Tag: san francisco

Which two prospects did Red Sox acquire from Giants in blockbuster Rafael Devers trade?

In an absolutely stunning turn of events, the Red Sox have traded superstar designated hitter Rafael Devers to the Giants, the club announced earlier Sunday evening.

In exchange for Devers, who is in the second season of a 10-year, $315.5 million contract extension, Boston acquired left-hander Kyle Harrison, right-hander Jordan Hicks, minor-league outfielder James Tibbs III, and minor-league right-hander Jose Bello from San Francisco.

Harrison has been optioned to Triple-A Worcester, while fellow southpaw Zach Penrod was designated for assignment to make room on the Red Sox’ 40-man roster, which is back at full capacity.

As for the two prospects Boston acquired in this blockbuster deal, Tibbs stands out given the fact that he was just selected by San Francisco with the 13th overall pick, one pick after the Red Sox took Braden Montgomery (who was subsequently dealt to the White Sox in the Garrett Crochet trade), in the 2024 draft out of Florida State. The Georgia native received a $4,747,500 signing bonus and made his professional debut with Low-A San Jose last August.

Tibbs was ranked by Baseball America as the No. 3 prospect in the Giants’ farm system. The left-handed hitting 22-year-old spent the first two-plus months of the 2025 season with High-A Eugene, batting .246/.379/.478 with 10 doubles, one triple, 12 home runs, 32 RBIs, 41 runs scored, three stolen bases, 42 walks, and 45 strikeouts in 57 games (256 plate appearances) for the Emeralds. That includes a .316/.458/.553 slash line against left-handed pitching and a .231/.361/.462 slash line against right-handed pitching.

Defensively, Tibbs has seen the vast majority of his playing time as a professional to this point come in right field. The 6-foot, 201-pounder logged 402 1/3 innings in right for Eugene this year, recording five assists without committing an error in 87 chances. He also made nine starts at DH.

Tibbs, who does not turn 23 until October, is being assigned to Double-A Portland, according to Andrew Parker of Beyond the Monster. The Sea Dogs open a six-game homestand against the Akron RubberDucks at Hadlock Field on Tuesday night.

Bello, meanwhile, was not ranked among San Francisco’s top 30 prospects by Baseball America or MLB Pipeline. The 20-year-old righty originally signed with the Giants as an international free agent coming out of the Dominican Republic in January 2023. He made his professional debut in the Dominican Summer League shortly thereafter, spending the better part of two seasons there before moving up to the Arizona Complex League last July.

In eight appearances for the ACL Giants to begin the 2025 campaign, Bello posted a 2.00 ERA and 1.91 FIP with 28 strikeouts to three walks over 18 innings of relief. Opposing hitters batted .156 against the projectable 6-foot-1, 164-pound hurler, who currently features a four-pitch mix that consists of an upper-90s fastball, a cutter, a slider, and a changeup, per a brief Baseball America scouting report.

Bello, who just turned 20 late last month, has been assigned to the Florida Complex League Red Sox. With that being said, it would not be surprising if he received a promotion to Low-A Salem in due time.

(Picture of Rafael Devers: Jaiden Tripi/Getty Images)

Red Sox trade minor-leaguer Christian Koss to Giants

The Red Sox traded minor-league infielder Christian Koss to the Giants on Wednesday, per the club’s MLB.com transactions log. As far as a return is concerned, it was presumably for cash considerations.

Koss, 26, had spent the last three seasons in the Red Sox organization after being acquired from the Rockies for left-hander Yoan Aybar in December 2020. The California native was originally selected by Colorado in the 12th round of the 2019 amateur draft out of UC Irvine.

Upon switching organizations for the first time in his professional career, Koss spent the entirety of the 2021 campaign at High-A Greenville. The right-handed hitter batted .271/.325/.451 with 18 doubles, seven triples, 15 home runs, 55 RBIs, 65 runs scored, 31 walks, and 100 strikeouts in 104 games (468 plate appearances). Despite stealing only 10 bases in 14 attempts for the Drive, he was named Boston’s Minor League Baserunner of the Year.

After playing in the Arizona Fall League that fall and receiving his first non-roster invite to major-league camp the following spring, Koss made the jump to Double-A Portland for the start of the 2022 season. He, again, spent all year with the Sea Dogs, slashing .260/.309/.430 with 22 doubles, five triples, 17 homers, 84 RBIs, 69 runs scored, 16 stolen bases, 25 walks, and 137 strikeouts over 125 games (531 plate appearances) en route to being named the team’s MVP.

Koss followed that up by playing winter ball in Puerto Rico and taking part in big-league spring training once more last year. He returned to Portland and spent the first two months of the 2023 season there before netting a promotion to Triple-A Worcester in late May. He then appeared in 16 games for the WooSox before suffering a left toe sprain in late June that cost him nearly a month of action.

Koss spent nearly two weeks rehabbing in the Florida Complex League before being transferred to Worcester’s development list in early August. He returned to the WooSox’ lineup on Aug. 31 and went 15-for-64 (.259) with one home run and three RBIs over 18 games to close out the season. Altogether, he hit .235/.287/.353 to go along with 16 doubles, two triples, four homers, 23 runs driven in, 35 runs scored, 15 stolen bases, 16 walks, and 65 strikeouts across 79 total games (296 plate appearances) between the FCL, Portland, and Worcester in 2023.

It became apparent that Koss had begun to lose favor with the Red Sox this past offseason. He saw limited action in the Puerto Rican Winter League after arriving there in late December and was noticeably left off Boston’s 2024 spring training roster. He instead got into seven Grapefruit League games as a minor-league call-up, going 3-for-6 (.500) with one run scored, two walks, and two strikeouts.

Before Wednesday’s trade, Koss was likely ticketed for a bench or utility role with the WooSox to begin the 2024 season. He will now join a Giants farm system that is seemingly more heavy on pitching than position players. According to his MiLB.com player profile page, he has been assigned to San Francisco’s Double-A affiliate in Richmond, Va.

Koss, who does not turn 27 until next January, peaked as Baseball America’s 26th-ranked Red Sox prospect in 2022. To complement what he has done offensively, the versatile 6-foot-1, 182-pounder has logged innings at every defensive position besides pitcher, catcher, and first base since making his pro debut a little less than five years ago.

In addition to trading Koss, the Red Sox have released several minor-leaguers in recent days. Chief among them are reliever Frank German and catcher Stephen Scott, who were both in camp with Boston as non-roster invitees this spring. Boston also cut ties with right-hander Dylan Spack and outfielder Albertson Asigen.

(Picture of Christian Koss: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox sign former Giants pitching prospect Melvin Adón to minor-league deal

The Red Sox signed former Giants pitching prospect Melvin Adon to a minor-league contract last week, according to the club’s MLB.com transactions log. It is unclear if the deal comes with an invite to major-league spring training.

Adon, 29, spent the last nine seasons in the Giants organization before reaching free agency this past November. The Dominican Republic native originally signed with San Francisco for $50,000 as a 20-year-old international free agent coming out of Santo Domingo in February 2015.

Making his professional debut in the Dominican Summer League later that year, Adon quickly emerged as one of the more intriguing arms in San Francisco’s farm system. The right-hander worked his way up through the organization primarily as a starter, but successfully transitioned to the bullpen in the 2018 Arizona Fall League before being added to the Giants’ 40-man roster that November in order to receive protection from the Rule 5 Draft.

Adon was ranked by Baseball America as the Giants’ No. 12 prospect to open the 2019 season. Used exclusively as a reliever that year, he forged a 4.72 ERA with 77 strikeout to 34 walks in 48 appearances (55 1/3 innings) between Double-A Richmond and Triple-A Sacramento. Adon did not pitch for a minor-league affiliate in 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, but he wound up injuring himself in winter ball that offseason and underwent right shoulder surgery in February 2021 as a result.

The procedure cost Adon, who was non-tendered by the Giants and brought back on a minor-league deal, all of 2021 and the first two months of the 2022 campaign. He returned to action in the rookie-level Arizona Complex League that June and closed out the year in Richmond.

Adon was at spring training with the Giants around this time last year. He pitched at three different levels during the 2023 season, though 32 of his 43 appearances came with Sacramento. In two separate stints with the River Cats, the righty posted a 7.43 ERA (5.90 FIP) with 50 strikeouts to 37 walks over 40 innings of relief in which opponents batted .297 against him.

All told, Adon owns a lifetime 4.47 ERA with 451 strikeouts to 215 walks in 181 career minor-league outings (65 starts) spanning 457 total innings of work. That includes an 8.76 ERA in 44 appearances at the Triple-A level. He also pitched for the Toros Del Este of the Dominican Winter League this offseason, though he was limited to just one appearance there back in October.

Standing at 6-foot-3 and 246 pounds, Adon primarily operates with a two-pitch mix that consists of an upper-90s sinking fastball that can reach triple digits and a low-90s slider. As FanGraphs’ Eric Longenhagen mentioned last June, Adon struggles with his command and “can’t throw strikes with his fastball, but he might not have to if he can get ahead of hitters with his slider and then rush his heater past them once he’s in two-strike counts.”

It is worth noting that although Adon is switching organizations for the first time in his career, he already has one prior connection on the Red Sox in pitching coach Andrew Bailey, who served in the same capacity for the Giants the last four seasons before leaving for Boston in November.

Adon, who turns 30 in June, will surely be looking to benefit from a change of scenery and make his big-league debut with the Red Sox at some point this season. Given how much right-handed depth Boston currently has in its bullpen, though, he is likely ticketed to break camp with Triple-A Worcester this spring.

(Picture of Melvin Adon: Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

Former Red Sox prospect Marques Johnson named California League Pitcher of the Week

Former Red Sox relief prospect Marques Johnson ended the first full season of his professional career on a strong note by earning California League Pitcher of the Week honors on Monday.

Johnson, who the Red Sox traded to the Giants for fellow reliever Mauricio Llovera in late July, made two appearances for San Francisco’s Low-A affiliate in San Jose in its most-recent series against the Stockton Ports. The right-hander struck out 10 and walked only one of the 17 batters he faced over five scoreless, one-hit innings of relief.

After joining the Giants organization ahead of the trade deadline, Johnson closed out the 2023 campaign by pitching to a 0.00 ERA and 3.40 FIP with 20 strikeouts to nine walks across 11 outings (18 1/3 innings) for San Jose in which he held opposing hitters to a .145 batting average against. He also converted his lone save opportunity, which came in a 14-1 win over Stockton on Friday.

A native of California himself, Johnson was selected by the Red Sox in the 11th round of last year’s draft out of Long Beach State. He signed with Boston for $122,500, but did not make his pro debut with Low-A Salem until this April. As a member of the Salem Red Sox, the 23-year-old righty posted a 6.55 ERA with 43 strikeouts to 24 walks over 28 appearances (34 1/3 innings) out of the bullpen.

While that ERA is far from eye-popping, Johnson produced a far more favorable 3.75 FIP with Salem. He had also been pitching much better in the weeks leading up to the trade, yielding just one earned run in his final seven appearances (9 2/3 innings) for Boston’s Carolina League affiliate. It appears as though those results carried over into the California League and Johnson now has some hardware to prove it.

Standing at 6-foot-2 and 210 pounds, Johnson throws from a three-quarters arm slot and operates with a three-pitch mix that consists of a 93-96 mph fastball that tops out at 98 mph and features high spin rates, an 83-85 mph slider, and an 86-88 mph changeup, per his SoxProspects.com scouting report.

Johnson, who does not turn 24 until next July, possesses intriguing potential if he can further refine his control and command of the strike zone. And while San Jose’s regular season is over, the Giants are slated to open a three-game playoff series on the road against the Modesto Nuts on Tuesday.

(Picture of Marques Johnson: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Rumored Red Sox target Roberto Pérez signs minor-league deal with Giants

Free agent catcher Roberto Perez has signed a minor-league contract with the Giants, the club announced Saturday. Perez will be at major-league spring training and will have the chance to earn $2.5 million with another $1.5 million available in incentives if he makes San Francisco’s active roster.

As was first reported by MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo, the Giants agreed to a deal with Perez last Sunday. The Red Sox made an aggressive bid for Perez, per Cotillo, and were even in consideration at the end, but the veteran backstop ultimately thought San Francisco represented a better fit.

Perez, a veteran of nine major-league seasons, was limited to just 21 games with the Pirates last year due to a right hamstring injury that ultimately required season-ending surgery in May. The right-handed hitter batted  .233/.333/.367 with two home runs and eight RBIs across 69 plate appearances before his one-year contract with Pittsburgh expired in November.

While offense has never been Perez’s strong suit, he is still regarded as one of the top defensive catchers in baseball. During an eight-year (2014-2021) run in Cleveland, the native Puerto Rican was named the Wilson Overall Defensive Player of the Year in 2019 and won back-to-back Gold Glove Awards in 2019 and 2020.

To counter a lackluster career OPS of .658, Perez Perez has thrown out 97 of 248 potential base stealers in his big-league career. The 5-foot-11, 220-pounder has accrued 79 Defensive Runs Saved in 4,052 1/3 innings behind the plate. He has also been among the game’s top pitch framers since Statcast first began tracking that data in 2015.

The Giants, at present, have just one catcher on their 40-man roster in Joey Bart. They also acquired versatile catching prospect Blake Sabol from the Reds in December’s Rule 5 Draft and have Austin Wynns slated to compete for a roster spot in spring training.

The Red Sox, meanwhile, have two catchers — Reese McGuire and Connor Wong — on their 40-man roster. They also have Caleb Hamilton and Ronaldo Hernandez, who were both outrighted earlier this winter, and minor-league signee Jorge Alfaro set to join them at big-league camp in Fort Myers later this month.

In all likelihood, Perez likely viewed his chances of making San Francisco’s Opening Day roster out of spring training more favorably, which is why he elected to sign a minors pact with the Giants over the Red Sox. Chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom addressed this very topic and the potential catching competition as a whole when speaking with Cotillo on The Fenway Rundown podcast last week.

“[Perez] saw a better opportunity out there and that’s OK,” Bloom said. “We’ve been talking about this all along. The two guys that finished the season for us in the big-leagues (McGuire and Wong), we really like. At the same time, we recognize that neither of them have carried this load at the major-league level before. They both have things to prove and experience they don’t have under their belts, so it made sense to add someone who’s decisively a frontline catcher or someone who can create competition in that mix.

“Alfaro’s really intriguing,” added Bloom. “Always has been in terms of what he brings to the table. Just having some of the loudest tools and the best physical ability. Somebody we feel we can help. [Jason Varitek] got pretty excited about the possibility of working with someone who has that kind of ability and creating some competition there.

“So, we’ll see how it goes,” he said. “Again, these other two guys have had a bit of a head start in working with our pitchers, working with our staff, and really understanding what we expect on a daily basis. And that means something. But, we wouldn’t have brought Alfaro in without wanting to see what he could do and seeing where this goes.”

(Picture of Roberto Perez: Justin Berl/Getty Images)

Red Sox sign former Giants prospect Norwith Gudino to minor-league deal

The Red Sox have signed free agent right-hander Norwith Gudino to a minor-league contract for the 2023 season, per the team’s transactions log. It is unclear if the deal includes an invite to major-league spring training, but Gudino has been assigned to Triple-A Worcester.

Gudino, 27, had spent the last eight years in the Giants organization after originally signing with San Francisco as an international free agent coming out of Venezuela in October 2014. The Puerto Cabello native pitched in the Dominican Summer League for three seasons before making his stateside debut in 2018.

After splitting the 2021 campaign between Double-A Richmond and Triple-A Sacramento, Gudino was set to return to Triple-A this spring. But he wound up missing the first seven week of the minor-league season due to an undisclosed injury. He was activated from the injured list in late May and proceeded to post an 8.87 ERA and 6.90 FIP to go along with 60 strikeouts to 31 walks in 26 appearances (six starts) spanning 47 2/3 innings pitched for the River Cats.

While those numbers may not seem all that encouraging, Gudino pitched far better in the month of September. The righty yielded five earned runs over 10 2/3 innings, but he held opponents to a .205 batting average against and only walked four of the 44 batters he faced during that stretch.

Listed at 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds, Gudino operates with a three-pitch mix that consists of a four-seam fastball, a slider, and a splitter. He has spent this off-season pitching for the Leones del Caracas of the Venezuelan Winter League and currently owns a 7.59 ERA with 11 punchouts to seven walks through eight relief outings and 10 2/3 innings of work.

Gudino, who just turned 27 in November, becomes the second significant minor-league signing the Red Sox have made this winter. Boston inked former Cubs outfielder Narciso Crook to a minors pact late last month.

(Picture of Norwith Gudino: Rob Tringali/MLB Photos via Getty Images)

Former Red Sox catcher Jhonny Pereda signs minor-league deal with Giants

Former Red Sox catcher Jhonny Pereda has signed a minor-league deal with the Giants, per MLB.com.

Pereda, 25, was originally acquired by the Sox last March as the player to be named later in the trade that sent right-hander Travis Lakins to the Cubs last January.

After getting released and re-upping with Boston on a two-year minors pact last July, Pereda spent the entirety of the compressed 2020 season at the club’s alternate training site in Pawtucket.

This past season, the Venezuelan backstop began the year with Double-A Portland before earning a midsummer promotion to Triple-A Worcester in late July.

Between the two affiliates, the right-handed hitting Pereda batted .246/.343/.325 with 14 doubles, one triple, 20 RBIs, 22 runs scored, one stolen base, 31 walks, and 27 strikeouts across 64 games (237 plate appearances) in 2021. He also threw out 13 of the 42 (31%) base runners who attempted to steal against him.

Originally signed by the Cubs as an international free agent in 2013, Pereda has spent the last two off-seasons playing for Leones del Caracas of the Venezuelan Winter League. After taking home Rookie of the Year honors last year, the 6-foot-1, 202 pounder came into play Saturday boasting a .793 OPS in 22 games (82 plate appearances) for Caracas.

While Pereda does have some intriguing qualities, such as the ability to play first base, the Red Sox must have felt comfortable letting him walk away in free agency considering how deep they are at catcher currently.

With Christian Vazquez and Kevin Plawecki in line to once again be Boston’s top two catchers entering 2022, the Sox also have catching prospects Connor Wong and Ronaldo Hernandez on their 40-man roster.

Behind those four, Kole Cottam, Elih Marrero, Jaxx Groshans, and 2021 fifth-round draft selection Nathan Hickey are among the other well-known catching prospects within the organization.

(Picture of Jhonny Pereda: Katie Morrison/MassLive)

Christian Arroyo approached Red Sox about playing left field, Alex Cora says

Over the course of his professional career, Red Sox infielder Christian Arroyo has only known three defensive positions: second base, third base, and shortstop.

Since making his major-league debut with the Giants in 2017, the 25-year-old has played decent enough defense at all three positions, especially at second.

Last year alone, Arroyo was worth positive-2 defensive runs saved and posted an ultimate zone rating (UZR) of 0.9 over 108 2/3 innings while patrolling second base for the Sox. That ultimate zone rating of 0.9 translates to 5.7 over 150 defensive games.

Despite being a surehanded second baseman, and infielder for that matter, the Florida native has surely seen what Boston has done over the course of the offseason in adding a number of versatile position players — like Marwin Gonzalez and Enrique Hernandez — and decided that he needs to add another dimension to his game as well.

That being the case because according to Red Sox manager Alex Cora, Arroyo approached the team at some point this spring to talk about playing some left field.

“We’re very comfortable with what he can do,” Cora said of Arroyo earlier Friday morning. “He can play second, he can play short, he can play third. The other day he went to [first base coach and outfield instructor Tom Goodwin] and he wanted to start working in left field, which is great.

“It’s something that he thought about,” added the Sox skipper. “I guess he looks around and sees Marwin and sees Enrique, and he’s like, ‘You know what? Maybe learning the outfield position can help me throughout my career.'”

On the other side of the ball, Cora, who has known Arroyo since he unsuccessfully recruited him to play for Team Puerto Rico in the 2017 World Baseball Classic, has been thoroughly impressed with what he’s seen from the former first-round pick at the plate thus far in Grapefruit League play.

Following Friday’s 11-7 victory over the Rays in which he went 0-for-2 in a pinch-hitting capacity, the right-handed hitter is now slashing .273/.314/.485 with a pair of home runs and four RBI over 35 plate appearances this spring.

“He’s a good at-bat,” Cora said. “So let’s see where it takes us. But so far, what I saw on TV, what I’ve seen in video, this is a much better version of Christian. He’s in better shape, he can move better now, and he can do some things that I thought he wasn’t able to do the last few years.”

Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom echoed this same sort of sentiment regarding Arroyo, who used to play for the Rays, when speaking with WEEI’s Will Flemming and Rob Bradford earlier this week.

“He looks, to me, better than at any point that we had him when I was with the Rays,” Bloom said of the young infielder on Wednesday. “Body-wise, he came in looking good. And I’ve seen him — whether it was last year or this spring — drive pitches that I didn’t see him drive in the past and just hit them harder.”

Because he is out of minor-league options, Arroyo will have to make the Sox’ Opening Day roster or he will otherwise have to be exposed to waivers if the club wants to send him to Triple-A.

With that in mind, Arroyo and fellow right-handed hitting infielder Michael Chavis are projected to occupy the final two spots on Boston’s bench to kick off the 2021 campaign.

The pair of 25-year-olds have been enjoyable to watch on the field and in the clubhouse at the Fenway South complex, per Cora.

“We’re very pleased with the way [Christian’s] swinging the bat. We’re very pleased with the way Michael is swinging the bat,” Cora said. “Being able to catch up with some pitches in the zone — being disciplined enough. So it’s fun to see them playing this way. It’s fun to see them in the clubhouse, in the drills, helping each other out, and that’s what it’s all about.”

(Picture of Christian Arroyo: Mark Brown/Getty Images)

Chaim Bloom explains what went into Red Sox acquiring Christian Arroyo last season

Christian Arroyo came into spring training this year looking to prove he deserved a spot on the Red Sox’ Opening Day roster.

The 25-year-old infielder was originally claimed off waivers by Boston from the Indians last August, and after finally making his team debut a month later, he showed flashes of his potential.

Over a limited 14-game sample, Arroyo posted a .240/.296/.446 slash line to go along with three home runs and eight RBI over 14 games and 54 plate appearances. He played second base and shortstop.

The Florida native made it through the offseason without losing his spot on Boston’s 40-man roster, but he came into the spring in a somewhat precarious position given the fact he is out of minor-league options.

In other words, Arroyo has to make the Red Sox’ Opening Day roster. Otherwise, he would have to be exposed to waivers if the club wanted to send him down to the minors.

With that proposition in mind, Arroyo has been one of Boston’s more impressive performers at the plate thus far in Grapefruit League play in southwest Florida.

Following a 1-for-2 showing in a pinch-hitting capacity on Wednesday, the right-handed hitter is slashing .290/.333/.516 with a pair of homers and four RBI through his first 33 plate appearances of the spring.

It wasn’t too long ago that Arroyo, formerly a first-round draft pick of the San Francisco Giants, was one of the top prospects in baseball. He was even included in the blockbuster trade that sent Evan Longoria from the Tampa Bay Rays to the Giants in December 2017.

Arroyo did not do much in his time in Tampa Bay, as he appeared in just 36 total games between 2018 and early 2019 on account of multiple stints on the injured list before being dealt to Cleveland in July 2019.

Despite not playing too much with the Rays, though, the young middle infielder still established a relationship with Chaim Bloom, then Tampa Bay’s senior vice president of baseball operations.

That relationship carried over to Bloom’s first season as Red Sox chief baseball officer last year, as was highlighted when Arroyo was claimed by the club.

Since then, the two have surely gotten to know each other even better, and Bloom’s been impressed with what he’s seen from Arroyo going back to September.

“He looks, to me, better than at any point that we had him when I was with the Rays,” Bloom told WEEI’s Will Flemming and Rob Bradford earlier Wednesday. “Body-wise, he came in looking good. And I’ve seen him — whether it was last year or this spring — drive pitches that I didn’t see him drive in the past and just hit them harder.”

Despite the obvious connection he was with Arroyo from their time in Tampa Bay, Bloom was quick to not take all the credit when it came to acquiring the Hernando High School product in the first place.

“This is one where I think because of the connection and with the past, to the extent that it works I’ll be getting a lot of credit,” Bloom said. “But I would want to credit a lot of our crew in the front office for when this guy became available. Identifying him, doing work to see what was under the hood, and seeing some bat potential in there that he hadn’t realized.

“It was tough for him because he couldn’t stay healthy — either at the major-league level or Triple-A — for a couple of years,” he added. “So you’re kind of piecing together different samples, trying to look under the hood, figuring is there still some life to his player, who has a very good prospect pedigree. And we all felt strongly that it was worth taking the chance.”

—

With Danny Santana being sidelined while recovering from a right foot infection and Yairo Munoz being reassigned to minor-league camp on Wednesday, Arroyo would seem to have the edge on obtaining one of the final spots on the Sox’ 26-man Opening Day roster.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora has already made it clear that the club is planning to roll with 14 pitchers and 12 position players to kick off the 2021 campaign, so it should be interesting to see how Arroyo plays into that equation in the coming weeks.

(Picture of Christian Arroyo: Mark Brown/Getty Images)

Red Sox Claim Former Top Prospect Christian Arroyo off Waivers From Indians

The Red Sox have claimed infielder Christian Arroyo off waivers from the Cleveland Indians, the club announced Thursday afternoon.

Arroyo, 25, has been added to the club’s 60-man player pool and must be added to the active roster seeing how he is out of minor-league options.

A former first-round pick of the Giants back in 2013, Arroyo was most recently with the Indians up until last week, when he was designated for assignment on August 6.

Through his first 71 games in the majors dating back to 2017, Arroyo hasn’t exactly lived up to his former top-prospect status. He posted a .548 OPS over 135 plate appearances in his rookie year with San Francisco before getting dealt to the Rays that December. As a matter of fact, the Florida native was part of the trade that saw three-time All-Star Evan Longoria head out west.

Given the fact he spent 1 1/2 years within the Rays’ organization, Arroyo likely formed some type of relationship with then-Rays executive vice president, now-Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom, hence the move being made by Boston to claim him on Thursday.

In those 1 1/2 seasons with the Rays, Arroyo slashed a collective .243/.322/.388 with three home runs and 13 RBI over 36 games total games prior to getting traded to Cleveland last July.

Arroyo missed a significant amount of time in 2019 due to right forearm tendinitis and was only able to appear in one game as a defensive replacement with Cleveland this season.

Speaking of his defense, Arroyo is capable of playing all around the infield, so he comes with plenty of versatility, which is always a plus.

With the addition of Arroyo, the Red Sox’ 60-man player pool is now at full capacity.