The Red Sox are moving on from Rule 5 right-hander Ryan Watson, designating him for assignment to clear a roster spot for lefty Erik Miller, according to Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com. Miller came over from San Francisco just before yesterday’s trade deadline.
Watson’s Boston run came after a somewhat roundabout path into the organization. The Red Sox had the A’s use the eighth overall pick on him in the Rule 5 draft, then sent infielder Justin Riemer to the Athletics to bring Watson to Boston. Once there, he settled into a familiar role: bullpen depth, mostly in low-leverage spots.
The results were solid enough on the surface, if not especially overpowering. Watson threw 55 2/3 innings and posted a 4.53 ERA, with a 7.9% walk rate.
The bigger issue was that he wasn’t missing bats or getting grounders at useful rates, finishing with a 17.9% strikeout rate and a 38.4% ground-ball rate. The Giants had seen better strikeout and walk numbers from him with their Triple-A club the year before, but that version of Watson never really showed up in Boston.
By and large, the Red Sox used him as a mop-up arm, and the deadline addition of another former Giant in Miller is the move that squeezed him out.
Because Watson is a Rule 5 pick, the next step is the waiver wire, where all 28 other teams get a shot at him. If he clears, Boston has to offer him back to San Francisco for $50K.
The Giants could then assign him to a minor league affiliate without needing to keep him on the 40-man roster. If another club claims him instead, Watson would go straight onto that team’s major league roster, and his Rule 5 limitations would follow him there - meaning he can’t be optioned this season, though that changes next spring.
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