The Red Sox announced Tuesday that they’ve claimed right-hander Kyle Tyler off waivers from the Angels and, in a corresponding move, designated outfielder infielder Hudson Potts for assignment.
Tyler, 25, was the Halos’ 20th-round draft selection back in 2018 and made his big league debut in 2021 when he tossed 12 1/3 innings out of the bullpen. The Oklahoma product held opponents to four runs (2.92 ERA) on eight hits and six walks with six strikeouts. Tyler’s strikeout/walk rates in the big leagues obviously weren’t much to write home about, and he sat at just 91.1 mph with his fastball during that limited time.
That said, Tyler also enjoyed a solid season in the minors, logging a 3.66 ERA with a 25.3% strikeout rate and 6.8% walk rate in 86 frames between Double-A and Triple-A — mostly working as a starting pitcher. The right-hander has all three minor league option years remaining, so he gives the Sox some additional pitching depth at a time when big names like Chris Sale and James Paxton are on the injured list.
Potts, 23, is a former first-round pick and well-regarded prospect whose development simply hasn’t progressed as hoped. Selected by the Padres with the No. 24 overall pick in 2016 and traded to Boston in 2020’s Mitch Moreland swap, Potts spent the 2021 season with Boston’s Double-A affiliate. It was his second stint at the Double-A level, but Potts still managed only a .217/.264/.399 batting line with a sky-high 32.8% strikeout rate.
Potts has previously drawn praise for his substantial raw power, but he hasn’t made contact enough to take advantage of that pop since a solid 2018 showing in A-ball. The Red Sox will have a week to trade Potts or place him on outright waivers, at which point any of the other 29 clubs could place a claim.
Potts has been a DFA waiting to happen. When Trevor Story is added to the 40-man roster, Rosario will probably be DFAed next. So much for the prospects the Red Sox received from SD for Mitch Moreland.
seems like a good get
No one else took a shot at this guy before us? FG has the guy as a 35+ FV, but his stats at A, A+, and AA look good. Two decent offerings make him seem like a decent BP prospect.
35+ seems about right for a relief-only prospect with a 91 mph fastball
He does have some starting experience/success in the minor leagues. It should be noted that he was pitching in the PCL this season for AAA, and had excellent peripheral numbers. Any guy who tops out at 96 (according to Fangraphs prospect report) and offers very good control is a good guy to have on your team whether he’s used as an up-and-down relief arm, or if he reaches his full potential. I’d put his best-case scenario as a Zach Davies type pitcher. Either way, he’s not a bad grab for the Sox.
this sucks. We need pitching depth and put Kyle Tyler on waivers.
Jimmy Herget would’ve been been the pitcher to waive. Or one of the million utility infielders.
Jack Mayfield has compromising photos of every AL West GM.
Agreed. Tyler (or even Packy) over Herget any day.
Losing intriguing arms due to too many utility infielders.
Herget and Tyler are a flip of the coin for me, but I have no issue designating a 25 year old, 20th round draft pick with a 91 MPH heater.
The Angels drafted 20 pitchers last year. They signed Thor, Loup, Bradley and Tepera this off-season. Low ceiling depth pieces are going to be designated. This is what all Angels fans have wanted…
There is some solid truth to that. We might finally have enough arms to lose a few.
Davis Daniel has more potential than either guy we’ve lost.
I was just checking out 40 man rosters of GMs that I respect – Friedman, Zaidhi, Neander, AA, etc – and noted that the number of Angels pitchers are in line with other teams.
Including Canning and Rodriguez, who are on the IL-60, the Angels have 24 pitchers on the 40 man roster. Where they are a little light compared to other teams is in the OF where they only have five guys.
In my opinion, there is still some low hanging fruit should the Angels pursue another arm or add someone to the 40 man roster due to a strong spring.
It’s such a shame that Potts wasn’t able to make the jump that some scouts were projecting he would. While he’s still only 23, he looks lost at the plate including in his Spring Training at bats so far this season. Hopefully Boston will be able to find a team willing to take a chance on him and craft a small deal for another lottery ticket, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he clears waivers.
I was shocked at the time when they got Potts & Rosario for Moreland. It seemed like an overpay but SD, but now it looks like SD knew what they were doing after all. Rosario’s development has stalled too so I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s the next prospect to fall off their 40 man roster.
I thought SD rushed him, even though it might’ve made no difference. He had a 140/23 K/W in A-ball, and still promoted him to A+. A 6/1 K/W should never be promoted. If he can’t get that down to 2/1 in A-ball, they’ll torch him in the higher levels.
How is Moreland doing in San Diego now?
I have a family friend who knows Hudson Potts quite well. By all accounts, he is a great guy and a hard worker. Really hope he can figure it out with another team.
Me too, HBan. I hope he finds success wherever he lands. Boston gave him a shot to improve but he couldn’t take advantage of it. Seems like he needs to find the right hitting coach who can not only fix the holes in his swing but completely change his approach at the plate. He has the talent to be successful; he just needs someone to help him put it all together. At least he was able to earn a first round signing bonus so if he ends up walking away from baseball, he probably ‘earned’ a little over $2M in professional baseball by age 23. Not a bad start to his professional career, whatever that ends up being in the long run.
It’s hard to imagine Potts going anywhere outside of the Sox minors because any claiming team has to put him on the 40-man, just like the Sox did when they acquired him. Is it possible the Sox would just release him after the week if no interest is shown? He’s at a level where Koss, Cannon, Sogard, Howlett, and David Hamilton are bunching up for the left side IF plus 2B. Yorke’s promotion later on pushes more of that group leftward. By the way, Potts’s signing amount was $1MM exactly.
He’s amazingly inconsistent