for Kolten Wong and cash considerations that December. He was limited to just 21 games with Milwaukee in 2023 before being dealt to Oakland for Chad Patrick that November

In 94 games for the A’s last season, the switch-hitting Toro batted .240/.293/.350 with 17 doubles, one triple, six home runs, 26 RBIs, 34 runs scored, four stolen bases, 20 walks, and 62 strikeouts over 364 plate appearances. That includes a .227/.287/.331 slash line against right-handed pitching and a .286/.313/416 slash line against left-handed pitching. His 17.4 percent whiff rate ranked in the 88th percentile of all big leaguers, per Baseball Savant.

On the other side of the ball, Toro saw playing time at four different positions for Oakland in 2024. The versatile 6-foot, 223-pounder made 49 starts at third base, 17 starts at second base, four starts at first base, and one start in left field. Defensively, he graded out as average regarding his range and arm strength.

Toro was designated for assignment and outrighted off the Athletics’ 40-man roster late last August, which allowed him to elect free agency in October. Altogether, he is a lifetime .220/.285/.353 hitter with 47 doubles, four triples, 34 home runs, 134 RBIs, 145 runs scored, 14 stolen bases, 87 walks, and 228 strikeouts in 1,298 career plate appearances at the big league level.

Toro, who does not turn 29 until December, figures to provide the Red Sox with some versatile infield depth behind the likes of Rafael Devers, Vaughn Grissom, David Hamilton, Romy Gonzalez, Kristian Campbell, and Marcelo Mayer at Triple-A Worcester to open the 2025 season.

(Picture of Abraham Toro: Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)

Red Sox to bring back catcher Mark Kolozsvary on minor-league deal

The Red Sox are bringing back catcher Mark Kolozsvary on a minor-league contract, according to ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel. The deal, which is presumably pending a physical, includes an invitation to major-league spring training.

Kolozsvary, 29, spent all of last season at Triple-A Worcester after signing a similar minors pact with Boston in December 2023. Serving as upper-level catching depth, the right-handed hitter batted .185/.349/.354 with two doubles, three home runs, 10 RBIs, 12 runs scored, two stolen bases, 11 walks, and 26 strikeouts in 27 games (83 plate appearances) for the WooSox. He was placed on the development list seven separate times.

On the other side of the ball, Kolozsvary unsurprisingly saw most of his playing time last year come at catcher. The 5-foot-7, 185-pound backstop logged 164 2/3 innings behind the plate while splitting reps throughout the season with Tyler Heineman, Nathan Hickey, Mickey Gasper, Kyle Teel, Reese McGuire, and Elih Marrero. He allowed just one passed ball and threw out six of 33 potential base stealers in that sample.

A former seventh-round draft selection out of Florida in 2017, Kolozsvary has 11 games of big-league experience under his belt with the Reds and Orioles. The ex-Gator debuted and appeared in 10 games for Cincinnati in 2022, going 4-for-20 (.200) with two doubles, one home run, three RBIs, three runs scored, one walk, and nine strikeouts. He did not register a plate appearance in the lone game he played for Baltimore in 2023. Between those two stops, he gunned down one of five possible base stealers.

Kolozsvary, who does not turn 30 until September, is well-regarded for his defensive prowess, game-calling skills, and ability to handle a pitching staff. He is slated to join Seby Zavala as the second catcher to sign a minor-league deal with and receive a non-roster invite to spring training from the Red Sox this winter.

Alongside Nathan Hickey, Kolozsvary and Zavala figure to provide Boston with experienced catching depth at Worcester to open the 2025 season. As currently constructed, the Red Sox have three catchers on their 40-man roster in Connor Wong, Carlos Narvaez, and Blake Sabol.

(Picture of Mark Kolozsvary: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox to sign former Central Arkansas, Staten Island FerryHawks OF Kolby Johnson to minor-league deal

The Red Sox are working to sign outfielder Kolby Johnson to a minor-league contract, according to a source with knowledge of the situation. Johnson posted on Instagram earlier Tuesday evening that he had signed with the club.

Johnson, 25, spent the 2024 season with the Staten Island FerryHawks of the independent Atlantic League. In 112 games, the right-handed hitter batted .308/.380/.459 with 24 doubles, four triples, 11 home runs, 62 RBIs, 93 runs scored, 32 stolen bases, 32 walks, and 83 strikeouts over 489 plate appearances.

On the other side of the ball, Johnson was named to the Atlantic League’s 2024 All-Defensive Team after a productive year patrolling the outfield for Staten Island. The 5-foot-6, 165-pounder (listed height and weight) saw the majority of his playing time come in right field and he committed just two errors in 214 chances altogether. His 11 outfield assists were also the second-most in the league.

A native of Pearland, Texas, Johnson played collegiately at Central Arkansas (where he earned his MBA) for five years but was passed over in the 2023 draft. He spent the following months playing for the MLB Draft League’s Trenton Thunder and leveraged his standout performance (.361/.450/.578 slash line in 40 games) there into a deal with Staten Island that September. The FerryHawks then brought him back for the 2024 campaign last January.

Johnson, who does not turn 26 until September, figures to provide the Red Sox with toolsy outfield depth in the lower minors to open the 2025 season. What affiliate he starts out at will likely be determined at some point during spring training.

(Picture of Kolby Johnson courtesy of the Staten Island FerryHawks)

Red Sox sign former Cubs, Padres farmhand Yovanny Cruz to minor-league deal

In addition to Sean Newcomb, the Red Sox also signed free-agent right-hander Yovanny Cruz to a minor-league contract earlier this week and invited him to major-league spring training on Friday, per a club announcement.

Unlike Newcomb, Cruz has yet to pitch in the majors. The 25-year-old was originally signed by the Cubs as an international free agent coming out of the Dominican Republic in August 2016. He made his professional debut in the Dominican Summer League the following June, underwent Tommy John surgery in 2021, and reached free agency at the end of the 2023 season.

Cruz then signed a minors pact with the Padres that November and spent all of 2024 with San Diego’s Double-A affiliate in San Antonio. The righty posted a 4.55 ERA (4.25 FIP) with 35 strikeouts to 16 walks in 23 relief appearances (29 2/3 innings) for the Missions before suffering a season-ending injury in July. Opposing hitters batted .308 against him.

Listed at 6-foot and 180 pounds, Cruz has flashed plus stuff in the past. Last season, for instance, the San Francisco de Macoris topped out at 101.3 mph with his four-seam fastball that typically sits between 96-99 mph. He has also shown the ability to throw a whiff-inducing slider and a changeup with intriguing qualities.

Cruz, who does not turn 26 until late August, figures to provide the Red Sox with high-upside bullpen depth at Double-A Portland to open the 2025 season. If that is indeed the case, it should be worthwhile to see if he can make it to Triple-A Worcester before the end of the year.

(Picture of Yovanny Cruz: Norm Hall/Getty Images)

Red Sox sign Mass. native Sean Newcomb to minor-league deal

The Red Sox signed free-agent left-hander Sean Newcomb to a minor-league contract earlier this week and invited him to major-league spring training, the club announced on Friday.

Newcomb, 31, is a Brockton, Mass. native who attended Middleborough High School. He was originally selected by the Angels with the 15th overall pick in the 2014 draft out of the University of Hartford but was dealt to the Braves as part of the Andrelton Simmons trade the following November.

After emerging as one of baseball’s top pitching prospects, Newcomb debuted for Atlanta in June 2017. The lefty showed signs of promise early into his major-league career, most notably posting a 3.90 ERA with 160 strikeouts over 31 outings (30 starts) spanning 164 innings in 2018. He pitched almost exclusively out of the bullpen in 2019 and impressed in a relief role, but he has not been able to replicate those same results since then.

Newcomb appeared in just four games for the Braves during the COVID-shortened 2020 campaign before logging a 4.73 ERA over 32 1/3 innings of relief in 2021. He was designated for assignment in April 2022 and subsequently traded to the Cubs. He reached free agency that November and signed a minor-league deal with the Giants in February 2023 only to be traded to the Athletics six months later.

Newcomb produced a 3.00 ERA over 15 innings for the A’s in 2023 and was re-signed to a one-year deal for 2024. He underwent offseason surgeries on both knees and struggled to a 6.30 ERA in seven outings (10 innings) last year before being released by Oakland in early July. Altogether, he owns a lifetime 4.51 ERA (4.47 FIP) with 438 strikeouts to 236 walks in 175 career appearances (60 starts) and 431 innings between the Braves, Cubs, and Athletics at the big-league level.

Newcomb, who turns 32 in June, figures to vie for a spot as a left-handed option in the Red Sox’ Opening Day bullpen once camp gets underway in Fort Myers next month. The 6-foot-5 southpaw could also provide Boston with versatile pitching depth at Triple-A Worcester to open the 2025 season since he has experience as both a starter and reliever.

(Picture of Sean Newcomb: Denis Poroy/Getty Images)

Red Sox bring back hard-throwing righty Robert Stock on minor-league deal

The Red Sox have agreed to bring back right-hander Robert Stock on a minor-league contract that includes an invitation to major-league spring training, according to MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo. The agreement was first reported by Stock’s winter ball team in Mexico, the Naranjeros de Hermosillo, who previously announced that he was traveling to the United States for a physical exam.

Stock, 35, appeared in 10 games for the Red Sox during the COVID-shortened 2020 season. In that span, the hard-throwing righty allowed nine runs (seven earned) on 16 hits, 10 walks, and 14 strikeouts over 13 1/3 innings of relief in which opposing hitters batted .320 against him. He averaged 96.8 mph on his fastball that year, which ranked in the 93rd percentile in all of baseball, per Baseball Savant.

A former 2009 second-round draft pick out of Southern California, Stock debuted in 2018. He has since forged a 4.71 ERA (3.97 FIP) with 76 strikeouts to 40 walks in 55 appearances (72 2/3 innings) for four teams (Padres, Red Sox, Cubs, and Mets) over parts of four seasons. He made three starts between Chicago and New York in 2021 but has not seen any big-league action since then.

Stock spent all of 2022 with the Doosan Bears of the Korea Baseball Organization and split the 2023 campaign between the Brewers’ Triple-A affiliate in Nashville and the Atlantic League’s Long Island Ducks. He signed on with Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos of the Mexican League for the 2024 season and produced a 3.38 ERA with 104 strikeouts to 41 walks in 19 starts (98 2/3 innings). He then latched on with Hermosillo and became the first in team history to win the pitching triple crown after leading the Mexican Pacific League in wins (10), ERA (1.60), and strikeouts (78) this winter.

Stock figures to provide the Red Sox with versatile pitching depth in the upper minors to open the 2025 season. He joins the likes of Austin Adams, Isaiah Campbell, Noah Davis, Michael Fulmer, Bryan Mata, and Wyatt Mills as non-roster pitchers who will be in Fort Myers for camp, which begins next month.

(Picture of Robert Stock: Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

Red Sox sign veteran righty Sal Romano to minor-league deal

The Red Sox have signed free agent right-hander Sal Romano to a minor-league contract, per the club’s MLB.com transactions log. He has been assigned to Triple-A Worcester.

Romano, 30, is a veteran of five big-league seasons who last pitched in the majors for the Yankees in 2021. The righty was originally selected by the Reds in the 23rd round of the 2011 amateur draft out of Southington High School in Connecticut.

Signed for $450,000, Romano established himself as one of the top pitching prospects in Cincinnati’s farm system before making his major-league debut at the age of 23 in 2017. He posted a 4.45 ERA in 16 starts (87 innings) as a rookie and then struggled to a 5.31 ERA over 39 appearances (25 starts) spanning a career-high 145 2/3 innings in 2018.

After allowing 14 earned runs over just 16 1/3 innings pitched in 2019, Romano was designated for assignment by the Reds the following February. He cleared waivers and stuck in the organization without occupying a spot on the 40-man roster until he was summoned from the alternate training site in September. He made two scoreless — albeit brief — relief appearances towards the end of the COVID-shortened 2020 campaign and then made Cincinnati’s Opening Day roster the following spring.

To begin what would become a raucous 2021 season, Romano pitched to a 5.23 ERA in 20 2/3 innings out of the Reds bullpen before again being designated for assignment that May. He elected free agency shortly thereafter and quickly latched on with the Yankees on a minor-league deal. He made it up to New York in late July but appeared in just two games (including one against the Red Sox) before hitting waivers once more.

Romano was claimed by the Brewers in early August but spent less than two weeks (and got into one game at the big-league level) before being designated for assignment and outrighted off Milwaukee’s 40-man roster. He again opted for free agency and was scooped up by the Yankees. He appeared in two more games for New York before getting released in September.

Romano inked a minors pact with the Mariners before the start of the 2022 season but briefly retired from baseball. He returned to action in the 2022/2023 Venezuelan Winter League and then signed with the Gastonia Honey Hunters of the independent Atlantic League last April. In 28 outings (15 starts) for Gastonia, he went 4-5 with a 4.91 ERA and 75 strikeouts to 37 walks over 84 1/3 innings pitched.

Altogether, Romano owns a lifetime 5.23 ERA in 88 career appearances (41 starts, 275 1/3 innings) at the big-league level and a 4.91 ERA in Indy Ball. In 78 career outings (15 starts) at the Triple-A level, he has gone 6-13 with a 3.87 ERA and 133 strikeouts to 48 walks across 149 total innings of work.

Romano, who does not turn 31 until October, is listed at 6-foot-5 and 255 pounds. When he last pitched in the majors in 2021, he averaged 93.6 mph with his sinker, and 87.3 mph with his slider, per Baseball Savant. Throughout his career, those two offerings have more or less served as his bread and butter.

As of now, it is unclear if the Red Sox plan on deploying Romano as a starter or reliever in Worcester. Regardless of his role, he should provide the WooSox with experienced pitching depth moving forward.

(Picture of Sal Romano: Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

Red Sox sign former Brewers righty Jason Alexander to minor-league deal

The Red Sox signed free agent right-hander Jason Alexander to a minor-league contract and assigned him to Triple-A Worcester last week, per the club’s MLB.com transactions log. Alexander will head to Boston’s minor-league camp in Fort Myers, according to MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo.

Alexander, who turns 31 on Friday, has one season of major-league experience under his belt after breaking in with the Brewers in 2022. In 18 appearances (11 starts) for Milwaukee, the righty posted a 5.40 ERA and 5.34 FIP with 46 strikeouts to 28 walks over 71 2/3 innings of work.

Not to be confused with the actor who played George Costanza in Seinfeld, this Jason Alexander is the younger brother of veteran reliever Scott Alexander. He originally went undrafted out of Menlo College (Atherton, Calif.) in 2017 and instead began his professional career by signing with the Angels that summer.

After nearly three years in the Angels organization, Alexander was cut loose by Los Angeles in June 2020. He then latched on with the Marlins the following April and pitched at three different levels in 2021 before joining the Brewers that November. He made his major-league debut in June 2022 as part of being called up by Milwaukee on three separate occasions that season.

Because of a strained right rotator cuff, Alexander opened the 2023 campaign on the 60-day injured list. He began rehabbing in the Arizona Complex League last June and worked his way back up to Triple-A Nashville prior to losing his spot on the Brewers’ 40-man roster in late July. He subsequently cleared outright waivers and spent the rest of the year with Milwaukee’s top affiliate, finishing with a 5.86 ERA in 16 outings (55 1/3 innings) for the Sounds before reaching free agency in November.

Standing at 6-foot-2 and 227 pounds, Alexander is known for his ability to keep the ball on the ground, as evidenced by his 46.1 percent groundball rate with Nashville last year. He could potentially provide the Red Sox with experienced rotational depth in Worcester alongside the likes of lefty Brandon Walter and righties Cooper Criswell, Richard Fitts, Grant Gambrell, and Brian Van Belle, among others.

Alexander also has plenty of experience when it comes to pitching out of the bullpen, so he could be utilized in a relief role as well. Regardless of how the Red Sox plan on using him, Alexander does have minor-league options remaining if he were to be added to the major-league roster at some point down the line.

 (Picture of Jason Alexander: John Fisher/Getty Images)

Red Sox bring back Joely Rodriguez on minor-league deal

The Red Sox have brought back veteran reliever Joely Rodriguez on a minor-league contract, according to MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo. The deal comes with an invite to major-league spring training.

Rodriguez, who was present at the Fenway South complex in Fort Myers on Thursday morning, will not count against Boston’s 40-man roster but will have the opportunity to make the club’s Opening Day roster out of camp next month.

“Excited for him. We know health is a priority for him,” said Red Sox pitching coach Andrew Bailey, who confirmed the pending signing of Rodriguez to MassLive.com’s Sean McAdam. “He’s got electric stuff. He’s around here getting his physical done. Excited to meet him. I know he’s a loud, boisterous personality and a good guy to have around so we’re excited to have him back here.”

Rodriguez, 32, returns to the Red Sox after originally signing a one-year, $2 million contract with an option for 2024 in November 2022. The left-hander was Boston’s first free agent addition that winter, though the contract he ultimately signed was “a re-worked version of a previously agreed-upon deal that was revised once balky medicals came back,” according to Cotillo.

Like trade addition Richard Bleier, who came over from the Marlins in January, Rodrigue was supposed to provide manager Alex Cora with an experienced left-handed option out of the bullpen. He was instead plagued by injury issues throughout the year and posted a career-worst 6.55 ERA (4.71 FIP) with 14 strikeouts to six walks over 11 appearances spanning just 11 innings of relief.

Rodriguez began the 2023 campaign on the injured list after suffering a right oblique strain in a Grapefruit League outing. As a result, he did not make his Red Sox debut until May 17 and struggled immensely out of the gate, surrendering nine runs (eight earned) in his first five appearances (four innings) of the season. He then hit the injured list again because of left shoulder inflammation in early June and did not return to the big-league mound until July 9.

Upon returning to action with Boston, Rodriguez strung together six straight scoreless outings in which he recorded nine strikeouts and zero walks over seven effective innings. Unfortunately, he sustained a hip injury in late July that wound up ending his season prematurely. The Red Sox then declined the club option they held over Rodriguez in November.

As noted by Cotillo, the Red Sox are thin when it comes to left-handed relief options. Brennan Bernardino, who stood out last season after being claimed off waivers from the Mariners in April, Joe Jacques, Chris Murphy, and Brandon Walter are the only lefties currently on Boston’s 40-man roster.

Externally, Rodriguez is slated to join fellow non-roster invitees Jorge Benitez, Cam Booser, Lucas Luetge, and Helcris Olivarez as lefty relievers competing for a spot in the Sox’ bullpen to begin the 2024 season.

“We’ve got to get lefties out. You can’t ever have enough lefties,” Bailey told McAdam, noting that the Rodriguez signing was about adding depth. “There was an opportunity from the front office to sign him and we jumped at it.”

(Picture of Joely Rodriguez: Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)