The Boston Red Sox continue to remain somewhat afloat, sitting on a record of 39-37. Of course, they're last in the absurd AL East, but they're only 2.5 games back of an AL Wild Card spot. The Sox have an uphill battle to play meaningful October baseball, but they shouldn't be counted out just yet.
With the trade deadline looming, it's hard to really predict what Chaim Bloom will do. Getting Trevor Story back at some point in the second half should provide a lift, but who knows if this team will even buy?
When looking at this Red Sox roster you can tell pretty easily which players won't be going anywhere, but there're also players who don't belong on a roster vying for a postseason spot.
1) Red Sox player who won't be on the roster by July 1: Kaleb Ort
Kaleb Ort is here because of all of the injuries. The Sox have five relievers on the IL right now with Joely Rodriguez being the latest to go on the list earlier this month. If Boston wants to go anywhere, Ort probably shouldn't be here.
In his 16 appearances (one start) the right-hander has an ERA of 6.00 in 18 innings of work. In his 42 MLB appearances he has an ERA of 6.17 in 28.1 innings pitched. I like Ort's stuff, but it's becoming abundantly clear that this guy is nothing more than a AAAA type of pitcher.
Relievers with options already get treated pretty poorly. They're often overworked and when they start to struggle or can't go for a couple of days they're sent down. This even happens to relievers who pitch well just to get a fresh arm up. In Ort's case he's an optionable reliever who hasn't pitched well.
Since his recent recall he's been a bit better, allowing two earned runs in 5.2 innings pitched including three scoreless frames against the Rays, but the body of work tells another story. He's here now, but won't be for long.