The Red Sox have promoted infielder Nick Sogard, the team announced to reporters (including Christopher Smith of MassLive). He will make his MLB debut when he first appears in a game. To make room on the 40-man roster, the team designated right-hander Yohan Ramírez for assignment. In additional Red Sox news, the team has activated right-handed reliever Lucas Sims and optioned second baseman Jamie Westbrook.
Sogard, 26, is the cousin of former big league infielder Eric Sogard. He was selected by the Rays in the 12th round of the 2019 draft and traded to Boston in what then looked to be a small swap sending righty Chris Mazza and eventual breakout left-hander Jeffrey Springs to Tampa Bay. The younger Sogard has enjoyed a career-best showing in Triple-A this season — his third stint at that level — slashing .279/.382/.439 with a dozen home runs, 17 doubles, a triple and a 10-for-15 showing in stolen bases. For a third straight season, his walk rate tops 13%, and while his 20.4% strikeout rate is a career-high, it’s still lower than average.
Although he’s played all over the diamond, Sogard has spent the bulk of his time on the left side of the infield. He’s played 1144 innings at shortstop and 1404 innings at third base, in addition to 944 frames at second base and a handful of games across all three outfield spots and at first base. The switch-hitting Sogard will give the Red Sox an option at multiple spots on the diamond and give Boston a right-handed-hitting option in the middle infield that they sought but didn’t secure heading into the trade deadline. He’s posted roughly even splits in 2024 but in the past has handled himself considerably better as a right-handed hitter against lefty opponents.
Ramirez, 29, has remarkably pitched for four different teams this season, spending time with the Mets, Orioles and Dodgers in addition to the Sox. He’s tallied 45 frames — mostly with Los Angeles — and struggled to a 6.20 ERA but more promising rate stats (21.6% strikeout rate, 8.2% walk rate, 43.8% grounder rate). Ramirez has averaged just shy of 95 mph on his heater but had a hard time getting swings and misses or chases off the plate. Opponents have posted a dismal 47.9% contact rate when they do chase (nearly 10 percentage points below average), but Ramirez has the second-worst overall chase rate among big league pitchers (min. 40 innings).
Ramirez has pitched in parts of five big league seasons, recording a 4.58 ERA, 22.8% strikeout rate and 11.3% walk rate in 169 MLB frames. With the trade deadline now passed, the Red Sox’ only option will be to place him on outright waivers or release him. They still technically have five days to do so, but with no option of trading him he’ll presumably head straight to waivers and be made available to the league’s 29 other clubs.
