3 Red Sox players who won't be on the roster by July 1
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.
2) Red Sox player who won't be on the roster by July 1: Caleb Hamilton
I get the dire circumstances that led to Caleb Hamilton's promotion. Reese McGuire is hurt and Jorge Alfaro is no longer with the organization. That still doesn't excuse the fact that Hamilton is really not a MLB caliber catcher.
The 28-year-old appeared in 22 games for the Twins last season and didn't show much offensively, recording just one hit in 18 at-bats. That one hit did leave the yard, but Hamilton did also strike out 14 times which is obviously not good.
This season for AAA Worcester Hamilton was slashing .180/.285/.310 with three home runs and 13 RBI before his call-up. Again, not great.
While Connor Wong has done enough to earn the starting role in McGuire's absence, the Sox will need a MLB-caliber catcher that can play a couple of times a week. Hamilton has not proven to be that.
It would've been ideal to just promote Alfaro by the time he opted out, but that ship has sailed. Finding a guy on the waiver wire or in free agency would be in Chaim Bloom's best interest, especially if McGuire has to miss substantial time. Even a minor tra
3) Red Sox player who won't be on the roster by July 1: Joe Jacques
While Kaleb Ort is a reliever with options who hasn't shown much of a reason for him to still be on the roster, Joe Jacques is another reliever with options who hasn't been awful.
He's only made four appearances. Two of them have been solid including two scoreless innings against the Rockies. The other two weren't as great. Overall, the ERA looks solid as he's allowed just one earned run in 4.1 innings of work.
The left-hander doesn't exactly deserve to go down since he hasn't gotten much of a chance at the big league level, but again, that's how things work with relievers who have options.
The only other relievers on the roster right now with options are Josh Winckowski, Brennan Bernardino, Justin Garza, and the aforementioned Ort. Winckowski and Bernardino aren't going anywhere, and Garza has seemingly earned his spot as well. That leaves Jacques as the odd-man out.
I think it'd be nice to have a second lefty in the bullpen long-term, but nothing from this starting rotation has shown me that the relievers will be rested enough so someone like Jacques won't have to go up and down from the minors.
Boston should also potentially be looking for an upgrade to the bullpen if the team is competitive, which once again leaves Jacques' spot in danger.
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