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.
In Other News...
A.J. Brown Is Already Feeling Mike Vrabels Patriots Camp Intensity
Mike Vrabels first Patriots training camp has already started to show the edge that made him such a force as a head coach in Tennessee. After taking over from Jerod Mayo following the 2025 season, Vrabel brought a tough-love, player-focused approach to New England, and it has given the team a different feel as it works through camp with the standard set high and the margin for error thin.
A.J. Brown is getting a fresh reminder of what that looks like. The receiver, whom Vrabel drafted with the Titans, is back under his old coach and appears to be embracing the challenge in Foxborough, where the relationship between coach and player has long been built on direct coaching and accountability. For a Patriots offense trying to keep building momentum, Browns comfort with that kind of pressure is another sign the new regimes tone is landing. [Read more 🡒]
Patriots Moving On From Stefon Diggs Just Got More Painful
Stefon Diggs is headed to Washington, and for the Patriots, the reminder stings a little more than it might have a few weeks ago. NFL insiders say the Commanders are bringing in the veteran receiver on a one-year deal that could reach $12 million, giving them a proven target to pair with Terry McLaurin and a real boost to a passing game that needed one.
For New England, the move circles back to an offseason decision that already carried risk. Diggs was released after contract talks broke down, leaving the Patriots to move forward without a receiver they had clearly hoped to keep. Now he lands with a contender-looking roster fit in a spot the Patriots had once tried to fill themselves, and the ripple effect in Washington could even cool some of the urgency around Brandon Aiyuk. [Read more 🡒]
Patriots Camp Just Raised A New Concern Along The Offensive Line
The Patriots have settled on Mike Onwenu and Alijah Vera-Tucker as their starting guards, with Ben Brown and Andrew Rupcich penciled in as the main backups, but camp has already forced the staff to keep one eye on the depth chart. Caedan Wallace was hurt during practice, and the ripple effect was immediate enough that New England had to shuffle veteran James Hudson over from tackle to help stabilize the interior of the line.
Mike Vrabel has been clear that the team is still sorting through the best guard combinations, even with the top two spots defined. For now, the depth looks serviceable, but the kind of injury that interrupts practice planning can quickly make a line feel thinner than it looked on paper, and the Patriots will keep searching for more reliable options as camp goes on. [Read more 🡒]