The Red Sox added a fresh arm to the bullpen mix Friday, selecting the contract of right-hander Wyatt Olds and optioning left-hander Raymond Burgos in the corresponding move.
Boston had three open spots on the 40-man roster, so Olds’ addition moves the club from 37 players to 38. Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reported the transaction before it became official.
The timing points back to Thursday’s game against the Pirates, when the Red Sox got buried early and never climbed out. Pittsburgh led 7-0 after three innings and went on to win 8-3.
Patrick Sandoval worked four innings to start the game for Boston, and Burgos handled the final four, throwing 52 pitches so the rest of the bullpen could stay untouched in what had become a lost cause. Since he wasn’t going to be available for the next few days, Boston sent him down to make room for someone who could help right away.
That someone is Olds, 27, a seventh-round pick by the Sox in 2021. He began his pro career as a starter, but the results weren’t there, and he eventually shifted to the bullpen. The profile has stayed pretty consistent: plenty of swing-and-miss, but plenty of traffic too.
That story has carried into 2026. Across 39 Triple-A appearances, Olds has logged 50 2/3 innings and allowed 5.33 earned runs per nine.
He has struck out 32.6% of the batters he’s faced, a strong number, and his 43% ground ball rate is also above average. On the other side of the ledger, he has walked 28 of 227 batters faced, a 12.3% rate, and has also hit five batters while throwing five wild pitches.
His fastball is averaging 96.8 miles per hour this season, and he also mixes in a cutter, slider and changeup.
Olds was never viewed as a top prospect, but Boston will give him the final bullpen spot and see how it plays. For now, he may just be the next short-term answer until another fresh arm is needed. Long term, the path is clear: he’ll need better control if he’s going to stick and thrive in the majors.
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Bostons bullpen has been taxed enough that the Red Sox had to reach back to Triple-A for another arm, turning to Wyatt Olds as the pitching staff continues to absorb the wear of recent exhaustion and injuries. Olds, a Red Sox draft pick from 2021, has earned a quick path to the majors and joins the roster with a chance to help stabilize a relief corps that has been asked to cover plenty of ground.
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