Red Sox: Five players on the roster bubble
The Boston Red Sox will have some roster decisions to make with two players on their way back from the disabled list. Who is at risk of losing their spot?
25 players. That’s how many an MLB team can have active at one time. The Boston Red Sox are preparing to activate two players from the disabled list in the near future. That means two other players are about to lose their spot.
Knuckleball pitcher Steven Wright has sufficiently recovered from knee surgery that sidelined him to begin the season. He has also now served the 15-game suspension for violating the league’s domestic violence policy. Wright is eligible to be activated on Monday. He’s out of minor league options, therefore he must be added to the active roster or designated for assignment.
Letting him go doesn’t appear to be the plan, as manager Alex Cora indicated the intention is to bring Wright back as a reliever. He’s capable of giving the Red Sox multiple innings in relief and forces opposing lineups to adjust to his unique style in the middle of a game.
Second baseman Dustin Pedroia is expected to begin his rehab assignment with Triple-A Pawtucket this week. His imminent return will be a welcome addition to an infield that has struggled a bit defensively. With Pedroia receiving the bulk of the playing time at second, Eduardo Nunez can revert to the utility role he’s best suited for.
The return of Wright and Pedroia means that a bench player and reliever from the current roster are in jeopardy of being shipped to Pawtucket. Or being jettisoned from the organization altogether.
Let’s take a look at which players are on the bubble to see who may be in danger of losing their spot on the big league roster.
Left-hander Brian Johnson has been Boston’s least effective pitcher this season. He produced a solid spot start in his first appearance, holding the Miami Marlins to one run over six innings. His time in the bullpen since then has been disastrous.
Johnson has allowed 13 runs in 13 innings of relief. Boston has lost four of the last five games he’s appeared in, with Johnson getting tagged with two of those losses himself. He’s allowed 11 runs over his last six innings of work, including the walk-off home run he allowed in Toronto without recording an out.
While he’s currently on the only southpaw in the Red Sox bullpen, the team may not need a lefty specialist given how well their right-handed arms have performed against left-handed bats. Being left-handed won’t necessarily be enough to save Johnson’s roster spot.
The one factor he does have in his favor is that Johnson is out of minor league options. If he’s not willing to accept a demotion to Triple-A then the Red Sox would be forced to designate him for assignment. As brutal as he’s been as a reliever, Johnson still has some value as depth for the starting rotation.
Johnson’s performance doesn’t warrant keeping him on the active roster but his job may be saved simply because the Red Sox want to avoid losing him for nothing.
Banishing Hector Velazquez to Triple-A would seem cruel given how well he’s pitched this year. He’s been solid both as a spot starter and a reliever.
Velazquez won both of his starts filling in for injured rotation members, lasting at least five innings and giving up no more than two runs in both outings.
He’s been credited with three more wins and allowed only three earned runs in 15 innings of relief. Velazquez can be counted on to pitch multiple innings of relief, which has been invaluable to saving a bullpen that has struggled to get to closer Craig Kimbrel.
Overall, Velazquez is 5-0 with a 2.10 ERA this season. Only Kimbrel has been better among Red Sox relievers.
However, there are a few reasons why Velazquez could be one of the players to lose their spot.
He’s been solid against right-handed hitters, holding them to a .250 average and .580 OPS. Lefties have given Velazquez headaches though, batting .300 with a .924 OPS against him. If those splits continue then it may be hard to trust him for prolonged stints unless he’s facing a right-handed heavy lineup.
Velazquez also owns a pedestrian 6.1 K/9. It’s encouraging that he’s reduced his walk and home run rates but if those numbers regress to last year’s level and his strikeout rate doesn’t pick up then it’s hard to imagine he’ll sustain this success.
Wright’s return gives the Red Sox another long reliever option, which makes Velazquez more expendable. Unlike Johnson, Velazquez does have minor league options remaining. He’s done nothing to deserve a demotion but Velazquez could be the odd man out based on roster construction and baseball politics.
Brock Holt is having an encouraging bounce-back campaign following a 2017 season nearly wiped out by concussion symptoms and vertigo. The return of Pedroia will make Boston’s infield a bit more crowded and the Brock Star is one player who could potentially be squeezed out.
Holt is hitting a solid .317 with a .853 OPS this season. He was one of the team’s hottest hitters last month before spending a short stint on the disabled list with a hamstring injury.
His defensive versatility makes Holt a valuable bench option and he’s hitting well enough to stick on the roster. That doesn’t necessarily mean he will stay.
Missing 10 days with an injury may have cooled off Holt’s bat. He’s only 2-for-10 at the plate since his return last week.
While he’s proven capable of getting hot for extended periods, his long-term upside at the plate if limited. Holt has never hit double-digit home runs or 30 doubles in a season. His career-high OPS is only .727. He can still provide solid production for a bench player but he lacks the upside of the other options the Red Sox have at their disposal.
Holt does have a minor league option remaining. While it may not go over well in the clubhouse to send a fan favorite and former All-Star to the minors, optioning Holt could be the only way to keep another player in the organization.
Blake Swihart is the most misused player in the Red Sox organization. Catcher is his natural position but he hasn’t proven himself capable of handling the defensive responsibilities at the major league level. At least not to the point where the team is comfortable using him at catcher over either of their other options.
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The Red Sox have tried using Swihart at other positions with moderate success. However, his bat hasn’t been the same since his collision with the left field wall in 2016. He’s currently hitting .160/.250/.200 in 25 at-bats this season.
It’s been a very discouraging downturn for a once-promising prospect. Has learning new positions been too much of a distraction for him to focus at the plate? Is he struggling to find a rhythm with sporadic playing time?
Swihart isn’t going to improve by sitting on the bench but the Red Sox can’t afford to play him every day while he’s struggling. He’s out of minor league options so he can’t be sent to Pawtucket unless the team can convince him that the consistent playing time he’d receive in Triple-A is the best thing for him.
It would also be difficult to try to trade him with his value at rock bottom. Another team would need to be convinced he’s a viable option at catcher since his bat doesn’t profile as well at other positions. If he doesn’t heat up soon, his bat doesn’t profile well at any position.
Boston is in a bind with Swihart. Either they stick with giving him occasional playing time off the bench or they cut bait with him.
Sandy Leon provides value as a backup catcher due to his defensive skills behind the plate. How effective does his glove need to be in order to warrant keeping his anemic bat around?
Leon has been the team’s worst hitter, batting .159 with a .440 OPS in 44 at-bats. Only four American League hitters have produced a lower OPS in at least 40 at-bats.
Boston’s other catching options haven’t fared much better. We’ve covered how inept Swihart has been. Christian Vazquez is batting .179 with a .447 OPS. Red Sox catchers own the league’s lowest collective OPS and second-lowest batting average.
Vazquez’ role seems secure given that the Red Sox handed him a three-year extension prior to this season. If the team believes in Swihart’s long-term outlook, both with his bat and behind the plate, then Leon could be the odd man out.
The Red Sox value defense over offense at the catcher position. Leon has at least been sufficient at the former and his rapport with ace Chris Sale may warrant keeping him around.
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Leon has arguably been the least valuable player on the team this year yet may also be the least likely of these five candidates to lose his roster spot. That’s not fair to the other candidates to be cut but sometimes that’s how baseball works, for better or worse.