Red Sox outright Joely Rodriguez to Triple-A Worcester, option infielder to make room for new trade acquisition
The Red Sox outrighted left-handed reliever Joely Rodriguez off the 40-man roster and sent him to Triple-A Worcester after he cleared waivers.
Rodriguez was designated for assignment on Sunday after posting a 6.55 ERA and 1.55 WHIP across 11 frames. In two seasons with the Red Sox, Rodriguez has posted an identical 6.55 ERA over 22 innings.
Boston re-signed the southpaw to a minor league contract during the spring. He won a spot on the 26-man roster out of camp but failed to gain any consistency on the mound.
Red Sox manager Alex Cora still has confidence in Rodriguez but knows it will not happen in Boston.
“Strike throwing; the stuff looked down, and we needed help here,” Cora said. “We’ve got two lefties that are throwing the ball well, and like I said in Seattle, Bernie was sent down. Was it the right move? It is what it is. Joely has been a big leaguer throughout his career; he’s been good at what he does, and it just didn’t happen.
“Obviously disappointed yesterday that happened,” Cora continued. “I believe there’s something there still, but for us right now, this is what we have to do.”
The Red Sox are optioning infielder Enmanuel Valdez to Worcester to make room for new acquisition Zack Short, according to the Boston Globe’s Julian McWilliams.
After a promising 2023 campaign, Valdez hasn’t found the same consistency at plate slashing .156/.186/.267 across 98 plate appearances in the majors.
With Vaughn Grissom reportedly being activated on Friday for the series opener in Minnesota and the addition of Short, Valdez's playing time was expected to dwindle considerably. Boston can option the 25-year-old to Triple-A and allow him to get regular at-bats and continue to build on his defensive game.
The Red Sox will need to make an additional roster move to add Grissom to the roster in the coming days. Bobby Dalbec and David Hamilton are the two top candidates to return to the WooSox.
