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Mickey Gasper

Red Sox Acquire Jovani Moran From Twins For Mickey Gasper

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The Red Sox and Twins have lined up on a Christmas Eve trade that will see left-hander Jovani Moran head to Boston in exchange for catcher/first baseman Mickey Gasper.  Hunter Noll of Beyond The Monster was the first to report the deal, and both teams have officially announced the trade.

Moran underwent Tommy John surgery last offseason, leading to the Twins to non-tender him before re-signing the southpaw to another minor league deal.  Moran naturally didn’t pitch at all in 2024 while rehabbing, and he’ll now look to return to the mound in Boston, as the 27-year-old is changing organizations for the first time in his career.

A seventh-round pick for the Twins in the 2015 draft, Moran also missed full minor league seasons in 2016 (due to injury) and in 2020 (the pandemic-canceled season).  Moran finally made his MLB debut in the form of eight innings for the Twins in 2021, and he then seemingly broke out with a 2.21 ERA over 40 2/3 relief innings for Minnesota in 2022.  Moran supported that strong ERA with a 32.9% strikeout rate and 48.9% grounder rate, yet both his peripherals and his bottom-line results went backwards the next year.

Moran had a 5.31 ERA, 41.9% grounder rate, and 26.1% strikeout rate in 42 1/3 frames in 2023, and after being optioned to Triple-A at the start of his August, his season was prematurely ended by a forearm strain in September that led to his eventual TJ surgery.

Despite the lack of a big fastball, Moran’s ability to miss bats and his knack for inducing grounders has helped him achieve success in the minors and (in limited fashion) at the big league level.  Control is his biggest question mark, as Moran has a 13.5% walk rate over his 91 career MLB innings and a 12.36BB% in 257 2/3 innings of minor league ball.

Moran joins Aroldis Chapman and Justin Wilson as left-handed additions to the Red Sox bullpen mix this offseason, though Moran is more of a depth option at this point depending on his health and his form after the long layoff.  While he probably won’t be ready for the Opening Day roster, some time in the minors might help Moran fully recover and get some innings under his belt before the Red Sox consider him for any possible role in their big league bullpen.

The Athletic’s Aaron Gleeman writes that Moran received some attention from teams heading into the Rule 5 Draft, and in fact it was Gasper who came to the Red Sox from the Yankees organization in the minor league version of the 2023 Rule R5.  The selection resulted in Gasper’s first taste of big league action, though he didn’t record a hit in his 23 plate appearances over 13 games for the Sox this season.

Gasper played first and second base during his brief time in the Show, but the majority of his career has come behind the plate.  Gasper’s ability to both catch and play other positions (primarily first and second, with a handful of games as a third baseman and left fielder) adds to his versatility, not to mention his switch-hitting bat.  This creates a possible opening for Gasper to win a bench job in Minnesota, as a third catcher and general utilityman behind the Twins’ catching tandem of Ryan Jeffers and Christian Vazquez.  It remains to be seen if the Twins will be able to trade Vazquez and get any of his contract off the books, yet if so, Gasper could be a candidate as Jeffers’ backup.

Gasper was a 27th-round pick for the Yankees in the 2018 draft, but he carved a path for himself through New York’s farm system with some strong numbers at every step of the minor league ladder.  Over an even 1600 minor league PA, Gasper has hit .275/.392/.449 with 48 homers, and those numbers include nine home runs and a .317/.422/.498 slash line in 282 PA at the Triple-A level.

Red Sox Place Rafael Devers On 10-Day Injured List

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September 22: Cora confirmed to reporters (including McCaffrey) this morning that Devers will not require surgery, as the infielder’s MRI revealed only inflammation in his shoulders.

September 21, 2:12PM: The Red Sox made it official, shutting down Devers by placing him on the 10-day injured list due to left shoulder inflammation.  Infielder/catcher Mickey Gasper was called up from Triple-A to take Devers’ spot on the active roster.

8:13AM: Rafael Devers will undergo an MRI on his bothersome right shoulder today, Red Sox manager Alex Cora told reporters (including The Athletic’s Jen McCaffrey) after yesterday’s 4-2 loss to the Twins in extra innings.  Devers was removed from the game prior to the start of the 11th, and Cora said that the slugger had been trying to tough it out Friday despite tweaking his shoulder during pregame batting practice.

While Cora said “we’ll see where we’re at” following the MRI, “probably, this is it for [Devers]” this season.  With just eight games remaining and the Red Sox all but officially eliminated from the playoff race, the club is likely to play it safe with the star third baseman.

Devers has been dealing with discomfort in both shoulders for a good chunk of the season, and it is fair to wonder if his determination to keep playing has contributed to his severe slump.  The third baseman had an outstanding .296/.375/.587 slash line through his first 488 plate appearances, but has only a .172/.265/.212 slash line over his last 113 trips to the dish.  Among all qualified batters since August 19, Devers’ 34 wRC+ is the third-worst in the league.

The Red Sox as a whole have a team wRC+ of 74 since August 19, ahead of only the lowly White Sox in that timespan.  Boston had a 67-60 record as recently as August 22, but a 9-18 record over the club’s last 27 games has sunk the Fenway nine’s chances of a return to the postseason.  Even though Devers’ slump dovetails pretty directly with Boston’s offensive slide, he is far from the only Red Sox hitter who hit a cold streak at exactly the wrong time.

Assuming this is indeed it for Devers’ 2024 season, he’ll still finish with a typically strong set of numbers — 28 homers and a .272/.354/.516 slash over 601 PA, with a 133 wRC+ and his third All-Star nod.  Though a veteran of eight MLB seasons, Devers still doesn’t turn 28 until the end of October, and 2024 marked the first season of the ten-year, $313.5MM contract extension he signed with the Red Sox during the 2022-23 offseason.  Since Devers is such a key component of Boston’s present and future plans, it’s a wise move to figure out as early as possible if Devers’ shoulder might require any kind of surgery heading into 2025.

Red Sox Activate Trevor Story From 60-Day Injured List

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As expected, the Red Sox activated shortstop Trevor Story from the 60-day injured list, as the former two-time All-Star is set for his big league action since the first week of April.  In the corresponding 40-man roster move, right-hander Isaiah Campbell was called up from Triple-A and placed on the big league version of the 60-day IL, so Campbell’s season has officially been ended by right elbow inflammation.  As reported earlier today by NESN’s Jahmai Webster, catcher/infielder Mickey Gasper was optioned to Triple-A to make space for Story on the active roster.

While diving for a grounder in Boston’s game with the Angels back on April 5, Story suffered a severe shoulder injury that required what was thought at the time to be a season-ending surgery.  Story went through rehab and felt better than expected as he regained strength in his shoulder, and things have improved to the point that Story will make it back onto the field with a few weeks to spare in the 2024 campaign.

Since signing a six-year, $140MM free agent deal with the Red Sox prior to the 2022 season, Story has appeared in only 145 games, as his shoulder surgery was only the latest in a long string of injuries.  He was at least a league-average hitter with an even 100 wRC+ from his .238/.303/.434 slash line and 16 homers over 396 plate appearances in 2022, but he has an ugly .575 OPS in the 202 PA since even that debut season in Boston.

Story’s glovework has still remained solid even throughout his struggles at the plate, so at the very least, his return should improve what has been a dismal defensive showing by Boston’s middle infielders in his absence.  Ceddanne Rafaela and David Hamilton have shared most of the shortstop duties in Story’s absence this year, though Hamilton is on the IL himself with a finger fracture that threatens to end his season.

As Story resumes his old post at shortstop, the Red Sox will be moving Rafaela to second base, in the hopes that the rookie can both find more individual success at the new position and also help the Sox finally find an answer at the keystone.  Rafaela is one of an astounding 11 players who have seen time at second base for Boston this season, and the move to the other side of the infield should make Rafaela more of a defensive asset.

Campbell made his Major League debut with the Mariners in 2023, and had made a good first impression with a 2.83 ERA in 28 2/3 innings out of Seattle’s bullpen.  The Red Sox were intrigued enough to acquire Campbell for Luis Urias back in November, but between injuries and a lot of time in Triple-A, Campbell has managed only a 16.20 ERA in 6 2/3 innings for Boston at the big league level.  Due to his health issues, Campbell hasn’t pitched since he took the mound for Triple-A Worcester in the middle of July.

Red Sox Select Chase Shugart, Mickey Gasper; Designate Jamie Westbrook For Assignment

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The Red Sox announced a series of roster moves today. Righty Brayan Bello has been reinstated from the paternity list and left-hander Bailey Horn has been recalled, while the club selected the contracts of right-hander Chase Shugart and catcher/infielder Mickey Gasper. It was reported last night that left-hander James Paxton suffered a right calf strain and he now lands on the 15-day injured list. Lefty Brennan Bernardino has been optioned to Triple-A Worcester, as has righty Brad Keller. A fourth active roster spot was opened with the Jarren Duran suspension, reported earlier today. To open a 40-man roster spot, infielder/outfielder Jamie Westbrook has been designated for assignment. Chris Cotillo of MassLive reported Shugart’s promotion on X prior to the official announcement.

Shugart, 27, gets the call to the big leagues for the first time. A 12th-round pick of the Sox in 2018, he has been working his way up the minor league ladder since then. He worked exclusively as a starter through 2021 but has primarily been working out of the bullpen since then.

His initial forays into Triple-A ball didn’t go well, as he posted a 6.82 earned run average at that level in 2022 and then an 8.22 ERA there last year. He’s had more success here in 2024, with a 4.98 ERA in 59 2/3 innings. That’s largely come in a multi-inning capacity, as he’s logged those frames over 28 appearances, including five starts. His 10.9% walk rate is a bit on the high side but he has punched out 26.6% of opponents this year and gotten grounders on 46.8% of balls in play.

Baseball America had Shugart on the back end of their organizational top 30 list back in 2019 and 2020 but not in recent years. The Sox are likely going to be leaning on him for a long man role in the coming days. Paxton suffered his injury after recording just two outs, forcing the bullpen to do yeoman’s work. Bernardino tossed an inning a third while each of Lucas Sims, Luis García and Cam Booser tossed two innings. First baseman Dominic Smith pitched a scoreless ninth with the Sox down 10-2 to the Astros. The Sox also did a bullpen game the day before, with Josh Winckowski covering three innings, Brad Keller eating up four, while Zack Kelly and Chris Martin picked up one each.

All told, the pitching staff is fairly taxed and the Sox don’t have another off-day until August 22, over a week from now. Righty Cooper Criswell went on the COVID IL recently and has an unknown timeline. With Paxton now out as well, the rotation is down to Bello, Kutter Crawford, Tanner Houck and Nick Pivetta. Perhaps Winckowski will get another shot after throwing three innings on the weekend, or perhaps Criswell can make a quick return. The club also has Quinn Priester on optional assignment and could recall him at some point. But in the meantime, Shugart can sop up some innings, if needed.

Gasper, 28, was also selected in the 2018 draft, but by the Yankees. He came to the Red Sox via the minor league phase of the 2023 Rule 5 draft. He has generally put up positive numbers in a hit-over-power fashion, though he’s always been old for whatever level he’s been playing at. He didn’t reach Triple-A until last year, his age-27 season, and hit .191/.295/.265 in his first 22 games at that level.

This year has gone much better. He’s played 44 Double-A games and 40 at Triple-A. Between those two clubs, he has a 15.9% walk rate, 11% strikeout rate and .341/.458/.559 batting line that translates to a wRC+ of 175.

Despite the massive batting line, Gasper’s not really considered a top prospect, though it would make for a great story if he could engineer a late-bloomer breakout. He has played catcher, first base and second base this year, in addition to a bit of third base time in previous seasons. He figures to slot into the club’s bench mix, giving them depth at various spots.

Westbrook, 29, signed a minor league deal with Boston in the offseason. They selected his contract in June, his first time cracking a major league roster. He has received 48 big league plate appearances so far, hitting just .150/.234/.350 in that small sample. He has always hit well in the minors and that’s still true this year. He has a line of .291/.381/.475 in 71 Triple-A games, drawing walks at a strong 12% clip and limiting his strikeouts to a 17.2% clip.

Defensively, he has played the three non-shortstop infield positions as well as right field this year. Since the trade deadline has passed, the Sox will have no choice but to put him on waivers in the coming days. If any team puts in a claim, Westbrook still has a full slate of options and just a few days of service time.

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