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Triston Casas Hoping To Return In Early July

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The Red Sox got some good news regarding the status of first baseman Triston Casas yesterday. As he told Julian McWilliams of the Boston Globe, Casas has begun taking dry swings as he works his way back from torn cartilage in his midsection. Casas indicated that if he continues feeling good after a few days of dry swings, he’ll begin making contact with a ball. McWilliams added that Casas hopes to be back in the Red Sox lineup in time for a series against the Marlins that begins on July 2.

If Casas is truly just two weeks away from a return to the majors, that would be a huge relief for a Red Sox lineup that has sorely missed his presence. While the club’s overall production since he last played on April 20 is still strong, with a 107 wRC+ that ranks eighth in the majors over that time, their wRC+ at first base has sat at just 98, below average overall and well below the production of an average first baseman. Of course, Casas is a great deal better than the average first baseman; the 24-year-old’s 160 wRC+ since the All Star break last year is the 11th-best figure in the majors over that timeframe and second only to Freddie Freeman among first basemen.

As noted by McWilliams, it’s far from guaranteed that Casas will be able to reach his target date for a return, even as he’s begun swinging a bat and running the bases. McWilliams relays that manager Alex Cora was more cautious in his comments regarding Casas’s timeline, noting that while “hopefully” Casas is back during the Miami series, the club also intends to be “smart” regarding his rehab and not rush him back before he’s ready. In the meantime, the Red Sox figure to rely on a combination of Dominic Smith and Bobby Dalbec at first base.

Red Sox Release Garrett Cooper

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The Red Sox have released first baseman Garrett Cooper, per Chris Cotillo of MassLive on X. That indicates he cleared waivers after being designated for assignment earlier this week. He’s now free to sign with any club.

Cooper, now 33, has had some strong results in the past but this hasn’t been his year. He came into the campaign with a career batting line of .268/.337/.435, production that translates to a wRC+ of 110. But he slumped a bit in 2023, as his .251/.304/.419 slash was a bit below his previous work and led to a subpar 96 wRC+.

It was an unfortunate time for a dip, as he was entering free agency for the first time and had to settle for a minor league deal with the Cubs. He cracked that club’s Opening Day roster and hit a solid .270/.341/.432, but with a .391 batting average on balls in play. Since he was striking out 31.7% of the time, it seems the Cubs figured his batted ball luck wouldn’t continue and they decided to quit while they were ahead, designating him for assignment.

The Red Sox were playing without first baseman Triston Casas and decided to take a chance on Cooper, sending cash to the Cubs to bring him aboard. Then designated hitter Masataka Yoshida also got hurt, prompting the Sox to add Dominic Smith as well.

But Cooper’s luck faded after joining Boston, as he had a .250 BABIP and a line of .171/.227/.229. Smith hasn’t been amazing but his .222/.333/.324 line is obviously far less bleak than what Cooper managed to produce. Cooper has played the outfield corners a little bit in his career but is mostly a first baseman. He’s considered a decent glove at first but obviously needs to hit more than that.

Cooper has now been set free by the Sox and can look for his next opportunity. The results have clearly been poor this year but he’s sure to be able to find a minor league deal somewhere based on his previous track record. It’s been a rough day for struggling first base/designated hitter types. In addition to Cooper, the Astros released José Abreu, the Rays released Harold Ramírez and the Blue Jays designated Daniel Vogelbach for assignment.

White Sox Return Rule 5 Pick Shane Drohan To Red Sox

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The White Sox have returned Rule 5 pick Shane Drohan to the Red Sox, with Chris Cotillo of MassLive among those to relay the news on X. Drohan won’t need to take up a spot on Boston’s 40-man roster.

Drohan, 25, was selected by the White Sox with the fourth pick in last year’s Rule 5 draft. Unfortunately, he underwent shoulder surgery in February and had to begin the season on the injured list. He started a rehab assignment about a month ago but struggled to get into good form, allowing nine earned runs in 9 1/3 innings. He struck out 15 opponents but gave out eight walks.

As a Rule 5 pick with his 30-day rehab window closing, Drohan needed to be added to the active roster but Chicago wasn’t willing to do that. The designated him for assignment last week and any club could have claimed him off waivers, but doing so would have meant taking on the same Rule 5 restrictions. Since they all apparently passed, the Red Sox are able to reacquire Drohan as non-roster depth.

He’ll now look to continue his development in the Red Sox’ system. Through May 10 of 2023, he had thrown 252 1/3 innings in the minors in 56 games, including 54 official starts. He had allowed 3.57 earned runs per nine frames in that time with a 26.3% strikeout rate and 9.9% walk rate.

Since then, things have been a bit shakier. He was promoted to Triple-A at that point but had a 6.47 ERA in 89 innings at that level, walking 14.9% of batters faced. The White Sox had him working relief outings on his recent rehab but it’s possible the Red Sox will stretch him back out now.

Red Sox Designate Garrett Cooper For Assignment

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The Red Sox announced that outfielder/designated hitter Masataka Yoshida has been reinstated from the injured list, with first baseman Garrett Cooper designated for assignment in a corresponding move. Chris Cotillo of MassLive was among those to relay the moves on X.

The Sox have been scrambling to fill their first base and designated hitter mix since late April, as both Yoshida and Triston Casas landed on the injured list around the same time. They acquired Cooper from the Cubs in a cash deal and also signed Dominic Smith.

Neither Smith nor Cooper have played especially well, but Cooper’s results were far worse. Smith has two home runs and has drawn a walk in 11.7% of his plate appearances, leading to a .221/.325/.327 batting line and 88 wRC+.

Cooper, meanwhile, was hitting .270/.341/.432 for the Cubs before the deal but produced a bleak line of .171/.227/.229 since coming to Boston. Now that Yoshida is back, Smith gets to stay while Cooper has understandably been nudged off the roster by that poor performance.

The Sox will now have a week to trade Cooper or pass him through waivers. Given his poor results, the interest is likely to be tepid. He’s played a bit of corner outfield but is primarily a first baseman, where the offensive expectations are generally higher than up-the-middle spots.

Cooper at least has some decent results in his past that could help him generate interest. He hit .274/.350/.444 for the Marlins over the 2019 to 2022 seasons, with that performance translating to a 117 wRC+. Staying in the lineup was an issue, as various injuries limited him to 331 games over that span of three full seasons and the shortened 2020 campaign.

He then slumped a bit in 2023, despite a career high 17 home runs, as he struck out in 28.9% of his plate appearances and slashed .251/.304/.419 for a 96 wRC+. He had to settle for a minor league deal with the Cubs and got onto their major league roster. As mentioned, he performed pretty well, but in a small sample of 12 games. Though his decent batting line with the Cubs was buoyed by a .391 batting average on balls in play and also masked a 31.7% strikeout rate. The Cubs decided to move on in a move that was somewhat surprising at the time but seems wise in retrospect, given how far Cooper’s results have fallen in the interim.

Red Sox Notes: Devers, O’Neill, Yoshida

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Red Sox third baseman Rafael Devers exited the club’s loss to the White Sox earlier today due to left knee soreness, though manager Alex Cora told reporters (including Tom Caron of NESN) following the game that the club is hopeful that the issue isn’t more serious than that. Caron also relayed comments from Devers himself about the issue. The 27-year-old noted that he would not be in the lineup for tomorrow’s series finale against Chicago but that he hoped to be back in the lineup for the start of the club’s series against the Phillies in Boston on Tuesday.

The news is yet another blow to a club that has dealt with injury woes up and down the lineup all season. Devers has generally been the one consistent offensive presence that the Red Sox have been able to rely on this year. Only Ceddanne Rafaela and Jarren Duran have appeared in more games for Boston than Devers this season, and the star third baseman has dominated to the tune of a .286/.376/.563 slash line. That’s good for a 155 wRC+, the seventh highest figure in the AL and fourth among all MLB infielders.

While the Red Sox appear to be optimistic that they’ll only be without that production for a game or two, it’s worth noting that this isn’t the first time Devers’s knee has given him trouble this season. Cora told reporters (including those at the Associated Press) back in April that Devers had undergone an MRI on his left knee and was dealing with a bone bruise. The issue did not require a trip to the injured list but did force Devers to miss five games back in April, and if the injury proves to have worsened it wouldn’t be a shock to see Devers wind up on the IL now that it has flared up again.

With Devers now day-to-day, he finds himself in a similar position as outfielder Tyler O’Neill. O’Neill wasn’t in today’s lineup as he nurses an injured right knee that has caused him to play just three games since May 25. He was briefly placed on the 10-day injured list late last month but was activated early this week only to tweak his knee during yesterday’s loss to the White Sox. Fortunately, the AP notes that Cora told reporters today that the club hopes to avoid sending O’Neill back to the injured list due to the issue and, much like Devers, the hope is he can return to the club’s lineup on Tuesday against Philadelphia.

While O’Neill hasn’t been the offensive juggernaut that Devers has proven to be this season, he’s nonetheless been a key part of the Red Sox offense since arriving in a trade with the Cardinals over the winter. In 44 games with the club this year, the outfielder has slashed .250/.354/.500 with a 133 wRC+ and 11 homers in just 181 trips to the plate. That power production from the right side has been particularly valuable for the Red Sox as they’ve otherwise relied on lefty hitters such as Devers and Wilyer Abreu for their power production this season.

It’s unclear who would replace Devers in the lineup if he were to require a trip to the injured list, as injuries to Vaughn Grissom, Triston Casas, and Trevor Story have severely limited the club’s options around the infield. With David Hamilton handling shortstop duties and Jamie Westbrook splitting time alongside Enmanuel Valdez at the keystone, the club could be left to turn to Bobby Dalbec at the hot corner in the event of an injury to Devers, though they could also utilize Westbrook at third base and move catcher Connor Wong to second as they did to end the game this evening.

Figuring out how the club could handle the loss of O’Neill isn’t nearly as tricky, as the Worcester Red Sox announced this afternoon that outfielder and DH Masataka Yoshida has begun a rehab assignment with them. According to MLB.com’s Injury Tracker, the club hopes that Yoshida will be able to rejoin the Red Sox at some point during this coming week. In the event that O’Neill were to require a return to the injured list, Yoshida could seamlessly replace O’Neill in the club’s outfield/DH mix, taking back his role as the regular DH while Duran, Rafaela, and Rob Refsnyder handle the outfield.

Signed out of Japan to a five-year deal prior to the 2023 season, Yoshida has slashed .287/.339/.438 with a 109 wRC+ since his major league career began but appeared in just 24 games before being shelved due to a thumb sprain at the end of April. The 30-year-old seemed to be heating up in his final 48 trips to the plate before hitting the shelf as he slashed a solid .318/.375/.477 across 13 games. If he were to maintain a slash line in that range upon his return to action, that would surely provide the Red Sox with a major boost as they look to rebound from a skid that has left them with a 32-33 record and 1.5 games out of the final AL Wild Card spot.

Red Sox Place Wilyer Abreu, Chris Martin On Injured List

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June 5: The Red Sox announced this morning that Martin has now been placed on the 15-day IL due to anxiety. Kelly has indeed been recalled from Triple-A Worcester.

Martin, 38, has pitched 21 1/3 innings for Boston this season and logged a 4.22 ERA with a 28.2% strikeout rate against an exceptional 2.4% walk rate. He allowed three runs and two of the four homers he’s surrendered all season during his last appearance on May 30. His IL placement is retroactive to June 2, although given the nature of his absence, there’s no way of telling how long he might be away from the team. For now, Martin will understandably take some time to focus on his mental health.

Kelly, 29, will rejoin the Sox after previously posting a 2.16 ERA over 11 appearances (16 2/3 innings) earlier in the season. He’s also fired 10 2/3 scoreless innings in Worcester. Despite those pristine earned run averages, Kelly has battled significant command troubles. He’s walked 20% of his Triple-A opponents this season and 13.9% of his big league opponents. He’ll need to cut down on the free passes if he’s to continue finding this level of success.

June 4, 6:05pm: Per Ian Browne of MLB.com on X, the Sox didn’t make a roster move with the pitchers prior to the game, so Martin is still on the roster while Kelly is not.

3:10pm: The Red Sox announced that they have placed outfielder Wilyer Abreu on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to June 3, due to a right ankle sprain. Catcher Tyler Heineman has been recalled in a corresponding move. Manager Álex Cora announced the Abreu news prior to the official announcement on WEEI’s Jones and Mego, with Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic among those to relay the news on X. Chris Cotillo of MassLive previously reported the Heineman recall on X.

Cora also said, per McCaffrey on X, that outfielder Tyler O’Neill is going to start a rehab assignment with Worcester tonight. The plan is for him to play just one rehab game and then be reinstated tomorrow, though there’s a possibility he stays with Worcester for a second contest. That makes it possible that Heineman’s stay on the active roster will be brief.

Right-hander Zack Kelly is also coming up, per tweets from Cotillo as well as Tommy Cassell of Worcester T&G Sports, though that has not been announced by the club. Right-hander Chris Martin will be placed on the 15-day IL in a corresponding move, per Cotillo on X. The club hasn’t announced a reason for Martin’s IL stint but he has been battling soreness in his non-throwing shoulder this year.

Abreu’s injury is unfortunate for the Sox in many ways, one of which is how his injury came about. The outfielder appeared to hurt himself via a misstep walking down the dugout steps, with video relayed on X by Tyler Milliken, associate producer of Zolak & Bertrand on 98.5 The Sports Hub.

That frustrating injury will rob the Sox of a player who has emerged as a key piece of the club. Since his debut last year, he has taken 274 plate appearances for the Sox. His 26.3% strikeout rate in that time is a bit on the high side but he’s also walked at a 10.2% rate and hit eight home runs. His .286/.358/.482 batting line translates to a wRC+ of 131. He’s also stolen 10 bases and received strong grades for his outfield defense.

He is hoping for a short stint on the IL, per Alex Speier of The Boston Globe on X, saying that an MRI revealed nothing but a lot of inflammation and swelling. But it will nonetheless compound an injury problem that has beset the Boston position player group. Abreu joins O’Neill, Trevor Story, Triston Casas, Vaughn Grissom, Romy González and Masataka Yoshida on the IL. With all of those injuries, Heineman was the only healthy position player not already on the roster.

For today, Jarren Duran, Rob Refsnyder and Bobby Dalbec are in the starting outfield while Ceddanne Rafaela has moved to shortstop. O’Neill will rejoin the outfield rotation in the coming days, as mentioned.

Red Sox Select Jamie Westbrook

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10:38am: Cora told reporters (including MassLive’s Christopher Smith) this morning that Gonzalez’s trip to the shelf figures to be close to the ten day minimum. While the injury doesn’t appear to be a particularly serious one, Cora noted that he was likely to need “a few days” and that the club was likely to need the roster spot in the wake of Grissom’s injury.

9:09am: The Red Sox announced a series of roster moves today, including their expected placement of second baseman Vaughn Grissom on the 10-day injured list with a right hamstring strain. Joining Grissom on the 10-day IL is utility infielder Romy Gonzalez, who was shelved with a left hamstring strain. Grissom and Gonzalez will be replaced on the club’s active roster by infielder Bobby Dalbec and utility man Jamie Westbrook. Making room for Westbrook on the club’s 40-man roster is Garrett Whitlock, who was transferred to the 60-day IL.

With Grissom and Gonzalez both joining Triston Casas on the injured list, the infield mix in Boston has been almost completely overhauled. Dominic Smith and Garrett Cooper figure to continue holding down first base in the absence of Casas, while superstar third baseman Rafael Devers will remain in his regular role at the hot corner with the club. Up the middle, the Red Sox now have Westbrook as a backup option at both shortstop and second base, where David Hamilton and Enmanuel Valdez figure to be the club’s primary options, respectively. Dalbec has primarily been a corner infielder throughout his career but has made brief cameos at the big league level at both second base and shortstop, making him a possible emergency backup option for the Red Sox.

That makeshift infield mix has produced mixed results so far this season. Smith and Cooper have both struggled to hit much at first base, with Smith’s .202/.287/.286 slash line slightly beating out Cooper’s .182/.250/.255. Dalbec appears unlikely to help bolster that first base mix very much after he hit just .132/.207/.170 in a 22-game stint in Boston earlier this year, though his .860 OPS in 115 trips to the plate at the Triple-A level since then could provide some reason for optimism about his ability to contribute.

Things have looked a bit better for the Red Sox up the middle, where Hamilton has shown himself to be an able replacement for Trevor Story in 34 games as the club’s fill-in shortstop. In 102 trips to the plate this season, Hamilton has slashed an above-average .269/.333/.398 while playing passable defense at shortstop. Unfortunately, Valdez has struggled to hit to this point in the season at the keystone, slashing just .179/.206/.358 in 31 games with the club.

That could create a path to semi-regular playing time for Westbrook while Grissom is on the shelf, as the Massachusetts native owns a career .281/.375/.457 slash line at the Triple-A level including a .267/.364/.436 in 198 plate appearances this year. If the minor league journeyman, who will celebrate his 29th birthday later this month, can hit anything close to that in his first taste of big league action, he should have the opportunity to establish himself as a firm piece of the club’s infield mix going forward.

As for Whitlock, the right-hander’s placement on the injured list is hardly a surprise after he underwent an internal brace procedure on his right elbow that ended his season last week. Grissom and Gonzalez both figure to be back in action at some point, though specific timetables for return are not known. Grissom’s hamstring strain was described as “mild” by manager Alex Cora last night, and little is known regarding Gonzalez’s injury beyond the diagnosis provided by the Red Sox alongside his placement on the shelf.

Red Sox To Place Vaughn Grissom On 10-Day Injured List

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Red Sox manager Alex Cora told reporters, including Ian Browne of MLB.com, following today’s win over the Tigers that second baseman Vaughn Grissom will need to be placed on the 10-day injured list due to what he termed a “mild” hamstring strain. Grissom exited the game after pulling up while running out a groundout earlier in the game, leading to catcher Connor Wong replacing Grissom at the keystone. According to Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic, Cora indicated to reporters that Wong’s surprise appearance at second base today was due to utility infielder Romy Gonzalez not being available, although he did not specify what was ailing Gonzalez or if he would be available tomorrow afternoon.

The news about Grissom constitutes another brutal injury blow for a Red Sox club that has struggled to stay healthy this year, particularly on the positional side. Grissom himself has appeared in just 23 games this season after being sidelined into May by a hamstring strain during Spring Training. Fortunately, as noted by Browne, that strain impacted his left hamstring, while today’s injury was a right hamstring strain. That Grissom’s injury is a new one should allow him to return to action more quickly than if he had re-injured the same hamstring as before, but he’ll nonetheless miss at least the next ten days without a clear timetable for his return to action.

When he’s been healthy enough to take the field, the start to Grissom’s Red Sox tenure has been a difficult one. He’s hit just .159/.209/.163 in 86 trips to the plate for Boston so far this season. That’s a particularly difficult pill to swallow for Red Sox fans given the fact that veteran southpaw Chris Sale, who the club swapped to Atlanta in order to acquire Grissom, has dominanted to a 2.12 ERA and NL-best 2.11 FIP in his first ten starts with the club, helping to anchor the club’s rotation alongside Max Fried in the absence of ace Spencer Strider.

While Grissom’s production to this point won’t exactly be difficult for the Red Sox to replace, his absence will only serve to further compound the club’s other positional injuries. Trevor Story, Triston Casas, Tyler O’Neill, and Masataka Yoshida are all already on the injured list, with Story out for the season and Casas also facing a lengthy absence. Fortunately, the club’s situation is not without silver linings. Cora told reporters (including MassLive’s Christopher Smith) earlier today that O’Neill’s ailing knee has responded well to a cortisone shot and the club figures to be without the outfielder for only the ten day minimum, a timeline which should allow him to return to action early next week.

Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe relayed similarly optimistic news regarding Yoshida, who told reporters that he’s no longer feeling any negative effects from the thumb injury that sidelined him last month. That won’t help the Red Sox in the short term, as Yoshida will still need to build up after a month of time rehabbing the injury before he can return to the big league club, but it’s still an encouraging sign for a team that figures to be without Grissom for at least a couple of weeks. Both Yoshida and O’Neill were hitting at an above-average clip overall at the time of their injuries, and if healthy should be able to step into the club’s outfield mix as key pieces alongside Jarren Duran and Wilyer Abreu.

The impending return of O’Neill, in particular, should be a relief for the Red Sox as it can provide the club with the opportunity to utilize versatile rookie Ceddanne Rafaela, who has mainly played center field for the club this year, on the infield dirt while Grissom is unavailable. In the meantime, the club figures to turn to Enmanuel Valdez and David Hamilton up the middle, with Gonzalez also a potential contributor at the keystone should he return to action in the coming days.

Alex Cora: No Plans To Discuss Red Sox Extension Mid-Season

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Red Sox manager Alex Cora entered the 2024 season without a contract lined up for 2025, and comments he made to reporters, including The Athletic’s Jen McCaffrey, yesterday indicate that he and the club do not intend to discuss a possible contract extension during the season.

“We’ll play it out, and whatever is decided is decided,” Cora said, per McCaffrey. “…My situation will be taken care of in the future, whatever the organization decides — or whatever I decide to do.”

Cora has been at the helm of the Red Sox since 2018, with the exception of the shortened 2020 season when he was replaced by Ron Roenicke while serving a one-year suspension due to his role in the 2017 Astros’ sign-stealing scandal. Boston, of course, won the World Series during the first season of Cora’s tenure. The Red Sox missed the postseason in 2019, however, and upon Cora’s return to he manager’s chair in 2021 have generally hovered in the vicinity of .500 with 277 wins and 267 losses entering play today. They’ve made the postseason just once during Cora’s second stint with the club, advancing to the ALCS in 2021 after securing a Wild Card spot.

Of course, much of the blame for that mediocre performance in recent seasons lies at the feet of the front office, which is currently on its third head of baseball operations since Cora joined the staff in 2018 after hiring former Cubs assistant GM Craig Breslow as chief baseball officer this past offseason. Given the turmoil the Red Sox have faced at the top of their baseball operations department and a payroll that has surpassed $200MM just once in the past five seasons after reaching a peak of more than $236MM in 2019 (per Cot’s Baseball Contracts), it’s hard to place Boston’s struggles in recent years at the feet of Cora.

In fact, the Red Sox have generally exceeded expectations to this point in the 2024 campaign, posting an even 29-29 record entering play today despite minimal additions after last year’s 84-loss campaign and significant injuries to key pieces such as Lucas Giolito, Garrett Whitlock, Trevor Story, and Triston Casas. The club’s solid play amid those injuries and low expectations have reinforced Cora’s reputation around the league as one of the game’s most respected managers, and should make him an enticing managerial candidate in the event that he doesn’t return to the Red Sox in 2025. Cora’s situation brings to mind that of former Brewers manager Craig Counsell, who departed Milwaukee after choosing to enter the 2023 season without an extension in favor of a five-year, $40MM contract with the Cubs this past winter.

McCaffrey notes that Cora was “keenly aware” of Counsell’s deal with the Cubs this past season, and it would hardly be a surprise if he hoped to land a similar deal for himself this winter. On the other hand, it’s at least possible Cora could look to take his impending free agent status as an opportunity to move out of the dugout entirely. The 48-year-old has previously suggested that he would like to move to a front office role at some point down the line, although he noted last autumn that he was not yet ready to make the jump.

Coincidentally, the Red Sox themselves figure to be in the market for an addition to their front office brain trust this winter, with Sean McAdam of MassLive.com noting that Breslow recently told reporters he doesn’t expect to hire a second-in-command until this winter. That’s hardly a surprising development, as it was reported just last month by Alex Speier of the Boston Globe that the club had hired an outside consulting firm to conduct an audit of the organization and offer Breslow recommendations regarding potential changes. As noted by McAdam, Breslow suggested that the ongoing audit could have an influence over his decision regarding the GM job, noting that it could nudge them toward promoting an in-house candidate or indicate that they’d be best served hiring from outside the organization.

While the opening in Boston’s front office and Cora’s previously stated long-term career goals appear to line up, there’s been no indication from either side that Cora and the Red Sox are considering the possibility of their manager moving upstairs next season. Instead, it appears that decisions by all parties, both regarding Cora’s future in the organization and the vacant GM role below Breslow in the baseball operations hierarchy, will be set aside until this winter as the club attempts to weather a storm of injuries and return to the postseason after back-to-back last place finishes in the AL East.

Seven Veterans With Opt-Out Opportunities This Weekend

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As part of the 2022 collective bargaining agreement, MLB and the Players Association agreed to a few automatic opt-out dates for some veteran players on minor league contracts. Article XX(B) free agents — generally, players with over six years of MLB service who finished the preceding season on a big league roster — who sign minor league contracts more than ten days before Opening Day receive three uniform chances to retest free agency if they’re not promoted.

The first comes five days before the start of the season. For players who pass on that initial opt-out, they have additional windows to explore the open market on both May 1 and June 1 if they’ve yet to secure a spot on the 40-man roster. There were 31 players who initially had that option in Spring Training.

Eleven of them — Carlos Carrasco, Garrett Cooper, Chase Anderson, Dominic Leone, Eddie Rosario, Jesse Winker, Kevin Pillar, Jesse Chavez, Brad Keller, Curt Casali and José Ureña — are currently on MLB rosters. Joely Rodríguez, Tyler Duffey, Matt Barnes and Drew Pomeranz made it to the big leagues but were subsequently removed from the 40-man roster; Barnes and Pomeranz are free agents.

Bryan Shaw, Matt Duffy and Carl Edwards Jr. are on new minor league deals after opting out in Spring Training. Six others — Elvis Andrus, Eduardo Escobar, Mike Moustakas, C.J. Cron, Jake Odorizzi and Kolten Wong — are free agents after being released.

That left seven players with opt-out chances on May 1. While none of them took that immediately, David Peralta opted out of his deal with the Cubs on May 13. He inked a minor league contract with the Padres a few days later and was added to the MLB roster on May 22. Let’s check in on the six remaining players who can retest free agency tomorrow — plus one player whose deal contains a contractual opt-out provision.

Marisnick has had a tough time staying healthy in 2024. The glove-first outfielder has only played in 12 games with the Angels’ top affiliate in Salt Lake. He hasn’t hit in a limited sample, going 5-32 with 14 strikeouts and one walk. Marinsick was out of action between mid-April and the second week of May. He appeared in seven contests before going back on the injured list on May 25. He’s probably best served staying with the Halos, who are without Mike Trout and leaning on Mickey Moniak as their primary center fielder. Moniak is hitting .175/.214/.250 over 126 plate appearances.

Votto’s homecoming has been held up by a Spring Training ankle injury. The former MVP has yet to play in a minor league game. There’s no reason to expect the Toronto native will opt out. Neither Justin Turner nor Daniel Vogelbach is hitting well for the Jays, so there could be an opportunity for Votto once he’s healthy. Vogelbach, as a left-handed hitting DH, is the most direct competition. He has a .167/.273/.292 slash and has only started 13 of the team’s 55 games.

Choi, a lefty-hitting first baseman, was on the injured list for his prior opt-out chance. He’s healthy now, returning to Triple-A Syracuse on May 14. Choi hasn’t gotten into any kind of rhythm offensively, though. The 33-year-old had a .189/.319/.378 slash before hitting the IL. He owns a .171/.268/.286 mark in the 10 games since his return. Choi isn’t hitting well enough to merit a major league opportunity, though he could look for a different minor league contract with Pete Alonso, J.D. Martinez and Mark Vientos firmly above him on the first base/DH depth chart.

Greene pitched in six games for Triple-A Round Rock in April. He allowed 15 runs in eight innings and was placed on the injured list. The Express transferred the veteran righty to the full-season IL two weeks ago, ruling him out for the year.

Neither Fulmer nor Pérez has played this season. Fulmer will miss the entire year after undergoing elbow surgery last fall. His contract is a two-year deal; he almost certainly won’t opt out.

Pérez missed most of 2023 after undergoing a rotator cuff repair on his right shoulder. He played in seven games this spring but has spent the regular season on the minor league IL with an undisclosed injury. The Sox have gotten strong play from their catching tandem of Connor Wong and Reese McGuire. Perhaps Pérez feels there’s a better path to playing time if he signs a minor league deal with another team, but it seems likelier he’ll stick in the organization.

Kemp is not one of the aforementioned Article XX(b) players. He’s playing on a minor league deal that he signed in mid-April with the Twins. Darren Wolfson of SKOR North reported (on X) earliest this month that Kemp’s contract contains a June 1 opt-out date. The left-handed hitting second baseman/left fielder has struggled for Triple-A St. Paul, batting .193/.316/.325 with three homers across 98 plate appearances.

That’s mostly attributable to poor ball in play results. Kemp has shown his typically strong plate discipline, walking 13 times against 17 strikeouts. He has been plagued by a .206 average on balls in play. Kemp was briefly on the Orioles’ big league roster in April and has appeared in parts of nine MLB seasons overall. He hit .209/.303/.404 in 124 games with the A’s a season ago.

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