• The Rays announced that they added right-hander Manuel Rodríguez to their 40-man roster, preventing him from reaching minor league free agency. Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reported on the move prior to the official announcement. The 27-year-old was acquired from the Cubs in a trade just before the deadline. He made 34 major league appearances with the Cubs over 2021 and 2022 but spent all of 2023 in the minors. Between the two clubs, he had a 3.99 ERA in 56 1/3 innings on the farm, striking out 32.4% of hitters against a 10.5% walk rate. The club also announced that infielder Tristan Gray, outfielder Raimel Tapia and right-hander Cole Sulser, all of whom were placed on waivers last week, cleared waivers and will become free agents.
• The Cubs added infielder Luis Vázquez to their 40-man roster, per Meghan Montemurro of Chicago Tribune, to prevent him from reaching minor league free agency. The 24-year-old has spent his entire professional career with the Cubs, having been selected by them in the 14th round of the 2017 draft. He split this year between Double-A and Triple-A, hitting .271/.361/.456 for a wRC+ of 112. He played the three infield position to the left of first base, giving the club some depth at those positions going forward.
• The Marlins announced they sent right-hander Tommy Nance outright to Triple-A Jacksonville. The righty had an encouraging season for the Fish in 2022, making 35 appearances with a 4.33 ERA, 29.1% strikeout rate, 10.7% walk rate and 46.4% ground ball rate. Unfortunately, a shoulder strain kept him on the injured list until August, at which point he was optioned, meaning he didn’t pitch in the majors in 2023. He also finished the year on the IL due to an oblique strain. His 17 innings in the minors resulted in a 1.59 ERA.

That’s not an insignificant sum for a smaller-payroll team like the Rays.  Even if the club has said it’s open to a higher than usual payroll in 2024, some cuts were inevitably coming from Tampa Bay’s large arbitration class, both for financial reasons and for simple roster maintenance reasons. Today’s cuts take the club’s projected payroll for 2024 (per RosterResource) from just under $130MM down to just over $121MM. That figure, of course, is still around $42MM higher than the club’s payroll in 2023.

Bethancourt, 32, was the club’s primary catcher for much of the 2023 campaign. Though he was a capable defensive option behind the plate, Bethancourt posted disappointing numbers on offense with a slash line of just .225/.254/.381 in 332 trips to the plate. That line was good for a wRC+ of 74, which ranks 28th among 31 catchers to make at least 300 plate appearances in 2023. Late in the season, Bethancourt was supplanted as the club’s top option behind the plate by 26-year-old backstop Rene Pinto. Given this, it’s of little surprise that the cost-conscious Rays would look for a cheaper option than Bethancourt to back up Pinto in 2024. Bethancourt’s glove work should still see him garner interest as a potential depth option behind the plate alongside other veteran free agents like Tucker Barnhart and Curt Casali.

Beeks, 30, made his big league debut with the Red Sox back in 2018 but recorded just 6 1/3 innings of work for the club before being shipped to Tampa Bay. Upon joining the Rays in late July, Beeks posted a 4.47 ERA and roughly matching 4.45 FIP in 44 1/3 innings of work. He largely replicated that league average production over a full season in 2019, with a 4.31 ERA and 4.41 FIP in 104 1/3 innings of work. Beeks pitched well in the shortened 2020 campaign with a 3.26 ERA and 1.79 FIP but made just 12 appearances before having his season cut short by Tommy John surgery.

Upon returning to the big leagues in 2022, Beeks enjoyed the best season of his career with a 2.80 ERA and 3.49 FIP across 61 innings of work. Unfortunately, the 2023 campaign proved to be the worst of Beeks’s career; despite his FIP (3.82) staying relatively similar last season, Beeks saw his ERA balloon up to 5.95 in 42 1/3 innings of work this year. Still, as a left-handed relief option who enjoyed considerable success on the mound as recently as last year, the 30-year-old hurler should find plenty of interest from clubs on the open market, though perhaps not at the level of the $1.8MM salary he was projected for in arbitration.

Fleming was a fifth-round pick by the Rays in the 2017 draft and impressed during the shortened 2020 campaign, which was his rookie season. The then-24-year-old southpaw posted a 2.78 ERA in 32 1/3 innings of work that year, though a 4.40 FIP indicated that Fleming may have had some good fortune on his side in those numbers. In 2021, Fleming was given a larger role as he opened the season as a member of the club’s rotation and started off strong with a 3.39 ERA and 4.15 FIP in 13 appearances through the end of June. Unfortunately, the wheels came off for Fleming from there, and his final 13 appearances saw him post an atrocious 8.05 ERA with a 4.49 FIP in 38 innings of work. That tough end to the season carried into Fleming’s performances in the big leagues the past two seasons, where he combined for a 5.40 ERA and 5.16 FIP in 86 2/3 innings of work. That being said, Fleming’s relative youth and past success could make him an interesting depth option for pitching-needy clubs on a minor league pact this offseason.

Though a member of the Rays organization in 2023, Sulser’s only big league appearances with the club came back in 2019, when he made his big league debut for Tampa with seven scoreless appearances. Since then, Sulser bounced between the Orioles, Marlins, and Diamondbacks organizations before returning to the Rays in 2023 after a difficult 5 1/3 inning stint in Arizona that saw him post a 6.75 ERA. Though Sulser didn’t return to the big leagues this year after re-joining the Rays, he did pitch well in 18 2/3 innings of work at the Triple-A level for the organization, with a 3.86 ERA and a decent 22.4% strikeout rate. The best season of Sulser’s career came in Baltimore back in 2021, when the righty posted a 2.70 ERA and 2.98 FIP in 63 1/3 innings of work. Now on the open market ahead of his age-34 season, Sulser will join a market deep in veteran depth options as he looks for his next team.

Gray, 27, made his MLB debut with the Rays earlier this season. Though his cup of coffee in the major leagues last just five plate appearances, he managed to notch two hits in that limited time, including a home run. Aside from his first foray into big league play, Gray hit decently well at the Triple-A level this year, with a .235/.312/.485 slash line at the level this year. While primarily a shortstop, Gray has experience at every position on the field except for catcher and center field, which when combined with his solid numbers at Triple-A and his impressive (though very brief) first showing in the majors could make him an attractive depth option to clubs on a minor league deal this winter.

Tapia, 29, spent the first six seasons of his big league career with the Rockies, slashing .280/.325/.396 in 439 career games with the club, though those numbers translate to a wRC+ of just 77 thanks to the inflated offensive environment at Coors Field. Prior to the 2022 season, the Rockies and Blue Jays got together on a deal that swapped Tapia to Toronto in exchange for Randal Grichuk, and Tapia found himself performing solidly as a platoon bat and fourth outfielder for the club. In 433 plate appearances with the Blue Jays in 2022, Tapia hit .265/.292/.380 with a wRC+ of 91. That performance wasn’t enough for Tapia to find a big league deal last winter and left him to bounce between three clubs throughout the 2023 season. In 169 plate appearances between Boston, Milwaukee, and Tampa, the 29-year-old took a step back at the plate with a .236/.317/.338 slash line with a wRC+ of just 80. Tapia figures to look for another minor league deal this coming offseason.

11:17AM: As reported yesterday, Brandon Lowe will miss 4-6 weeks of action after suffering a right kneecap fracture.  The Rays officially placed Lowe on the 10-day injured list today, and selected the contract of outfielder Raimel Tapia from Triple-A Durham.  To create a 40-man roster spot for Tapia, Tampa Bay called up Calvin Faucher from Triple-A and placed him on the 60-day injured list due to right biceps tendinitis.

Assuming he gets into a game with the Rays, it will be Tapia’s third different MLB team of the 2023 season, and his fifth club in less than two years after playing with the Rockies in 2021 and the Blue Jays in 2022.  Tapia signed a minor league deal with the Red Sox during the winter and ended up appearing in 39 games for Boston before being released in June.  He signed a big league deal with the Brewers a couple of days later, and played in 20 games before Milwaukee designated Tapia for assignment and subsequently released him.

Overall, Tapia has hit .230/.308/.338 over 158 combined plate appearances with the Red Sox and Brewers this season, as well as a .269/.371/.414 slash line in 124 PA with Durham since the Rays signed the outfielder to a minors contract in early August.

Tapia has a decent .273 career batting average in 2016 career PA in the majors, albeit without much on-base or power numbers, and not much pop to show all of the contact he makes.  Known as an excellent baserunner, Tapia’s speed has helped him beat out some grounders to the tune of a .328 career BABIP, but is more known for being a fourth-outfielder type who can play all three positions in a pinch (though primarily a corner outfielder) and provide bench depth as a pinch-runner.

The left-handed hitting Tapia’s numbers aren’t much better against right-handed pitching than they are against southpaws, but he’ll at least provide Tampa Bay with some balance within their mostly right-handed hitting outfield group.  Randy Arozarena also left Friday’s game due to quad tightness, so with Tapia’s selection, the Rays might be looking to bolster their outfield ranks if Arozarena needs a couple of days off or possibly even an IL stint.

Faucher hasn’t pitched since tossing two-thirds of an inning for Durham on August 13.  His move to the 60-day IL is basically just procedural to open up a 40-man spot, and he’ll at least get some MLB service time and a minimum salary for being shifted to the big league version of the injured list.  The righty also missed a chunk of time earlier this season due to right elbow inflammation, and has a 7.01 ERA in 25 2/3 innings for the Rays in 2023.

Tapia began the season on a non-roster pact with the Red Sox. The lefty-swinging outfielder broke camp with Boston and wound up appearing in 39 games. Tapia had slightly below-average offensive numbers, hitting .264/.333/.368 through 97 trips to the plate. He lost his roster spot in early June but signed directly onto the Brewers’ MLB roster after going unclaimed on waivers.

His stint in Milwaukee wasn’t as productive. Over 20 games, Tapia hit just .173/.267/.288 while striking out in 20 of his 61 plate appearances. The Brewers designated him for assignment and called up top prospect Sal Frelick. Tapia elected free agency and will now have to play his way back to the big leagues.

It’ll be Tapia’s first stint in Triple-A (aside from four rehab games) since 2018. The speedy outfielder has been a fixture on MLB rosters for the past half-decade, though he’s bounced from the Rockies to the Blue Jays, Red Sox and Brewers within the past two years. Tapia has quality contact skills and is a plus baserunner, but he has below-average power and doesn’t draw many walks. He’s hitting .230/.308/.338 in 158 plate appearances this season and owns a .256/.296/.369 slash since the start of 2022.

Despite his speed, Tapia has spent the majority of his career in the corner outfield. He can cover center field if necessary but has generally rated as a slightly below-average defender in a corner.

Alexander, 30, first cracked the big leagues last year when the Brewers selected his contract at the start of June. He worked as a swingman, making 11 starts and seven relief appearances. He finished the year with a 5.40 earned run average in 71 2/3 innings, along with a 14.3% strikeout rate, 8.7% walk rate and 50.6% ground ball rate.

He was set to serve as rotation depth in Milwaukee this year but suffered a shoulder injury in February that was expected to keep him out of action until May, which led the club to quickly place him on the 60-day injured list. He began a rehab assignment in June and was optioned to the minors after being activated from the 60-day IL in July. He’s thrown 31 innings in the minors this year with a 5.23 ERA, still getting solid amounts of grounders but with a strikeout rate of just 12.6%.

It appears he wasn’t in Milwaukee’s plans for the near future, so they’ve bumped him off their roster and through waivers. Since he has less than three years of major league service time and this is his first career outright, he won’t have the ability to elect free agency. He’ll stick with the organization as depth but without occupying a spot on the 40-man roster.

Tapia, 29, began the year with the Red Sox but was released in June and landed with the Brewers. He got into 20 games with Milwaukee but hit just .173/.267/.288 before getting designated for assignment when the club promoted Sal Frelick. Since Tapia has more than five years of major league service time, he has the right to reject outright assignments while retaining his full salary, which he has done here.

He’ll now look for his next opportunity. The Red Sox remain on the hook for his $2MM salary, allowing any other club to sign him for the prorated league minimum, with that amount subtracted from what the Sox pay. He’s a career .273/.317/.388 hitter in 626 games, amounting to a wRC+ of 80. He’s also stolen 61 bases and provided average-ish left field defense with the ability to play the other spots on the grass as well.

12:50PM: The Brewers are promoting top outfield prospect Sal Frelick, according to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal (Twitter link).  Frelick’s first game with Milwaukee will mark the 23-year-old’s big league debut.

It was a little over two years ago that the Brewers selected Frelick with the 15th overall pick of the 2021 draft, so it has been a pretty quick road to the majors for the Boston College product.  In fact, it is quite possible Frelick might’ve been on Milwaukee’s roster even earlier if he didn’t have to undergo thumb surgery in April, and he missed a little under two months while recovering.

This notable injury might explain Frelick’s underwhelming numbers with Triple-A Nashville this season.  After hitting .365/.435/.508 over 215 at Triple-A in 2022, there was some speculation that Frelick might make the Brewers’ roster in Spring Training.  However, he was optioned to the minors for more seasoning, and hasn’t really gotten on track, hitting .247/.333/.342 over 183 PA.  Frelick has been hitting better over the last week, and despite this small sample size, the Brewers brass has apparently seen enough to believe that Frelick is ready for the Show.

Of course, the shaky state of Milwaukee’s outfield has also left the club looking for any answers it can find.  Left fielder Christian Yelich is enjoying a tremendous season, but center field and right field have been revolving doors.  Joey Wiemer, Tyrone Taylor, Blake Perkins, Raimel Tapia, Jesse Winker, Owen Miller, and the injured Brian Anderson and Garrett Mitchell have all gotten varying degrees of playing time without anyone providing particularly much offense.  It remains to be seen exactly how long of a look Frelick might get in his first taste of the big leagues, but there’s plenty of opportunity for him to quickly carve out a niche for himself if he hits well.

Even despite his injury-shortened 2023 campaign, midseason prospect rankings are still quite high on Frelick’s potential.  MLB Pipeline rates Frelick 17th on their list, with Baseball America (30th) and the Athletic’s Keith Law (31st) not far behind.  All outlets give him a 70-grade for speed, and Frelick has stolen 44 bases from 58 chances over his minor league career.  Pipeline and BA also give Frelick a 70-grade for his hitting ability, praising his approach at the plate and his excellent knack for drawing walks.  Frelick’s power is still a question mark, and Pipeline is a little questionable about Frelick’s ability to stick in center field even if Baseball America and Law are both more bullish.  Law writes that Frelick is “at least a 60 defender in center,” and uses Brett Gardner as a possible comp for Frelick at the MLB level.

Tapia, 29, has spent many years as a contact-oriented hitter with a bit of speed. He was non-tendered by the Blue Jays after last season and signed a minor league deal with the Red Sox. Tapia made Boston’s Opening Day roster and spent a bit over two months with the club, performing at expected rates, give or take.

His 9.6% walk rate and 19.6% strikeout rate this year were both a bit better than league average, but he hit just one home run. That led to a .264/.333/.368 batting line and 92 wRC+, indicating he was 8% below league average overall. That wasn’t far off from his .265/.292/.380 line and 90 wRC+ with the Jays last year. Meanwhile, his outfield defense was considered around average while he stole six bases.

Despite that generally solid performance, Tapia was nudged out in Boston by some crowding in the outfield picture. Adam Duvall’s injury paved the way for Jarren Duran to get himself some more big league playing time, which he has done well with, hitting .282/.337/.435 on the year for a 107 wRC+. Rob Refsnyder has also been playing well in a reserve role behind regulars Alex Verdugo and Masataka Yoshida. With Duvall’s return from the IL imminent, Tapia was designated for assignment just over a week ago.

Tapia’s deal with the Sox paid him a $2MM salary. Since he has over five years of major league service time, he would have had the right to reject an outright assignment while retaining all of that, so the club simply released him. That leaves them on the hook for the remainder of that cash, allowing the Brewers to now pay him the prorated league minimum for any time spent on the roster, with that amount subtracted from what the Sox will pay.

The Brewers have dealt with a few hits to their outfield mix this season, as each of Garrett Mitchell, Jesse Winker and Tyrone Taylor is currently on the injured list. That has left them with Joey Wiemer, Christian Yelich and Brian Anderson getting most of the reps lately, with Blake Perkins backing them up. Perkins is in his first major league season and is hitting just .200/.250/.333 through 34 plate appearances thus far. It’s possible that Tapia nudges Perkins back to the minors, though Anderson is also capable of playing third base and joining the rotating infield picture alongside Luis Urías, Owen Miller, Andruw Monasterio and Abraham Toro.

Tapia signed a minor league deal with Boston during the offseason, and after his contract was selected, Tapia locked in a $2MM salary for the 2023 season.  The Sox are still on the hook for the remainder (roughly $1.22MM) of that money owed, and that salary could be why teams passed on Tapia on the DFA wire.  An interested club can now sign Tapia to a minors contract and only owe him the prorated MLB average salary, with the Red Sox covering the rest.

The 29-year-old Tapia is hitting .264/.333/.368 over 97 plate appearances this season, roughly in line with the career .277/.318/.392 slash line he carried with the Rockies and Blue Jays from 2016-22.  Limited mostly to facing right-handed pitching this year, Tapia has a hit a strong .309/.373/.441 in 76 PA against righties, and he has seen action for the Red Sox in all three outfield positions.

Since Tapia has over five years of Major League experience, he had the right to reject an outright assignment to Triple-A and elect free agency.  It could be that Tapia planned to take this avenue anyway, so the Sox simply opted to release him after no trade possibilities emerged when Tapia was on the waiver wire.  Given Tapia’s track record as a respectable backup outfield option and his good numbers against right-handed pitching, it seems likely that he’ll catch on with another team in relatively short order.

Dermody has been outrighted before in his career, so he also had the option to elect free agency but he has instead decided to remain in Boston’s organization.  In cup-of-coffee fashion, Dermody was selected to the Red Sox roster and then DFA’ed on the same day, with a four-inning start against the Guardians on June 8 sandwiched in between the two transactions.  It marked the first Major League start for Dermody, though he has started regularly in the minors and in his non-affiliated stints in the KBO League and with the independent Sugar Land Skeeters.

That one outing gave Dermody appearances in five different MLB seasons, though 23 of his 31 career games came with the Blue Jays in 2017.  The southpaw will likely continue starting at Triple-A Worcester, where he has a 4.50 ERA over 44 innings with a 24.4% strikeout rate and 4.7% walk rate.

The veteran Tapia, 29, was non-tendered by the Blue Jays last winter and signed a minor league deal with the Red Sox, who selected his contract prior to Opening Day. He’s appeared in 39 games thus far and tallied 97 plate appearances in Boston, batting .264/.333/.368 with a homer, four doubles, a triple and six stolen bases (in seven attempts). He’s drawn nine walks and fanned 19 times along the way, giving him slightly better-than-average rates in both departments.

Tapia has played all three outfield spots in Boston but has primarily been a left fielder in his big league career — most of which has been spent with the Rockies. He’s drawn solid, if unspectacular grades in left field and in center field, though defensive metrics aren’t particularly keen on his right field prowess. He’s been average or a tick worse across the board in the outfield this season per each of Defensive Runs Saved, Ultimate Zone Rating and Outs Above Average.

With some outfield versatility, above-average contact and above-average speed, Tapia has been a solid enough fourth outfielder in Boston, even with a glaring lack of power. That’s generally par for the course for the speedster, who has never topped nine home runs in a big league season and hasn’t been deemed a strong enough defender by any of the Rockies, Jays or Red Sox to run out in center field on a regular or even semi-regular basis.

Tapia can certainly provide value, but as a primarily left-field option without much power and with notable platoon splits (.105/.190/.105 versus lefties in 2023; .275/.305/.361 career), he’s perhaps a bit more limited than one might expect with a cursory glance at his batting line and 89th percentile sprint speed (per Statcast). It’s still at least somewhat surprising to see the Red Sox move on in this fashion, although with an all-left-handed-hitting outfield mix of Masataka Yoshida, Jarren Duran and Alex Verdugo, Tapia’s lefty bat might well have been deemed a suboptimal fit. The right-handed-hitting Rob Refsnyder offers a more natural complement in that regard.

The minor league deal Tapia signed over the winter contained a $2MM base salary, so any team that claims him or acquires him would need to be comfortable picking up the remainder of that prorated bill. Boston could always include some cash to help facilitate a trade, and a trade is surely the team’s preferred option, as Tapia has more than five years of MLB service and can thus reject an outright assignment while retaining the entirety of the salary still owed to him. The Red Sox will have a week to trade Tapia, attempt to pass him through outright waivers, or release him.

Mondesí, 27, came over from the Royals in an offseason trade. The talented infielder has stolen 133 bases in 358 games while also earning strong grades for his glovework. The problem is that those 358 games have been scattered over seven different seasons due to various injuries. Last year, a torn ACL ended his season after just 15 games.

The Red Sox seemed to know that Mondesí was still on the mend from that surgery when they acquired him, as chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom said in January that Mondesí “still has a ways to go” in his rehab. Now that Opening Day has rolled around, it seems they still don’t expect him to return in the next two months, as he will now be ineligible to return prior to late May.

Once he is healthy, he figures to jump into Boston’s middle infield mix. With Xander Bogaerts now on the Padres and Trevor Story potentially missing the entire season due to elbow surgery, the club moved Enrique Hernández in from the outfield to cover shortstop and Christian Arroyo will be at second. Yu Chang is slotted in as the backup infielder for now, but Mondesí could push him for playing time if healthy.

2023 figures to be an important season for Mondesí, as he is a free agent at season’s end. Despite all the missed time due to those injuries, he’s obviously quite talented and will be just 28 years old when he hits the open market. A strong and healthy finish here in 2023 could make him an intriguing option in free agency this winter.

Tapia, 29, has spent most of his career with the Rockies but was traded to the Blue Jays prior to last year. He doesn’t hit for much power or walk a lot, but he limits strikeouts and brings a speed element. He stole just eight bases last year but swiped 20 bags the season prior. With the new rules that will encourage base stealing this year, perhaps that part of his game will take on some extra importance. As a hitter, he has 26 home runs in 567 career games to this point. He’s walked in just 5.5% of his plate appearances but also gone down on strikes just 18.5% of the time. His .277/.318/.392 batting line amounts to a wRC+ of 80. He is coming off a nice spring, however, as he hit a couple of home runs and slashed .326/.383/.605.

Tapia seemingly has value to Boston for his ability to play center field. With Trevor Story’s injury that will keep him out of most or perhaps all of the upcoming season, the Sox decided to move Enrique Hernández in from the outfield to cover shortstop. They then replaced him in center by signing Adam Duvall, who has never been an everyday option up the middle. The 34-year-old has less than 600 innings at the position in his career, all of which have come in the past three years.

Given that setup, it makes sense to have another player on the roster capable of filling in at center. Tapia isn’t especially experienced in center himself, as his 439 1/3 innings at that spot are actually less than Duvall’s. However, he’s got some good grades there for his career, including a +3 from Defensive Runs Saved and a +5 from Outs Above Average. It was reported last week that the Sox were viewing Tapia as a capable option up the middle, which seems to have helped him earn a spot on the roster.

That’s a job that could have fallen to Duran, who has mostly played center field in his career thus far. However, his first tastes of MLB action haven’t gone especially well. He’s hit .219/.269/.354 in 335 major league plate appearances thus far, leading to a wRC+ of 68. Despite those struggles, he’s not too far removed from being a top 100 prospect in the league. Given his potential upside, there’s merit in him getting regular playing time in the minors as opposed to backing up Duvall and spending much of his time on the bench. Tapia also had an opt-out on his minor league deal and Duran still has options, so this decision allows the club to keep both players around and maximize depth in center. Duran will start the season in Worcester and look to work his way back onto the big league club down the line.

The 29-year-old Tapia is a light-hitting but speedy outfielder who spent his entire career with the Rockies before getting traded to the Blue Jays last year. His career batting line of .277/.318/.392 amounts to a wRC+ of 80. What’s perhaps most pertinent to his situation in Boston is his ability to play center field. It was reported last week that the club is increasingly viewing him as a viable option there, despite most of his career being spent in left field thus far. Tapia has 2587 1/3 left field innings at the big league level to this point, compared to just 439 1/3 in center. Defensive metrics like his work up the middle more, which is strange since it’s generally considered the more demanding position. His center field work has resulted in +3 Defensive Runs Saved, +5 Outs Above Average and -1.6 Ultimate Zone Rating, compared to +1 DRS, -1 OAA and -1.1 UZR in left.

That’s relevant to the Sox since they have moved Enrique Hernández to shortstop to cover for the injured Trevor Story. To replace Hernández in center, they signed Adam Duvall, who is 34 years old, has less than 600 career innings in center and had his 2022 ended by wrist surgery. If Tapia were on the roster, he would give them some cover in the event Duvall doesn’t take well to regular work at the position or gets hurt. They also could potentially co-exist on the roster, given Duvall’s right-handed power-based approach and Tapia’s left-handed contact-based style.

Tapia’s main competition for that bench spot seems to be Jarren Duran. Alex Speier of the Boston Globe reported this morning that Duran is flying with the club to Boston but it’s still unclear if he’s going to be starting the year in the big leagues or Triple-A. He still has a couple of option years and could easily be sent down, though they would then have to find a 40-man spot for Tapia. If they’re able to do that, it might make sense for the 26-year-old Duran to get more reps in the minors as opposed to sitting on the bench in the big leagues. He has hit very well in the minors and even cracked Baseball America’s top 100 list a year ago, but his 91 MLB games have resulted in just a .219/.269/.354 batting line and 68 wRC+ thus far.

With the start of the season now just about 48 hours away, the Sox will have to make a decision shortly, whether it’s Tapia or Durran getting that final bench spot. They also might still shuffle around their relief mix a bit, as manager Alex Cora tells Chris Cotillo of MassLive that they are still looking at external options for the bullpen. “There’s a lot of stuff that is going on right now,” Cora says. “There’s a lot of guys out there. If we see an opportunity to take advantage of it, we’ll do it. If not, we’ll stay in house.”

The club has already been fairly active in changing its bullpen mix over the past few months, signing free agents like Kenley Jansen, Chris Martin and Joely Rodríguez. On the trade front, they dealt Matt Barnes for Richard Bleier, while also shipping out Josh Taylor, Darwinzon Hernández and Franklin German, among other deals. Despite that, it seems they may still find another move or two in the next little while. At this time of year, teams around the league are making their tough roster decisions, leading to intriguing players getting cut or perhaps opting out of contracts. Given all that, it wouldn’t be surprising if the Sox put in a waiver claim or make another trade in the coming days.

If Alfaro is not added to the club’s 40-man roster today, he can request that the Sox email the other 29 clubs, which they must do within 24 hours. Those other clubs will then have 24 hours to express their interest in giving Alfaro a spot on their own respective rosters. If one or multiple clubs are willing to give Alfaro a spot, Boston has 72 hours to decide whether or not to add Alfaro to their roster or let him join one of the other interested teams. If more than one team is interested, the Sox can choose which one he goes to.

The Red Sox only have two catchers on their 40-man roster at the moment, who are Reese McGuire and Connor Wong. The latter of those two was dealing with a hamstring strain earlier in spring, which seemed to open the door for Alfaro to get a job. However, Wong now seems healthy and back in the mix for a spot on the Opening Day roster. The Sox would surely love to keep Alfaro around as depth in the event another injury pops up, but it will depend on his level of interest from other clubs around the league.

Chris Hatfield of SoxProspects.com reports that utility player Niko Goodrum also has an upward mobility clause that gets going today, though it’s not known if it will take the exact same shape as Alfaro’s. The 31-year-old signed a minor league deal with the Red Sox on the heels of a rough season with the Astros. He hit .116/.156/.163 last year while striking out in 51.1% of his 45 plate appearances. He was optioned by the Astros but an injury limited him to just 20 minor league games for the year. He was released by Houston and the Red Sox took a flier on him but he’s hitting just .178/.275/.178 in spring so far. He can play all over the diamond but likely has steep odds of making the team, as he’s competing against guys who already have roster spots. Rob Refsnyder and Jarren Duran are candidates for a backup outfield job, while Bobby Dalbec and Yu Chang are potential bench infielders.

Another option for a job with the Red Sox is outfielder Raimel Tapia, who’s also in camp on a minor league deal. Hatfield adds that Tapia can opt-out of his deal on Monday if not added to the roster. Tapia was with the Blue Jays last year and hit .265/.292/.380 for a wRC+ of 90. With the Sox moving Enrique Hernández to cover shortstop while Trevor Story is injured, they have some uncertainty in center field. Adam Duvall is set to be the regular option there, though the 34-year-old has never seen extended time there. Tapia has primarily been a left fielder in his career, though he did play center in 38 games last year and the Sox are reportedly open to using him there as well. Perhaps that ability to play center gives him an edge in the battle for bench jobs in Boston, though he’s not on the 40-man right now. The club will evidently have to make a decision in the next couple of days or they could watch him walk away from his contract. He’s having a nice spring, hitting .325/.372/.600 thus far.

The Sox currently have a full 40-man roster and would have to open up some spots if they want to add anyone from this group. Should any of this group not make the club and then end up sticking around, they will have more options to opt out in the future. Per Hatfield, Goodrum can opt out on May 1 and July 1, Alfaro on June 1 and July 1 and Tapia on July 1. Additionally, outfielder Greg Allen has an upward mobility clause on May 15 and June 15.

It’s not likely to be a long-term stint. Crawford steps in with Garrett Whitlock and Brayan Bello both opening the year on the 15-day injured list. Whitlock, in particular, is expected back midway through the season’s first month. Assuming each of Corey Kluber, Chris Sale, Tanner Houck and Nick Pivetta remain healthy by that point, Crawford could find himself in long relief or optioned back to Triple-A Worcester. Potential returns from Bello and James Paxton later on would push him further down the depth chart.

Crawford, 27 next month, started 12 of 21 outings for the Sox last season. He pitched to a 5.47 ERA in 77 1/3 innings overall, though his 23.1% strikeout percentage and 8.7% walk rate were both solid. He predictably missed more bats in relief than he did as a starter but threw more strikes when working from the rotation.

In other news out of Boston:

• Reliever Wyatt Mills has been shut down from throwing after experiencing elbow inflammation, Speier writes. Fortunately, the issue is believed to be muscular rather than structural. Mills still seems likely to open the season on the 15-day IL but there doesn’t appear to be concern about a long-term absence in spite of the ominous-sounding diagnosis. Boston acquired the righty from the Royals over the winter, sending minor league reliever Jacob Wallace back to Kansas City. Mills split the 2022 campaign between Seattle and K.C., throwing 29 1/3 frames of 4.60 ERA ball. He still has a minor league option year remaining and wasn’t a lock to crack the season-opening bullpen.
• Catcher Connor Wong was hampered by a left hamstring strain early in camp. While the issue initially seemed as if it could lead to a season-opening IL stint, Wong now looks on track to be ready for Opening Day. Cora told reporters yesterday the 26-year-old backstop was a “full go” at this point (relayed by Ian Browne of MLB.com). With a week left until the start of the regular season, he should be in position to open the year on the roster. Wong and Reese McGuire are the two backstops on the 40-man. The catching outlook is one area the Sox will have to sort out in the coming days, as Boston could lose minor league signee Jorge Alfaro to an upward mobility clause in his contract if they’re not willing to put him on the MLB club. Alfaro has been on a tear in Spring Training, collecting 11 hits (including two homers) in 21 at-bats.
• Like Alfaro, Raimel Tapia is a veteran in camp on a minor league deal. The lefty-hitting outfielder is battling for a depth role behind the presumptive starting outfield of Masataka Yoshida, Adam Duvall and Alex Verdugo. Righty-swinging Rob Refsnyder is a virtual lock to secure a bench role, as is a backup catcher. That’d leave two spots, one of which seems likely to go to an infielder. Tapia brings plus contact skills and speed, though he’s not a prototypical fourth outfielder considering he’s spent the bulk of his career in left field. Chad Jennings of the Athletic writes that Boston is increasingly open to using Tapia in center field, where he played a career-high 249 2/3 innings for Toronto last season. That would increase his chances of making the roster, particularly since his skillset would be complementary to that of Duvall. Tapia is 13-40 with two walks, six strikeouts and a pair of homers this spring.

Tapia, 29 next month, joins the third organization of his professional career. The speedster first signed with the Rockies as an amateur from the Dominican Republic over the 2010-11 international period. A few years later, Tapia emerged as one of the sport’s more promising prospects. Evaluators praised his athleticism and bat-to-ball skills and suggested he could develop into a prototypical top-of-the-lineup sparkplug for Colorado.

The left-handed hitter got to the majors in 2016 but saw sporadic action for his first three seasons. He finally landed everyday playing time during the 2019 campaign and was a lineup regular for the next three years. Tapia indeed showed quality contact skills and speed at the MLB level, though he never consistently produced offensively. He owns a very aggressive approach and doesn’t have significant power, leading to an overall profile that’s heavily reliant on singles falling into play.

Tapia hit .280/.325/.395 in a little more than 1400 trips to the plate through the end of the 2021 season. Last spring, Colorado dealt Tapia to the Blue Jays for Randal Grichuk. The move balanced each club’s respective lineup, but neither player performed at a high level in 2022. Tapia posted a .265/.292/.380 line with seven home runs through 433 plate appearances, keeping his strikeouts at a modest 18.7% clip but drawing free passes less than 4% of the time he came to the plate. At season’s end, the Jays non-tendered him rather than retain him via arbitration on a salary that was projected by MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz at $5.2MM.

Over the course of his career, Tapia has suited up at all three outfield positions. The vast majority of his work has come in left field, where public metrics have pegged him as a roughly average defender. Tapia has rated reasonably well in a little over 400 career innings in center but never got much run there in deference to Charlie Blackmon and George Springer, respectively.

The Red Sox have looked to stockpile up-the-middle options in the wake of Xander Bogaerts’ free agent departure and Trevor Story’s injury. The free agent center field market is extremely thin at this stage of the offseason, leaving teams to sort through imperfect defensive fits or glove-first depth players. Boston agreed to a one-year deal with Adam Duvall yesterday, adding a right-handed bat to the mix. Tapia joins Jarren Duran as a left-handed option in the center field mix, though he’ll need to earn his way onto the roster with a strong spring showing.