The Red Sox have cleared two more spaces on their 40-man roster, announcing that the team has parted ways with infielders Jonathan Herrera and Carlos Rivero today. Boston outrighted Herrera from the 40-man roster this morning, a move which would send him to Triple-A Pawtucket; however, he elected free agency and is no longer a part of the organization. In addition, they placed Carlos Rivero on waivers and he was claimed by the Seattle Mariners today.
Herrera, acquired from the Colorado Rockies in exchange for pitchers Franklin Morales and Chris Martin, struggled in his first (and likely only) season in Boston. He slashed a meager .233/.307/.289 in 104 plate appearances–an anemic line even for a utility infielder– and was sent to Pawtucket over the summer due to the emergence of Brock Holt. With Holt on the roster, Herrera (whose real value came in his defense and versatility) is redundant and won’t be a major loss to the Red Sox.
Rivero, who played in four games this September, won’t be a big loss either as the 26-year old infielder finally reached the Major Leagues for the first time in 2014. Though he was impressive in his limited playing time, going 4-7 with a walk, two doubles, and a home run, he is likely nothing more than Minor League filler material.
With this news, the Red Sox now have four open spaces on their 40-man roster. With Blake Swihart, Eduardo Rodriguez, Sean Coyle, and Travis Shaw all eligible for the Rule Five draft this winter, the Red Sox will likely need to use all of those spaces. Considering that, there are likely more house-cleaning moves remaining in the coming days, which will give the Red Sox 40-man space for potential free agent and trade acquisitions. However, these moves will be very minor and don’t expect them to generate any more buzz than this one.