With the trade deadline closing in, the Red Sox are working both sides of the roster at once: looking for outside help while also waiting on a few injured pieces to get back in the mix.
One of the more encouraging developments is Tanner Houck’s recovery from UCL surgery. Chris Cotillo of MassLive reported that progress is moving forward, and interim manager Chad Tracy said on August 1 that Houck has been throwing multiple bullpen sessions a week in Fort Myers.
He’s already up to 40 pitches in those workouts. Boston thinks there’s a chance he could be back late in the Wild Card chase.
That would matter. The Red Sox are shopping for bullpen help like every contender at this time of year, but another internal arm never hurts, especially one who throws right-handed in a bullpen that leans heavily left.
Houck has already shown what he can do when he’s right, too. In the first half of the 2024 season, he posted a 2.54 ERA and a 1.03 WHIP over 117 innings.
If that version shows up again, Boston’s bullpen goes from excellent - it already owns a league-best 2.95 ERA - to downright nasty.
The Red Sox also got a scare from Willson Contreras, but it looks like they’ll have him back quickly. Contreras was hit by a pitch on July 31 when a Will Klein offering from the Los Angeles Dodgers rode up and struck him in the head, just over the ear.
His helmet flew off, and he was bleeding when it came loose. He ran the bases afterward but left before he was due to take the field again, then entered concussion protocol.
He passed those tests, and after sitting out August 1 for precautionary reasons, he’s expected back in the lineup on August 2, according to multiple sources.
That’s a relief for Boston, which already lost Curtis Mead, its first trade deadline addition, to injury. Contreras has been one of the club’s biggest offensive contributors this season, and the idea of replacing both him and Mead, even temporarily, would have been a rough and costly problem.
Meanwhile, the Red Sox are still digging for middle-infield help, and the Nationals may have briefly opened a door. Washington scratched Luis García Jr. from its August 2 lineup, and Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported that Boston has shown interest in trading for him. But Joel Sherman, also of the New York Post, said the Yankees appear to have moved ahead and are close to finishing a deal for García.
García would not have been a perfect fit for Boston. He bats left-handed, and most of his appearances this season have come at first base rather than in the middle infield, with only nine at other spots.
Still, the production is hard to ignore: 20 doubles, 23 home runs and an NL-leading .560 slugging percentage. Even if the fit wasn’t clean, that kind of bat would have helped the Red Sox wherever it landed in the lineup.
In Other News...
Red Sox Roster Shuffle Puts Yoeilin Cespedes Back In The Spotlight
The Red Sox kept shuffling the board on the farm this week, and one of the more notable moves was the promotion of Yoeilin Cespedes to Double-A Portland. Boston also pushed draft picks Jake Schaffner and Owen Hull up to High-A Greenville, while right-hander Tommy Kahnle was released from Triple-A and Devin Sweet was reinstated from the developmental list, part of the steady roster churn that tends to follow as the organization sorts out its upper-minors depth.
There was also a final piece to one of Boston's earlier trades, as the club completed the deal that sent left-hander Jojo Ingrassia to Detroit as the player to be named later in the Jahmai Jones trade. For the Red Sox, it was a reminder that the calendar keeps moving for both prospects and the front office, with each internal move carrying a little more significance as September approaches and the system continues to get re-evaluated. [Read more 🡒]
Franklin Arias Just Put One Red Sox Decision Into Focus
Franklin Arias has started drawing a different kind of attention at Triple-A, and it has less to do with his bat than with where hes standing on the dirt. The top Red Sox prospect has spent most of his time as a shortstop, but Boston has recently moved him to second base, and the switch has come in consecutive games after he was expected to work there only once a week. For a player the organization clearly wants to keep moving, thats the sort of usage pattern that usually says more than a public explanation ever would.
The Red Sox have plenty to weigh as they look ahead to September, and Arias defensive home is suddenly part of that conversation. If he stays in the farm system and handles the new position well, a call-up in the middle or later part of the month is possible, which gives these games at second base some real meaning beyond simple versatility work. For now, the picture is still developing, but Bostons next move with Arias may hinge on whether this experiment looks like a temporary detour or something more lasting. [Read more 🡒]
Red Sox Eye One More Deadline Move To Fix A Lingering Problem
The Red Sox have already done business with Washington twice in the past nine months, adding pitcher Jake Bennett and infielder Curtis Mead, but the deadline has brought them back to the same partner again. Mead is currently out with a broken wrist, which has left Boston looking for more infield help as the market tightens and clubs decide whether to push in or stand pat before the deadline.
Reports say Boston has its eye on another Nationals infielder, a player who has been part of one of Washingtons better seasons at the plate, and the Red Sox may have to part with real value to make it happen. Jarren Duran and Patrick Sandoval have both been mentioned as possible pieces in a deal, a reminder that Bostons pursuit of a fix for a lingering problem could cost them more than just prospects if they decide to press ahead. [Read more 🡒]