Red Sox trade Silvino Bracho to Braves for cash considerations

The Red Sox have traded reliever Silvino Bracho to the Braves in exchange for cash considerations, the club announced Thursday night.

Bracho had just been designated for assignment after spending the last two days on Boston’s big-league roster. The right-hander was initially called up on Tuesday in place of Connor Seabold to provide the Sox with an extra reliever for the remainder of their series against the Blue Jays in Toronto.

He did not get into a game, however, and lost his spot on both the 26- and 40-man roster on Thursday when the Red Sox activated fellow righty Tanner Houck — who cannot travel to Canada on account of his unvaccinated status — from the restricted list ahead of their weekend series with the Cubs in Chicago.

The 29-year-old originally signed a minor-league deal with the Red Sox back in March and began the 2022 season with Triple-A Worcester. He posted a 3.16 ERA and 2.58 FIP with 36 strikeouts to four walks over 18 appearances (1 start) spanning 31 1/3 innings of work for the WooSox before having his contract selected on Tuesday.

Bracho, who turns 30 in less than three weeks, now joins a new organization after only spending a few hours in DFA limbo. The native Venezuelan first signed with the Diamondbacks as an international free agent in August 2011 and broke in with Arizona four years later.

In his first four seasons with the D-backs, Bracho posted a 4.67 ERA across 91 relief appearances. He underwent Tommy John surgery in March 2019 and was limited to just one outing during the COVID-shortened 2020 campaign.

Since he spent all of 2021 with the Giants’ Triple-A affiliate, Bracho has just one big-league appearance under his belt in the last three years. Because he is out of minor-league options, Bracho will have to stick with the Braves or will otherwise risk being designated for assignment again.

(Picture of Silvino Bracho: Brace Hemmelgarn/Getty Images)

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Red Sox reinstate Tanner Houck and Jarren Duran from restricted list, designate Silvino Bracho for assignment

The Red Sox have reinstated right-hander Tanner Houck and outfielder Jarren Duran from the restricted list, the team announced Thursday afternoon. In order to make room for Houck and Duran on the 26- and 40-man rosters, infielder Yolmer Sanchez was returned to Triple-A Worcester while reliever Silvino Bracho was designated for assignment.

Houck and Duran were unable to travel with the Red Sox to Toronto for their series against the Blue Jays since they are both not vaccinated against COVID-19. They instead spent the last three days working out at Fenway Park before re-joining the team in Chicago for their upcoming bout with the Cubs.

Because of their unvaccinated status, Houck and Duran were placed on the restricted list on Monday and did not receive any pay or service time while they were on it. In their place, Sanchez and righty Connor Seabold were called up from Worcester.

Sanchez got the start at second base on Wednesday and went 0-for-1 with a sacrifice bunt and walk before being pinch-hit for by Bobby Dalbec in the ninth inning of a 6-5 win.

Seabold made his second career start in Monday’s series opener at Rogers Centre, allowing seven runs on nine hits, one walk, and seven strikeouts over 4 2/3 innings of work. The 26-year-old was optioned back down to the minors that night, but remains with the big-league club as a member of their taxi squad and is likely to start against the Cubs on Sunday.

In Seabold’s place, Bracho — who had been on Boston’s taxi squad — was activated on Tuesday to provide the Sox with an extra bullpen arm for their final two games against the Jays. The 29-year-old did not make an appearance despite spending two days on the major-league roster, however, and has now lost his spot on the 40-man.

Unlike Sanchez, who as a COVID-related substitute for Duran was able to be taken off the 40-man roster and returned to Worcester without being exposed to waivers, Bracho was expectedly designated for assignment since he was not directly filling in for a player on the restricted list.

By designating Bracho, the Red Sox created the opening they needed to add Houck back to both the 26-man and 40-man rosters. Boston will now have the next seven days to either trade, release, or waive Bracho, who has posted a 3.16 ERA and 2.58 FIP with 36 strikeouts to four walks in 18 appearances (1 start) spanning 31 1/3 innings of work for the WooSox this season.

That being said, the native Venezuelan has the ability to reject an outright assignment to Worcester if he goes unclaimed since he has accrued more than three years of big-league service time.

All told, the Red Sox’ big-league and 40-man roster is at full capacity heading into this weekend’s series against the Cubs at Wrigley Field.

(Picture of Tanner Houck: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox activate Silvino Bracho from taxi squad, option Connor Seabold to Triple-A Worcester

Before taking on the Blue Jays in Toronto on Tuesday night, the Red Sox selected the contract of right-handed reliever Silvino Bracho from Triple-A Worcester. In a corresponding move, fellow right-hander Connor Seabold was optioned to Worcester following Monday’s game.

Bracho will provide the Sox with a fresh bullpen arm for the final two games of their series against the Jays at Rogers Centre. The 29-year-old had been traveling with the club as a member of their taxi squad.

Originally signed to a minor-league contract back in March, Bracho has posted a 3.16 ERA and 2.58 FIP with 36 strikeouts to four walks in 18 appearances (1 start) spanning 31 1/3 innings of work for the WooSox this season. The native Venezuelan spent the first five years (2015-2018, 2020) of his big-league career with the Diamondbacks and pitched to a 4.82 ERA (4.86 FIP) over 89 2/3 innings of relief. He works with a changeup, four-seam fastball, slider, and a seldom-used sinker.

The Red Sox did not need to create room on their 40-man roster for Bracho since Tanner Houck and Jarren Duran are on the restricted list due to their unvaccinated status. They will, however, need to expose Bracho to waivers if they intend on removing him from the 40-man roster at the conclusion of this series.

Seabold, meanwhile, made the second start of his big-league career in place of the injured Garrett Whitlock on Monday. The 26-year-old allowed seven earned runs on nine hits, one walk, one hit batsman, and seven strikeouts over 4 2/3 innings in Boston’s 7-2 loss to Toronto.

Currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 22 prospect in the Sox’ farm system, Seabold owns a 2.09 ERA with 51 strikeouts to 14 walks in 11 starts (51 2/3 innings pitched) for the WooSox this season.

(Picture of Silvino Bracho: Brace Hemmelgarn/Getty Images)

Silvino Bracho with Red Sox as member of team’s taxi squad

Silvino Bracho has joined the Red Sox on their taxi squad in Toronto. There is a chance the right-handed reliever could be activated for the final two games of Boston’s series against the Blue Jays if Connor Seabold is optioned to Triple-A Worcester following Monday’s game at Rogers Centre.

The Sox originally signed Bracho to a minor-league contract back in March after the 29-year-old spent the entirety of the 2021 campaign in the Giants organization.

In 18 appearances (1 start) with the WooSox this season, Bracho has posted a 3.16 ERA and 2.58 FIP with 36 strikeouts to four walks over 31 1/3 innings of work.

Bracho, who turns 30 next month, broke in with the Diamondbacks in 2015 after signing with Arizona as an international free-agent out of Venezuela in 2011. The Maracaibo native pitched to a 4.67 ERA in his first four big-league seasons before undergoing Tommy John surgery in March 2019.

After making just one appearance for the D-backs in 2020, Bracho became a free-agent and pitched exclusively at the Triple-A level in 2021 while with the Giants.

That being said, it has now been nearly two full years since Bracho appeared in a major-league game. Per Baseball Savant, the 5-foot-10, 190-pound righty works with a three-pitch mix that consists of a changeup, four-seam fastball, and slider. He has also used a sinker in the past.

If Bracho is indeed activated and gets into a game against the Jays this week, he would become the 19th different pitcher the Red Sox have used this season. At the conclusion of this series, however, Boston would have to designate Bracho for assignment — and thus expose him to waivers — if it wanted to remove him from the 26-man roster since he is out of minor-league options.

(Picture of Silvino Bracho: Brace Hemmelgarn/Getty Images)

Red Sox sign right-handers Silvino Bracho, Darin Gillies to minor-league deals for 2022 season

The Red Sox have signed right-handers Silvino Bracho and Darin Gillies to minor-league contracts for the 2022 season, the club announced on Sunday. The deals also include invites to major-league spring training.

Bracho, 29, is a veteran of five big-league seasons (2015-2018, 2020) with the Diamondbacks. He missed all of the 2019 campaign after undergoing Tommy John surgery that March and made just one appearance for Arizona in 2020 due to a bout with COVID-19 pandemic.

The Giants inked Bracho to a minors pact in December 2020 and he spent the entirety of the 2021 season with the club’s Triple-A affiliate in Sacramento, posting a 4.14 ERA and 5.19 FIP to go along with 65 strikeouts to 19 walks over 49 relief appearances spanning 50 innings of work.

A native of Venezuela, Bracho returned to his home country this off-season to pitch for Aguilas del Zulia of the Venezuelan Winter League. The veteran righty yielded just a 1.99 ERA in 19 outings (22 2/3 innings) for Zulia before representing Venezuela in the Caribbean Series.

Listed at 5-foot-10 and 190 pounds, Bracho operates with a four-pitch mix that consists of a four-seam fastball, changeup, slider, and sinker, per Baseball Savant. He is out of minor-league options but should provide the Red Sox with intriguing and experienced bullpen depth at Triple-A Worcester.

Gillies, on the other hand, is another 29-year-old right-hander who was originally selected by the Mariners in the 10th round of the 2015 amateur draft out of the esteemed Arizona State University.

This past season, Gillies spent the first half of the year with Seattle’s Double-A affiliate in Arkansas before being promoted to Triple-A Tacoma in late July. With the Rainiers, he posted a 3.74 ERA and 5.09 FIP with 22 strikeouts to nine walks over 18 appearances (one start) and 21 2/3 innings pitched.

A native of California, Gillies became a minor-league free agent at the conclusion of the 2021 campaign after spending the first seven years of his professional career with the Mariners organization. The 6-foot-4, 220 pounder has yet to make his major-league debut, but he does throw up to 96-97 mph.

In addition to Bracho and Gillies, the Red Sox also announced that they had signed fellow righty Tyler Danish to a minor-league contract for the 2022 season. With these three officially on board, Boston has now invited 11 players to major-league camp as non-roster invitees.

They join the likes of pitchers Taylor Cole, Michael Feliz, and Zack Kelly, catcher Roldani Baldwin, infielders Roberto Ramos and Yolmer Sanchez, and outfielders Rob Refsnyder and Christin Stewart.

(Picture of Silvino Bracho: Christian Petersen/Getty Images)