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Johan Oviedo Johan Oviedo Positive fastball signs in return
Sun, Feb 8, 2026, 10:23 AM
Oviedo's fastball improved significantly upon his return from elbow surgery in 2025, Mike Petriello of MLB.com reports.
Analysis: Surface indicators aren't particularly kind to Oviedo, but the Red Sox took a deeper dive and liked the direction of the right-hander's fastball. Prior to undergoing Tommy John elbow surgery in 2024, Oviedo had a decent-enough campaign over 177.2 innings for the Pirates in 2023. That's when he finished 11th in MLB with a plus-11 Run Value on his slider. His fastball, however, was at the other end of the spectrum, minus-10 (178th out of 179 qualified starters). Oviedo's four-seamer had respectable velocity (96 mph) but poor vertical movement. Upon his return in 2025, both metrics showed significant improvement. The pitch that allowed a .275 batting average and .465 slugging percentage in 2023 dropped to .149/.383, while its Whiff rate climbed from 18.5 percent to 31.3. Its Stuff+ metric rose from 82 in 2023 to 115 last year. The Red Sox believe they're getting in on Oviedo at the right time, but it's important to note the small sample size in 2025 -- just 40.1 innings -- and that Oviedo's already troublesome walk rate (4.2 BB/9 in 2023) ticked higher to 5.1 in 2025. |
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Tsung-Che Cheng Tsung-Che Cheng Goes to Boston via waivers
Fri, Feb 6, 2026, 1:53 PM
The Red Sox claimed Cheng off waivers from the Nationals on Friday, Gabrielle Starr of the Boston Herald reports.
Analysis: It's the fifth organization Cheng has been in this offseason, as he has been bouncing around all winter via waivers. The 24-year-old went hitless in seven plate appearances during a cup of coffee in the majors and slashed only .209/.307/.271 at Triple-A Indianapolis in the Pirates organization last season, but he's known for a reliable infield glove. |
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Brendan Rodgers Brendan Rodgers Joining Red Sox
Thu, Feb 5, 2026, 10:21 PM
Rodgers (back) signed a minor-league contract with the Red Sox on Thursday, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.
Analysis: Rodgers endured an injury-plagued 2025 season with the Astros, as he was limited to only 128 plate appearances due to a combination of multiple issues. He should have had plenty of time to get healthy ahead of the 2026 campaign, and he will be set to compete for a roster spot with the Red Sox. Rodgers could land a bench role, as Boston has several options at second base but currently lacks any standout options. |
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Marcelo Mayer Marcelo Mayer More ABs against lefties
Thu, Feb 5, 2026, 6:50 AM
Red Sox manager Alex Cora noted at Fenway Fest in January that he envisions Mayer getting more playing time against left-handers in 2026, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.
Analysis: Mayer was allotted 27 of 136 plate appearances at the MLB level against lefties in 2025, managing a miniscule .416 OPS in the small sample size. With the departure of Alex Bregman, it's likely Mayer will take over at third base this season, and Cora wants a more full-time role for the 23-year-old infielder, who is capable of slotting in at three infield positions. Boston's recent signing of Isiah Kiner-Falefa, a Gold Glove winner at third base in 2020 while with Texas, could impact the eventual infield positioning, but he appears ticketed for a rotation at second base with several other candidates. |
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Isiah Kiner-Falefa Isiah Kiner-Falefa Lands one-year deal with Boston
Wed, Feb 4, 2026, 6:09 PM
Kiner-Falefa signed a one-year, $6 million contract with the Red Sox on Wednesday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.
Analysis: Kiner-Falefa spent time with the Pirates and Blue Jays in 2025, slashing .262/.297/.334 with 40 RBI, 45 runs scored and 15 stolen bases across 459 regular-season plate appearances. The 30-year-old's career .262 batting average and ability to play three infield positions will help him to crack the starting nine occasionally, but he's unlikely to secure a regular starting job with the Red Sox. |
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Mickey Gasper Mickey Gasper Heading back to Boston
Wed, Feb 4, 2026, 1:04 PM
The Red Sox claimed Gasper off waivers from the Nationals on Wednesday.
Analysis: Gasper broke into the majors with the Red Sox in 2024 before spending the 2025 campaign with the Twins. He's slashed only .133/.250/.195 in 58 games between the two stops, but Gasper offers unique versatility with the ability to play catcher, first base, second base and left field. Gasper has minor-league options remaining, so he could begin the upcoming season at Triple-A Worcester. |
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Vinny Nittoli Vinny Nittoli Goes to Red Sox as NRI
Mon, Feb 2, 2026, 4:26 PM
The Red Sox signed Nittoli to a minor-league contract Monday that includes an invitation to spring training, Ari Alexander of 7 News Boston reports.
Analysis: Nittoli saw limited action in the majors every season from 2021-2024 but spent all of 2025 at the Triple-A level, collecting a 4.58 ERA and 46:15 K:BB over 39.1 innings. The 35-year-old will compete for a bullpen role in Boston but is likely ticketed for Triple-A Worcester. |
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Matt Thaiss Matt Thaiss Inks NRI deal with Boston
Sat, Jan 31, 2026, 6:47 PM
Thaiss signed a minor-league contract with the Red Sox on Saturday that includes an invitation to spring training, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.
Analysis: Thaiss has plenty of MLB experience, having played in 305 career regular-season games, mostly with the Angels. He's struggled with the bat, however, posting a .652 OPS with 23 homers, 95 RBI, seven steals and a 28.3 percent strikeout rate across 961 plate appearances. Boston is expected to begin the campaign with Carlos Narvaez (knee) and Connor Wong (hand) as its top two backstops, so Thaiss will probably enter spring training as insurance in case one of those two catchers is sidelined. |
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Brayan Bello Brayan Bello Part of trade talks
Sat, Jan 31, 2026, 10:23 AM
Bello has been the subject of recent trade talks, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.
Analysis: According to a December report from Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon of The Athletic, the Red Sox "quietly shopped" Bello -- something the organization disputed at the time -- but a league source confirmed to McCaffrey that Bello's name has surfaced in trade discussions. What's changed since December is that Boston's added several starters and has a wealth of starting options that could make other teams enviable. In addition to Bello, Patrick Sandoval and Jordan Hicks are generating interest. The 26-year-old Bello is entering the third year of a six-year deal and is seen as a young, controllable mid-rotation starter another organization might covet. Apparently, Boston is more likely to trade Bello than its top prospects, Connelly Early or Payton Tolle. Bello posted a 3.35 ERA in 2025, but it could have been higher given a favorable BABIP (.268) and a lack of swing-and-miss ability (17.7 strikeout percentage, 6.7 K/9). |
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Triston Casas Triston Casas Unlikely to be ready Opening Day
Fri, Jan 16, 2026, 8:47 AM
Casas (knee) said last week that being ready for Opening Day would be a "tight squeeze," Tim Healey of The Boston Globe reports.
Analysis: Casas added that doctors have told him a typical recovery from patellar tendon surgery is 12 months, which would point to him being ready for his season debut around May 1. The first baseman has been rehabbing at Boston's spring training facility in Florida this offseason and hopes to play in some spring training games. The Red Sox traded for Willson Contreras in December to take over at first base, so they can proceed cautiously with Casas' rehab. |
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Ranger Suarez Ranger Suarez Lands five-year deal with Boston
Wed, Jan 14, 2026, 1:23 PM
The Red Sox signed Suarez to a five-year, $130 million contract Wednesday, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports.
Analysis: After watching Alex Bregman walk out the door, the Red Sox have pivoted to further bolstering their rotation with Suarez. The left-hander has never thrown more than 157.1 innings in a regular season, but Suarez boasts a 3.25 ERA over 143 regular-season appearances since the beginning of the 2021 campaign. Suarez also has an excellent postseason track record, having collected a 1.48 ERA and 44:13 K:BB across 42.2 frames. |
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Willson Contreras Willson Contreras Pegged for cleanup spot
Mon, Jan 12, 2026, 10:16 AM
Red Sox manager Alex Cora said Saturday that he expects Contreras to be his cleanup hitter this season, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports.
Analysis: Things could change based on additional moves the Red Sox make this offseason, but as things stand right now, Contreras is penciled into the No. 4 spot. Jarren Duran, Trevor Story and Roman Anthony appear likely to hit in the first three spots of the batting order, setting Contreras up for plenty of RBI opportunities. Acquired via trade from the Cardinals in December, Contreras slashed 257/.344/.447 with 20 home runs over 562 plate appearances with St. Louis in 2025. |
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Kutter Crawford Kutter Crawford Throws off mound
Sat, Jan 10, 2026, 10:47 AM
Crawford (wrist) threw off a mound Friday, Gabrielle Starr of the Boston Herald reports.
Analysis: Crawford sat out the entire 2025 season while recovering from both a knee injury and surgery on his wrist. Friday marked the first time he's worked off a mound since going under the knife in July. The 29-year-old righty said Saturday that he is now fully healthy but is a bit behind schedule compared to his typical offseason progression, which may impact his chances of making the Red Sox's rotation immediately out of spring training. |
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Seth Martinez Seth Martinez Signs with Red Sox as NRI
Fri, Jan 9, 2026, 3:30 PM
The Red Sox signed Martinez to a minor-league contract Friday that includes an invitation to spring training, Andrew Parker of SoxProspects.com reports.
Analysis: Martinez has produced a 4.00 ERA and 126:57 K:BB over 144 innings covering parts of five major-league seasons. The 31-year-old will try to win a spot in the Boston bullpen but is likely ticketed for Triple-A Worcester to begin the 2026 campaign. |
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Romy Gonzalez Romy Gonzalez Settles at $1.6 million
Thu, Jan 8, 2026, 4:02 PM
Gonzalez agreed to a one-year, $1.6 million contract with the Red Sox on Thursday to avoid arbitration, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.
Analysis: After enjoying a breakout season in his first year with the Red Sox in 2024, Gonzalez continued to improve in '25 and finished the regular season with a .305/.343/.483 slashline alongside nine homers, 53 RBI, 47 runs scored and six steals across 341 plate appearances. He'll receive an $826,000 raise as a reward for his continued progression and enters 2026 as the frontrunner for regular reps at second base. |
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Triston Casas Triston Casas Gets $1.61 million from BoSox
Thu, Jan 8, 2026, 3:54 PM
Casas (knee) agreed to a one-year, $1.61 million contract with the Red Sox on Thursday to avoid arbitration, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.
Analysis: Casas' 2025 campaign was disappointing, to say the least, as he slashed just .182/.277/.303 across 112 plate appearances before suffering a season-ending knee injury in May. His path to regular playing time at first base has seemingly disappeared as well, following the Red Sox's acquisition of Willson Contreras (shoulder) from St. Louis in December. It's worth noting that Casas has minor-league options remaining, so the team may decide to send him back to Triple-A Worcester if his struggles continue into spring training. |
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Tanner Houck Tanner Houck Settles with Red Sox
Thu, Jan 8, 2026, 12:58 PM
Houck (elbow) avoided arbitration with the Red Sox by signing a one-year, $4.15 million contract Thursday, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.
Analysis: Houck never found his footing on the mound in 2025, putting up an 8.04 ERA and 1.69 WHIP over 43.2 innings before elbow trouble ended his season in May. He underwent hybrid UCL repair surgery in mid-August to address the issue and is aiming to return around the end of the 2026 season, though he may have to wait until 2027 to rejoin Boston's rotation. |
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Johan Oviedo Johan Oviedo Gets $1.55 million from Boston
Thu, Jan 8, 2026, 12:49 PM
Oviedo signed a one-year, $1.55 million contract with the Red Sox on Thursday to avoid arbitration, Ari Alexander of 7 News Boston reports.
Analysis: A lat strain prevented Oviedo from making his first appearance of 2025 until August, at which point he turned in a 3.57 ERA and 1.21 WHIP over 40.1 innings in nine starts with the Pirates. After being traded to Boston in December, the 27-year-old will take in a $700,000 raise from his new club and look to win a spot in the Sox's rotation during spring training. |
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Kutter Crawford Kutter Crawford Avoids arbitration with Red Sox
Tue, Jan 6, 2026, 9:19 AM
The Red Sox and Crawford (wrist) avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $2.75 million contract Tuesday, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.
Analysis: Crawford will receive the same salary in 2026 after he missed the entire 2025 season due to a knee injury and then right wrist surgery. The hurler is expected to be ready in time for Opening Day, though it's possible he's slow-played at the beginning of spring training. Assuming health, Crawford is set to compete for a spot in Boston's rotation. |
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Devin Sweet Devin Sweet Catches on with Boston
Sun, Jan 4, 2026, 2:29 PM
Sweet signed a minor-league contract with the Red Sox on Dec. 18.
Analysis: The 29-year-old right-handed reliever previously saw action in the big leagues during the 2023 season, when he made seven total appearances between the Mariners and Athletics. He pitched exclusively at Triple-A Lehigh Valley in the Phillies organization in 2025, logging a 5.47 ERA, 1.49 WHIP and 50:30 K:BB over 52.2 innings. |
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