Braves’ latest roster move is a brutal reminder of Sox bullpen issues
Braves activate Kirby Yates, add to formidable bullpen amidst Red Sox struggles
When the Boston Red Sox and Atlanta Braves went to extra innings on Tuesday night, the key takeaway from the final few frames was how vastly different the two teams looked.
I’m not talking about the standings or their records, but rather how many great relief pitchers the Braves brought out, inning after inning, compared to the cobbled-together effort by a depleted, exhausted Sox bullpen. While the Braves sent for Collin McHugh, A.J. Minter, Raisel Iglesias, Kenley Jansen, Dylan Lee, and Tyler Matzek, the Sox turned to Ryan Brasier, Matt Barnes, Hirokazu Sawamura, John Schreiber, Garrett Whitlock, Kaleb Ort, and Austin Davis. The Braves relievers allowed just one earned run on five hits; the Sox arm barn gave up three earned runs on six.
All in all, it could have been a much worse game for Boston, and we’ve seen them have some historically-bad contests this year. But Tuesday was a winnable one, which makes it sting a bit more.
Now, the Braves are activating Kirby Yates, who is finally ready to go after a prolonged Tommy John recovery. Yates hasn’t pitched since 2020, but he was the game’s best closer the year before, posting a 1.19 ERA over 60 games, including 51 games finished and an MLB-leading 41 saves with the San Diego Padres. There’s no guarantee that he’ll be the pitcher he was before Tommy John surgery, but the Braves don’t even really need him to be. They have a stocked bullpen already and their strong reliever core got even more formidable when they acquired Iglesias from the Los Angeles Angels at the trade deadline.
What a stark contrast to the Sox’ “depth” move on Tuesday, signing Jeurys Familia to a minor-league contract after the Philadelphia Phillies released him last week. It says so much about the current state of the Sox that they’ll take a flier on Familia, who offers about as much depth as a puddle on a flat road. This is not to say that fans should have had high expectations for any post-trade deadline signings, simply that there is very little upside to signing a pitcher whose velocity and strikeout rate are way down.
The Sox also placed Tanner Houck on the 15-Day Injured List with back inflammation. He joins about half the pitching staff on the sidelines, one of many reasons a promising season has gone completely off the rails.
Lack of depth is just one of many ways the Sox can’t measure up to legitimate contenders. The sheer number of injuries is staggering, but well-constructed rosters are built to withstand injuries and supplement missing players. The Sox are unable to do that, and the results speak for themselves.
