Why didn’t Hirokazu Sawamura get optioned when rosters shrunk down from 28 to 26 players?
The Red Sox trimmed their active roster from 28 players to 26 by optioning outfielder Jaylin Davis and reliever Phillips Valdez to Triple-A Worcester.
Major League Baseball allowed teams to have 28 players on their active roster to begin the season due to the lockout. All teams must cut their rosters down by two players by Monday.
Davis getting optioned to the WooSox was no surprise. He was recently claimed on waivers from the Giants. He made his Red Sox team debut on Sunday and got two hits in the 9-5 loss to the Orioles. Davis will supply additional outfield depth for the Red Sox at the Triple-A level.
The one offensive player that survived the cuts was Bobby Dalbec. The struggling first baseman has had a miserable start to the season. After an impressive spring, Dalbec is hitting .147 with one home run and three RBIs in 68 at-bats.
Valdez started out strong for the club to begin the season until Sunday. The right-hander was tagged for four runs on four hits while walking a batter against the Orioles. His ERA entering the game was 3.24 in 8 1/2 innings and after 53 pitches Sunday, it exploded to a 6.10 ERA.
Surprisingly Hirokazu Sawamura wasn’t sent to Triple-A Worcester after his miscue during the Saturday night loss to the Orioles. On paper, Sawamura’s stats look good, he has posted a 2.45 ERA in nine games.
However, his play in the 10th inning to airmail a cleanly fielded ground ball over the head of Rafael Devers is inexcusable. Despite Valdez giving up the four runs on Sunday, he provided Boston a lively arm who could offer them bulk innings.
The Red Sox have a late inning option issue in the bullpen. Boston lacks a true closer which is causing headaches for manager Alex Cora and fans alike. Chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom needs to address the bullpen and find a true ninth inning option. Matt Barnes and Sawamura aren’t the answers.
Hansel Robles could be the ninth inning option, but if Bloom can find a true closer, Robles would be better suited in a more of a setup role. At the end of the day, the Red Sox have issues with their big league roster. The offense is in a massive funk and they lack a true ninth inning option.
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