Brennan Bernardino reportedly earns last bullpen spot
With Opening Day a little more than 24 hours away, the Red Sox roster is set. While they will wait until the noon deadline on Thursday to submit their roster, the plan is for Brennan Bernardino to occupy the last reliever spot, according to MLB.com’s Ian Browne. The move comes as no surprise following a solid spring from Bernardino.
In seven games, the 33-year-old posted a 3.12 ERA and struck out 12 batters. He held opponents to a .229 batting average and only allowed one home run. He will be able to build on his success from last season in the majors without spending any time in Worcester.Â
Over the last two years, Bernardino has become a reliable arm for Alex Cora. In 57 games last year, he posted a 4.06 ERA and made three appearances as an opener. The veteran reliever set a new career high in innings for the second straight season with 51. Regardless of the role the California native was asked to play, he found success.Â
Now that Bernardino is expected to make the team, the Red Sox have three lefties to choose from. That should allow Alex Cora to be creative based on matchups throughout the season.
When the Red Sox open their 2025 campaign, Bernardino will likely be an option in the sixth or seventh inning. He succeeded in that role last year, recording a career-high 14 holds. Bernardino has also shown he can be a very good opener if someone in the rotation needs a day off. The Red Sox already have a formidable trio of arms in high-leverage situations, including Liam Hendricks, Justin Slaten, and Garrett Whitlock.Â
The Red Sox can now focus on ending their playoff drought with a roster that looks very different than this time last year.