Red Sox designate two veterans for assignment, acquire right-handed reliever from reserve list

The Red Sox are releasing two veterans, designating right-handed pitcher Chase Anderson and catcher Reese McGuire for assignment to make room on the active roster for new additions as part of the James Paxton and Danny Jansen trade.

Additionally, the Red Sox acquired right-handed reliever Yohan Ramirez from the Los Angeles Dodgers’ reserve roster.

Anderson was Boston’s longtime reliever from the bullpen, and in that role he posted a 4.85 ERA in 52 innings. Anderson typically pitched in low-risk situations when the Red Sox were either far ahead or far behind, but with Paxton set to join the Red Sox rotation, the club had a decision to make and decided to cut ties with Anderson so Cooper Criswell could move from the No. 5 position to the bullpen.

“What a great guy,” Red Sox manager Cora said of Anderson. “He got there on the last day of spring training and it felt like he had been there for years.”

McGuire was originally acquired at the 2022 trade deadline and has served primarily as Boston’s backup catcher since then. His offensive production has dried up this season, and in 52 games he had a .209 average with three home runs, 18 RBI and a .575 OPS. He became expendable after the Red Sox acquired Jansen on Saturday, and the former Blue Jays will now be Boston’s secondary catcher alongside Connor Wong.

Cora said bringing in Jansen will help create more balance in the lineup, but called the move a strengthening of the entire lineup, not just the catcher position.

“Reese has done a good job, especially defensively, over the last month and a half. If you look at the numbers, he’s going to be top three in the league and he’s going to do a great job with the pitching staff,” Cora said. “It was tough because he hadn’t played that much, so for him to get into a rhythm, I expected him to play more, but then Connor came along.”

Ramirez, a 29-year-old right-handed pitcher, was designated for assignment by the Dodgers earlier this week after posting a 5.98 ERA in 43.2 innings in 37 appearances this season. Ramirez has also played for the New York Mets and Baltimore Orioles, and if he is added to Boston’s major league roster, the Red Sox would become his fourth MLB club this season.

Paxton will wear number 65 for the Red Sox, while Jansen will wear number 28.

Originally published: Jul 28, 2024 at 15:26