WooSox veteran reliever putting himself on the map for a future big league call-up
The Red Sox added a handful of veterans this winter to provide potential organizational depth. Boston signed right-handed reliever Nick Burdi in early March; his signing came on the heels of Boston adding Adam Ottavino and Matt Moore, who both competed for a spot in the Sox’ bullpen.
The Red Sox have since released Ottavino and Moore. On the other hand, Burdi has stayed in the Sox system and has performed exceptionally well for the WooSox since the season's beginning. Burdi has struck out 11 batters and allowed just three hits and walked one in 6 2/3 scoreless frames.
The 32-year-old has pitched himself into the conversation to be a possible call-up candidate if Boston needs another reliever in their bullpen.
“He’s had a great season so far — kind of making hitters look silly," said Red Sox pitcher Michael Fulmer to MassLive, who was Burdi’s teammate with the WooSox to begin the year.
Burdi technically signed on Feb. 12; his minor league pact didn’t include an invitation to big league camp. He spent the entirety of camp on the minor league side, with the exception of one outing in a Grapefruit League game on March 17. The veteran righty retired all five Atlanta batters he faced on 18 pitches (13 strikes). He struck out two batters swinging and earned a save in the Sox’ 2-1 victory over the Braves.
“Burdi really put the time and work in to kind of master his craft, and it’s paying off,” Fulmer said.
The right-handed hurler pitched for the Yankees last season, making their Opening Day roster, and posted a 1.86 ERA, striking out 12 while walking nine over a career-high 12 appearances (9 2/3 innings). He averaged 97.5 mph on his fastball and offers a slider that sits in the upper 80s. A hip issue caused him to miss time last season.
Throughout his career, Burdi has experienced numerous injuries, including undergoing Tommy John surgery in May 2017 and October 2020. He also underwent surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome in 2019. He missed a chunk of time in 2023 after an emergency appendectomy.
The former Louisville star was drafted by the Twins in the second round of the 2014 MLB Draft. He’s made 31 appearances for the Pirates, Cubs, and Yankees over parts of the last five seasons. Burdi owns a career 6.48 ERA over 25 big league innings.
Chief baseball officer Craig Breslow has some familiarity with Burdi after the Cubs drafted him in the Triple-A phase of the Rule 5 draft. Breslow served as the Cubs assistant general manager and vice president of pitching before joining the Red Sox as their new front office leader.
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