Tag: roster moves

Red Sox option Brayan Bello to Triple-A Worcester, call up Brennan Bernardino

The Red Sox have optioned right-hander Brayan Bello to Triple-A Worcester, the club announced prior to Monday’s series opener against the Orioles in Baltimore.

To take Bello’s spot on the active roster, left-hander Brennan Bernardino was recalled from Worcester.

Despite being optioned, Bello is still with the Red Sox in Baltimore, according to MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo. The 23-year-old appears to be the odd man out for now as Boston makes the transition from a six-man to a five-man starting rotation moving forward.

Bello, who began the season on the injured list after being slowed by right forearm tightness in spring training, did not make his 2023 debut until last Monday. In his first two starts of the year for Boston, the Dominican-born hurler has posted a 9.82 ERA and 6.33 FIP with eight strikeouts to three walks in 7 1/3 innings of work. He allowed three runs on five hits, two walks, and three strikeouts over 4 2/3 innings against the Brewers on Sunday.

Because he has been sent down, Bello will need to spend the next 15 days in the minor-leagues unless he replaces an injured player or serves as the 27th man in a doubleheader. In the meantime, Chris Sale, Corey Kluber, Tanner Houck, Nick Pivetta, and Garrett Whitlock will remain in Boston’s rotation.

Bernardino, meanwhile, was claimed off waivers from the Mariners on April 16 after fellow reliever Zack Kelly (right elbow inflammation) was transferred to the 60-day injured list. The 31-year-old southpaw has just two games of prior major-league experience, both of which came with Seattle last summer.

In those two outings, Bernardino yielded three runs (one earned) on three hits, two walks, and no strikeouts across 2 1/3 innings in which he threw 26 sinkers and 15 curveballs. The 6-foot-4, 180-pounder made one appearance for the WooSox on Friday and struck out two over two scoreless frames of relief against the Lehigh Valley IronPigs.

While he is up, Bernardino should provide the Red Sox with some much needed left-handed bullpen depth. With Joely Rodriguez (right oblique strain) still on the 15-day injured list, Richard Bleier had been the lone lefty reliever available to manager Alex Cora going back to Opening Day.

Bernardino will wear the No. 83 for the Red Sox, becoming just the third player in franchise history to do so and the first since Eduard Bazardo wore it in parts of two seasons (2021-2022) with the club.

(Picture of Brayan Bello: Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)

Red Sox reinstate Yu Chang from paternity list, option Enmanuel Valdez to Triple-A Worcester

The Red Sox have reinstated infielder Yu Chang from the paternity leave list, the club announced prior to Thursday’s series finale against the Twins at Fenway Park. In order to make room for Chang on the active roster, infielder/outfielder Enmanuel Valdez was optioned to Triple-A Worcester.

Chang returns from the paternity list after spending less than one full day on it. The 27-year-old could not make it home in time to be with his wife, Ling, for the birth of their second child in Taiwan. And so he remained in Boston to attend to her via FaceTime.

In 12 games with the Red Sox this season, the right-handed hitting Chang has gone just 2-for-26 (.077) at the plate with one home run, four RBIs, two runs scored, one walk, and nine strikeouts. Both of those hits and all four of those RBIs came in last Saturday’s 9-7 win over the Angels.

Chang will be starting at shortstop and batting ninth for Boston in Thursday’s series finale against Minnesota (first pitch is scheduled for 1:35 p.m. eastern time). The 6-foot-1, 180-pounder has logged 50 innings at the position thus far and has been worth one out above average, per Baseball Savant.

Valdez, meanwhile, made his major-league debut after getting called up for the first time in place of Chang on Wednesday night. Batting ninth and starting at second base, the 24-year-old went 2-for-4 with a pair of hard-hit opposite-field singles and a strikeout. He also committed a fielding error by letting a shallow fly ball fall in the outfield in the fifth inning of a 10-4 loss.

This probably won’t be the last we see of Valdez in Boston this season, but he will nonetheless return to Worcester for the time being. In his first 11 games with the WooSox this year, the left-handed hitting Valdez has batted .179 (7-for-39) with three doubles, one home run, six RBIs, three runs scored, one stolen base, six walks, and 15 strikeouts in 45 plate appearances while seeing all of his playing time come at second base.

Acquired from the Astros alongside outfield prospect Wilyer Abreu in last Augusts’s Christian Vazquez trade, Valdez — a Dominican Republic native — is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 19 prospect in the Red Sox’ farm system.

(Picture of Yu Chang: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox call up infield prospect Enmanuel Valdez from Triple-A Worcester, place Yu Chang on paternity list

The Red Sox have called up infield prospect Enmanuel Valdez from Triple-A Worcester, the club announced prior to Wednesday’s contest against the Twins. In order to make room for Valdez on the active roster, fellow infielder Yu Chang was placed on the paternity leave list.

Valdez, 24, is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 19 prospect in Boston’s farm system. The Red Sox originally acquired Valdez alongside outfield prospect Wilyer Abreu from the Astros for catcher Christian Vazquez last August.

After closing out the 2022 season with Worcester, Valdez was added to the Sox’ 40-man roster in November in order to avoid reaching minor-league free agency and becoming eligible for the Rule 5 Draft. He showed flashes of his potential in his first spring training camp with Boston by clubbing two home runs and posting a .389 on-base percentage in Grapefruit League games.

“He can hit,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said of Valdez back in February. “This kid, he can hit. He controls the strike zone. He can hit. So we’ll try to help him defensively. More comfortable at second than other places. Both of them, Abreu and Valdez, they control the strike zone. They do damage in the strike zone. I’m excited to see them.”

To begin his first full season in the Red Sox organization, Valdez has not gotten off to the best of starts offensively. In his first 11 games with the WooSox this year, the left-handed hitter has batted just .179 (7-for-39) with three doubles, one home run, six RBIs, three runs scored, one stolen base, six walks, and 15 strikeouts in 45 plate appearances.

Despite the slow start at the plate, Valdez did come through with three clutch hits (a solo homer, a game-tying double, and a walk-off single) in a 6-5 win over the Columbus Clippers at Polar Park this past Saturday. For his career at the Triple-A level, the Dominican Republic native is a lifetime .256/.323/.472 hitter with 18 home runs and 68 RBIs in 93 total games spanning 412 trips to the plate.

Defensively, Valdez has proven to be quite versatile since first signing with the Astros for $450,000 as an international free agent coming out of San Juan de la Maguana in July 2015. So far this season, the 5-foot-8, 191-pounder has seen all of his playing time come at second base. With the WooSox last year, though, he also logged 24 innings at third base and 25 innings in left field.

Valdez, who does not turn 25 until December, is slated to become the second member of the 2023 Red Sox to make their major-league debut this season, joining Japanese outfielder Masataka Yoshida. With that being said, Valdez’s first stint as a big-leaguer may not last too long.

That being the case because, according to MassLive.com’s Christopher Smith, the Red Sox promoted Valdez “with the idea it might be for only a short period of time” since he is only replacing Chang while his counterpart is out on paternity leave. Chang and his wife, Ling, are expecting the birth of their second child soon.

Regardless of the circumstances, Valdez’s first call-up comes at a fitting time since Vazquez is in town with the Twins. As he prepares to make his big-league debut on Wednesday night, Valdez will be batting ninth and starting at second base for the Red Sox.

First pitch from Fenway Park is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. eastern time on NESN+ and MLB Network.

(Picture of Enmanuel Valdez: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox activate Brayan Bello, call up Jarren Duran in flurry of roster moves

Before wrapping up a four-game series against the Angels at Fenway Park on Monday morning, the Red Sox made a flurry of roster moves.

Boston reinstated right-hander Brayan Bello from the 15-day injured list and recalled outfielder Jarren Duran from Triple-A Worcester. In order to make room for Bello and Duran on the active roster, righty Jake Faria was designated for assignment while infielder Bobby Dalbec was optioned to Worcester, the club announced.

Bello will make his first start of the season in Monday’s series finale against Los Angeles. The 23-year-old began the 2023 campaign on the injured list after being shut down by right forearm tightness during the early stages of spring training.

Though he began the season on the injured list, Bello was never expected to be sidelined for long. He pitched in an extended spring training game down in Fort Myers and April 5 and made one rehab start for the WooSox at Polar Park last Tuesday.

In that outing, Bello allowed just one earned run on four hits, zero walks, and one hit batsman to go along with four strikeouts over six innings on 81 pitches (50 strikes). The Dominican-born hurler has the green light to pitch six innings again on Monday as he goes up against Angels superstar Shohei Ohtani.

Faria, meanwhile, spent one day on the big-league roster after having his contract selected from Worcester on Saturday. The Red Sox will have the next seven days to either trade, release, or waive the 29-year-old. If he goes unclaimed and clears waivers, Faria can refuse an outright assignment to the minor-leagues in favor of free agency since he has previously been outrighted.

Turning to the position players now, Dalbec was called up on April 10 in the wake of outfielder Adam Duvall being placed on the injured list with a fractured left wrist. In four games with the Red Sox, the 27-year-old went 2-for-9 (.222) at the plate with one stolen base, two walks, and five strikeouts. He also saw playing time at first base, third base, and shortstop.

Duran, 26, was a logical candidate to get promoted last Wednesday, but the Red Sox elected to go with the right-handed hitting Dalbec since the club was in the midst of facing a plethora of left-handed starters. Now that that portion of the schedule has passed, the left-handed hitting Duran will be batting ninth and starting in center field for Boston on Monday.

In his first 11 games of the season with the WooSox, Duran has batted .195/.353/.439 with two doubles, one triple, two home runs, six RBIs, eight runs scored, two stolen bases, 10 walks, and 11 strikeouts across 51 plate appearances.

(Picture of Brayan Bello: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox place Chris Martin on 15-day injured list with right shoulder inflammation, transfer Wyatt Mills to 60-day injured list

Before taking on the Angels at Fenway Park on Sunday afternoon, the Red Sox placed veteran reliever Chris Martin on the 15-day injured list with right shoulder inflammation.

To take Martin’s place on the big-league roster, Jake Faria had his contract selected from Triple-A Worcester. In order to make room for Faria on the 40-man roster, fellow right-hander Wyatt Mills was transferred from the 15-day to the 60-day injured list.

Martin, who last pitched against the Rays this past Wednesday, underwent an MRI after reporting arm discomfort earlier in the week. The MRI revealed only inflammation as opposed to any structural damage. Because of that diagnosis, the Red Sox are optimistic that the 36-year-old’s stint on the injured list (which was backdated to April 13) will last the minimum 15 days.

“He’s a little bit banged up. It started with the bicep, now the shoulder,” manager Alex Cora said of Martin when speaking with reporters (including MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo). “So we have to stay away from him. Actually, he’s getting checked by the doctor. There’s a good chance he’ll go on the IL. It’s nothing serious, serious. But it’s something we have to take into consideration. So we were talking about it and we’ll see what we do.”

Martin, for his part, told The Boston Globe’s Pete Abraham: “It’s something I’ve had before early in the season. It’s just inflammation, nothing structural. We can knock it out.”

Boston signed Martin to a two-year, $17.5 million deal back in December to serve as a setup man in the back of the bullpen. The righty has allowed just two runs through his first seven appearances (seven innings) of the season, but he has struggled to miss bats and has a 5.08 FIP to show for it.

Faria signed a minor-league pact with the Red Sox back in February and broke camp with Worcester last month. In three relief appearances for the WooSox thus far, the 29-year-old has yielded six earned runs on four hits, six walks, and five strikeouts over five innings of work.

The Red Sox did not need Faria to defeat the Angels on Sunday, as Garrett Whitlock, Kaleb Ort, and Ryan Brasier combined for nine innings of one-run ball in the 2-1 win. Considering that the club will need to make a corresponding move in order to activate Brayan Bello from the injured list for his start on Monday, it seems likely that Faria could be designated for assignment since he is out of minor-league options and is a candidate to go through waivers unclaimed.

Mills, meanwhile, was acquired from the Royals in exchange for relief prospect Jacob Wallace back in December. The 28-year-old began his first season in Boston on the 15-day injured list after being shut down with elbow discomfort at the end of spring training. Though he has resumed throwing, Mills will not be eligible to be activated (and pitch in the majors) until late May at the earliest.

Following Sunday’s series of roster moves, the Red Sox now have four players on the 60-day injured list in Mills, Zack Kelly, Adalberto Mondesi, and Trevor Story.

(Picture of Chris Martin: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox claim lefty reliever Brennan Bernardino off waivers from Mariners, transfer Zack Kelly to 60-day injured list

The Red Sox have claimed left-hander Brennan Bernardino off waivers from the Mariners, the club announced earlier Sunday afternoon. In order to make room for Bernardino on the 40-man roster, right-hander Zack Kelly was transferred from the 15-day to the 60-day injured list.

Bernardino, 31, was designated for assignment by Seattle last Wednesday and has since been optioned to Triple-A Worcester. The lefty made his major-league debut for the Mariners last July and made just two appearances for the club, allowing three runs (one earned) on three hits, two walks, and zero strikeouts in 2 1/3 innings of relief.

A native of California, Bernardino was originally selected by the Reds in the 26th round of the 2014 amateur draft out of Cal State Dominguez Hills. After four years in the Reds organization, Bernardino was released by Cincinnati in July 2018. He then latched on with the Guardians the following February, but was cut loose again shortly thereafter so he could pursue an opportunity in the Mexican League.

After spending parts of three seasons in Mexico, Bernardino returned to affiliated ball when his contract was purchased by the Mariners last June. He made 23 relief appearances for Seattle’s Triple-A affiliate in Tacoma last season and posted a 2.20 ERA with 35 strikeouts to 10 walks over 32 2/3 innings of work.

To begin the 2023 campaign, Bernardino surrendered 11 runs (eight earned) on 13 hits, one walk, and 11 strikeout in his first two outings (six innings) for the Rainiers before losing his spot on Seattle’s 40-man roster last week.

Listed at 6-foot-4 and 180 pounds, Bernardino operates with a two-pitch mix that consists of a low-90s sinker and a high-70s curveball. The southpaw should provide the Red Sox with some optionable, left-handed bullpen depth. As things stand now, Richard Bleier is the only lefty reliever on Boston’s big-league roster while Joely Rodriguez (right oblique strain) remains on the injured list.

Kelly, meanwhile, was initially placed on the 15-day injured list with right elbow inflammation on April 13. That came one day after the 28-year-old injured his right elbow in the fifth inning of last Wednesday’s loss to the Rays in St. Petersburg.

Though Kelly was visibly upset as he was taken out of the game, an MRI on Friday apparently revealed no structural damage to his right UCL (ulnar collateral ligament). Because Kelly had an internal bracing procedure on his right elbow in May 2020, though, the Red Sox have sent the results of Friday’s MRI to the physician who performed the surgery for a second opinion.

Regardless of the outcome there, Sunday’s decision means Kelly will not be eligible to be activated until mid-June at the earliest. Kelly becomes the latest player to be placed on Boston’s 60-day injured list, joining fellow reliever Wyattt Mills and infielders Adalberto Mondesi and Trevor Story.

(Picture of Brennan Bernardino: Steph Chambers/Getty Images)

Red Sox place Zack Kelly on injured list, recall Kutter Crawford from Triple-A Worcester

The Red Sox have placed reliever Zack Kelly on the 15-day injured list with right elbow inflammation, the club announced prior to Thursday’s series finale against the Rays. In a corresponding move, fellow right-hander Kutter Crawford was recalled from Triple-A Worcester.

Kelly was visibly upset after injuring his right elbow in the fifth inning of Wednesday night’s 9-7 loss to Tampa Bay at Tropicana Field. The 28-year-old will undergo an MRI in Boston on Friday to determine the severity of the injury, but the fear is that it is serious.

Crawford, meanwhile, rejoins the Red Sox just two days after being optioned to make room on the roster for Garrett Whitlock. The 27-year-old made two starts to begin the season was sent down so that he could remain stretched out as a starter in Worcester, but he is back as a reliever for the time being.

As noted by MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo, Crawford last pitched against the Tigers on Sunday and is on three days rest, meaning he could be available out of the bullpen if the Red Sox need on Thursday. Crawford was a logical choice to take Kelly’s place since he is the only healthy pitcher on Boston’s 40-man roster with big-league experience.

It remains to be seen how the Red Sox plan on using Crawford moving forward. He could, in theory, remain in the bullpen in be utilized in a similar fashion to Josh Winckowski, who has thrived in multi-inning stints to this point in the season. The more likely option, though, is that Crawford will be sent back down to Worcester in the coming days so that he can start and so that Boston can add a more traditional reliever to its bullpen mix.

Doing that, of course, would require the Red Sox to clear a 40-man roster spot, but they could accomplish that by transferring Kelly to the 60-day injured list if his injury is severe enough. Potential options to come up from the WooSox include righties Jake Faria and Andrew Politi and lefties Ryan Sherriff and Oddanier Mosqueda.

(Picture of Kutter Crawford: Duane Burleson/Getty Images)

Red Sox release former top relief prospect Durbin Feltman

The Red Sox have released minor-league reliever Durbin Feltman from their Triple-A roster, the WooSox announced on Tuesday. The Boston Herald’s Mac Cerullo was the first to report the news.

Feltman, who turns 26 next week, was originally selected by the Red Sox in the third round (100th overall pick) of the 2018 amateur draft out of TCU. After dominating in his final season with the Horned Frogs, the right-hander signed with Boston for $559,600 and entered the professional ranks with plenty of hype surrounding him.

At the time Feltman was drafted, the Red Sox were experiencing some issues with their bullpen. As such, some believed that Feltman — then just 21 years old — could rise quickly through the minors and contribute at the big-league level by the end of the 2018 season.

It did not pan out that way for Feltman, though, as the righty struggled to find success on a consistent basis in the minor-leagues and was never able to reach the majors while with the Red Sox.

After being named the organization’s Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Year in 2021, Feltman spent the entirety of the 2022 campaign with the WooSox. There, he posted a 7.63 ERA and 5.97 FIP with 56 strikeouts to 24 walks over 40 outings (48 1/3 innings). He returned to Worcester for the start of the 2023 season and had appeared in two games before being released on Tuesday.

The decision to cut Feltman came at a time when the WooSox were facing a roster crunch. With two players (reliever Taylor Broadway and outfielder Wilyer Abreu) coming off the injured list and starter Kutter Crawford being optioned from Boston, Worcester needed to create an opening and did so by releasing Feltman.

“It’s the crappy part of the business of the game, especially early in the season,” WooSox manager Chad Tracy told MassLive.com’s Katie Morrison-O’Day at Polar Park on Tuesday. “But you come out of spring and the big-league club’s still trying to get healthy and you see on the horizon a lot of guys that are going to get healthy quick.

“I know he went through some tough times last year,” Tracy said of Feltman. “I told him today he kept his head up. He always was here, always working, always trying to get better. We love him, we wish him well and hope he lands on his feet. I think he will.”

Feltman peaked as the No. 9 prospect in Boston’s farm system in April 2019, according to SoxProspects.com’s rankings history. His decline since then can partly be attributed to the velocity of his fastball, which topped out at 99 mph in college but sat between just 90-92 mph last year.

With that, a change of scenery could do Feltman good. The native Texan becomes the latest member of the Red Sox’ 2018 draft class to leave the organization in some capacity. Most notably, fifth-rounder Thaddeus Ward was taken by the Nationals in last December’s Rule 5 Draft. Additionally, fourth-rounder Kole Cottam was granted his release last month so that he could sign with the Frederick Baseball Club of the independent Atlantic League.

(Picture of Durbin Feltman: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox option Kutter Crawford to Triple-A Worcester to make room on roster for Garrett Whitlock

The Red Sox optioned right-hander Kutter Crawford to Triple-A Worcester following Monday night’s 1-0 loss to the Rays, according to MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo.

By optioning Crawford, the Red Sox have created an open roster spot for fellow righty Garrett Whitlock, who will come off the injured list and make his season debut against the undefeated Rays at Tropicana Field on Tuesday night.

Whitlock will start opposite All-Star lefty Shane McClanahan in the second game of this four-game series (first pitch is scheduled for 6:40 p.m. ET). The 26-year-old began the season on the injured list after getting a late start in spring training as a result of undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his right hip last September.

In two rehab starts with Worcester (on March 31) and Double-A Portland (on April 6), Whitlock allowed two earned runs on seven hits, two walks, and 14 strikeouts over 10 innings of work. He threw 75 pitches (50 strikes) in his first outing and 81 pitches (56 strikes) in his last time out.

Crawford, meanwhile, made Boston’s Opening Day rotation out of spring training to help fill the gaps left behind by Whitlock and Brayan Bello. In two starts already, the 27-year-old has posted an ERA of 8.00 (eight earned runs in nine innings) to go along with 12 strikeouts to just two walks.

Though he got roughed up by the Pirates in his 2023 debut last Monday, Crawford bounced back against the Tigers this past Sunday by scattering five hits and recording six strikeouts across five one-run innings to lead Boston to a 4-1 win over Detroit.

As noted by Cotillo, the Red Sox could have optioned or designated a reliever in order to keep Crawford up with the big-league club by moving him to the bullpen. It instead appears as though Boston would prefer that Crawford continues to work as a starter in Worcester so that he remains stretched out in the event that he is needed at some point down the line.

With Whitlock’s activation, the Red Sox have just two starters remaining on the 15-day injured list in righty Brayan Bello (right elbow inflammation) and lefty James Paxton (right hamstring strain). Bello is slated to begin a rehab assignment and start for the WooSox in their series opener against the Columbus Clippers at Polar Park on Monday night. Paxton, who started for the WooSox in Buffalo over the weekend, is not far behind, either.

(Picture of Kutter Crawford: Paul Rutherford/Getty Images)

Red Sox recall Bobby Dalbec from Triple-A Worcester

The Red Sox have officially recalled infielder Bobby Dalbec from Triple-A Worcester, the club announced prior to Monday’s series opener against the Rays at Tropicana Field.

Dalbec will take the roster spot of outfielder Adam Duvall, who was placed on the 10-day injured list with a distal radius fracture in his left wrist. The 27-year-old flew from Buffalo to St. Petersburg to to join the Red Sox after Duvall suffered the injury in the ninth inning of Sunday’s 4-1 win over the Tigers in Detroit.

Dalbec was optioned to Worcester before the start of the season after failing to make Boston’s Opening Day roster out of spring training. In his first seven games with the WooSox, though, the right-handed hitter went 6-for-23 (.261) with one double, one triple, one home run, five RBIs, six runs scored, four walks, and 10 strikeouts. He put up those numbers while making three starts at first base, one start at third base, and two starts at shortstop.

Because they are slated to face a plethora of left-handed starters in their next two series against the Rays and Angels, the Red Sox elected to call up Dalbec as opposed to the left-handed hitting Jarren Duran even though Duran would have filled a need in the outfield.

“He’s a right-handed hitter and we can use him at first base, at third base,” manager Alex Cora said of Dalbec. “We’re here in Tampa with this turf, you know, so maybe we can give Raffy (Devers) a day (off) at third base and just use (Dalbec) that way.”

Cora added that Dalbec will get some reps at shortstop alongside Christian Arroyo and Yu Chang since Enrique Hernandez will start playing more center field in Duvall’s absence. The 6-foot-4, 227-pounder could also see some time in the outfield, something he has never done before in his professional career.

“I mean, just come here and be ready,” Cora said in regards to the message he sent to Dalbec. “There’s a few things that we’re doing that we want to continue doing. It starts in the clubhouse and preparation in the dugout and all that and be ready. He’s always ready.

“He was swinging the bat well the last few days down there (in Worcester),” added Cora. “Hopefully whenever he gets a chance, he can just keep doing the things he was doing.”

(Picture of Bobby Dalbec: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)