The Red Sox have released left-hander Joe La Sorsa, trimming their 40-man roster count from 39 to 38 after what had been an unannounced move off the roster. Once he clears release waivers, La Sorsa will become a free agent if he isn’t already.
La Sorsa, 28, started the year on a minor league deal with the Pirates before using an upward mobility clause near the end of spring training. That kind of clause gives the player a chance to be offered to all 29 other teams, and if another club wants him, the original team has to trade him or put him on its roster. Nobody claimed him then, so he remained with Pittsburgh.
At the end of May, he triggered another one of those clauses, and the Red Sox brought him in via a cash deal. His Boston stint was brief.
He made one appearance, facing the Yankees on June 7, entering with two outs, giving up a home run to Jazz Chisholm Jr. and then striking out José Caballero to close the inning. After that, Boston optioned him to the minors.
La Sorsa went on to make six Triple-A appearances before landing on the minor league injured list at the end of June because of a concussion, according to Tommy Cassell of Worcester T&G Sports. His current status isn’t clear, though he hasn’t pitched since then.
The Red Sox may simply have wanted the roster spot, or they may not be expecting him back this season. Either way, his situation was trending toward a squeeze; he was in his final option year and would have been out of options next year.
In the majors, La Sorsa has logged 57 1/3 innings with a 5.34 ERA. He’s been far more effective at Triple-A, posting a 2.79 ERA across 170 2/3 innings, including a 2.78 mark in 32 1/3 innings this season. That track record should keep him in the mix for another minor league deal down the road.
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