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Boston Globe
a day ago
- Sport
- Boston Globe
Justin Slaten goes on injured list with shoulder inflammation
Righthander Related : 'Just a matter of getting ahead of it and taking care of it before something major could happen,' Slaten said. During spring training, the Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up 'I told him [Saturday], I appreciate you being honest,' manager Alex Cora said. Advertisement Slaten has been the primary setup man for closer Greg Weissert and Justin Wilson will likely get much of the opportunity. So far, the Sox don't think Slaten needs an MRI. 'Just general fatigue, just get ahead of it,' he said. 'Give the shoulder a little time to calm down.' Slaten had a 3.47 earned run average over 24 appearances this season. He has allowed fewer hits per nine innings than last season but his walks are up and strikeouts down. Advertisement Change of plans The Sox were planning to give Abraham Toro for the third straight game. Toro was 2 for 4 with a run scored 'Toro's pushing the envelope,' Cora said. 'He's putting good at-bats.' As to when Campbell will play first, Cora said only that the coaches will keep working with him. Campbell started at second base and was 1 for 4. Shuffling the deck The Sox switched up utility players, calling up Nate Eaton and demoting Nick Sogard . Eaton, a righthanded hitter, hit .277 with an .810 OPS at Worcester and started games at every position except first base, catcher, and pitcher. Related : With lefthanders Tyler Anderson and Yusei Kikuchi scheduled to pitch for the Angels on Monday and Tuesday at Fenway Park, Eaton could be in the lineup. Eaton, who didn't play on Sunday, appeared in 72 games for the Royals from 2022-23 hitting .201 with a .549 OPS. He was signed as a minor league free agent in November. 'They just told me to be ready with the slate of guys we face coming up,' he said. 'Definitely nice being part of the Red Sox organization.' Sogard is a switch-hitter but the Sox wanted to get a look at Eaton. The graduate Richard Fitts graduated from Auburn recently, having completed his degree in business administration. He left school after three years to sign with the Yankees after being drafted in 2021 and finished up online. Fitts is scheduled to start Monday night in the first game of a three-game series against the Angels at Fenway Park. The Sox plan to use Hunter Dobbins for multiple innings in relief. Brayan Bello and Jarren Duran is hitless in his last 16 at-bats, dropping his OPS to .718 … The Sox are 11-6 at Truist Park since 2017, and again this weekend a good percentage of fans were rooting for the visiting team … To make room for Eaton on the 40-man roster, the Sox designated Triple A catcher Blake Sabol for assignment. He was 2 for 16 in eight games with the major league team earlier this season. Advertisement Peter Abraham can be reached at
Boston Globe
07-03-2025
- Sport
- Boston Globe
Red Sox reliever Garrett Whitlock takes important step, pitches one inning of relief against Marlins
'Felt good to finally be back in a game,' Whitlock said. 'I had to slow myself down a little bit.' Whitlock threw 12 of 18 pitches for strikes and allowed one unearned run thanks to his own error. With that milestone behind him, he will prepare for the season and what the Sox envision as a multi-inning relief role. Whitlock said his fastball had good life and he threw an effective changeup. Now it's a matter of building up innings. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up 'Just competing,' he said. Advertisement The schedule pitching coach Andrew Bailey has mapped out would have Whitlock ready for Opening Day. 'Now we just go,' manager Alex Cora said. Related : Whitlock was a key member of the bullpen as a rookie in 2021 and has since dealt with a series of injuries and bouncing between the bullpen and the rotation. Whitlock followed 'I didn't feel very good today relative to how I did [on Sunday],' Buehler said. 'To still have 94 [miles per hour], 95 in there I think on days I don't feel good is a big step forward for me.' That the righthander is healthy and pitching in spring training is its own achievement. 'The only full spring training I've ever had was in '17, '18, and then 2021. Those years were pretty good for me,' said Buehler, who was fourth in the National League Cy Young voting in 2021 after going 16-4 with a 2.47 ERA in 33 starts. He is 7-9, 4.75 over 28 starts in the three years since. Comeback kids Roman Anthony is expected back on Saturday and will be greeted by 18 packages stacked at his locker. Top prospects get a lot of free gear, it seems. Advertisement Triston Casas remains sidelined, having last played on Sunday. It's unclear when he will return. Wilyer Abreu , who arrived at camp with a gastrointestinal issue, has yet to be cleared to face live pitching. It's likely he will open the season on the injured list. Related : Trimming the roster The Sox made their first cuts, optioning righthander Luis Perales and outfielder Jhostynxon Garcia to the minor league camp. Garcia was 1 for 21 and struck out 10 times in 11 Grapefruit League games. 'It was good to have [Garcia] here, be around the guys,' Cora said. 'He's a good defender.' Perales, who is recovering from Tommy John surgery, did not pitch. Non-roster righthanders Brian Van Belle , Robert Stock , and Jason Webb were reassigned to minor league camp along with lefthander Jovani Morán . Houck takes his turn Rafael Devers part of the opposition. Devers has yet to appear in a Grapefruit League game but expects to next week. He has taken more than 30 at-bats against teammates to work on his timing … The Sox came to terms with 23 players on the 40-man roster with 0-3 years of service time. There were no contract renewals. Contracts over the $760,000 minimum included Cooper Criswell ($1 million), Connor Wong ($790,000), Abreu ($780,000), David Hamilton ($780,000), Justin Slaten ($776,000), and Casas ($774,000). The contracts are largely based on service time … The Sox had a 30-minute meeting before the workout with Michael Lara , the team's director of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging … Satoshi Nakajima , who managed Advertisement Peter Abraham can be reached at
Boston Globe
18-02-2025
- Sport
- Boston Globe
After healthy offseason, Triston Casas is ready to get back into the swing of things for Red Sox
'It's squashed and I had a really great offseason,' he said Tuesday. 'It's probably my best one yet, just in terms of health, scheduling, just rhythm, the routine. It was really great. 'I'm in the best shape that I feel like I've been in. All the numbers in the weight room indicated as well. So hopefully it translates so much easier. But for right now, I'm in a really good spot.' Advertisement Because he played only 63 games, Casas considered playing winter ball. He instead took more swings on his own to catch up. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up 'This offseason was just a lot about load, trying to get a lot of workload,' Casas said. 'I didn't take a lot of time off after the season, just because I missed so much time. I felt like I missed four months of the season, which is pretty much an offseason.' Casas acknowledged needing to work on his defense. 'A lot of footwork stuff,' he said. 'Playing first base, sometimes I get too caught up on my glovework instead of just letting my body stay in front of the ball and knock it down and just focused on getting outs. 'I feel like sometimes I try to get a little too swifty with the glove.' Swifty? That's a new one even for Casas. Sox add Ottavino The Sox signed righthanded reliever Adam Ottavino to a minor league contract that included an invitation to spring training. The 39-year-old would earn $2 million if he makes the roster. Ottavino also has the right to opt out of the deal if he is not on the major league roster when camp ends. Ottavino, who played at Northeastern, wants to extend what has been a 14-year major league career. His stops include spending the 2021 season with the Red Sox. He led the team with 69 appearances and had a 4.21 ERA. Advertisement 'He took the ball. He was not afraid of the moment. He was a guy with good stuff,' manager Alex Cora said. Ottavino had 60 appearances for the Mets last season with a 4.34 ERA. He averaged 11.3 strikeouts per nine innings, his best mark over a full season since 2019. 'It helps that I've been here before,' Ottavino said. 'I know AC; I know the trainers and a lot of people in the organization … it was kind of a no-brainer.' The Sox added veteran lefthanders Liam Hendriks emerges as the closer, Justin Slaten , Greg Weissert , Garrett Whitlock , and Josh Winckowski are among the righthanded options. 'Overall I feel like I'm a better pitcher [than earlier in his career] but not as young,' Ottavino said. Ottavino has worn No. 0 since 2013. 'For now that's what we're going with,' he said. Yoshida perseveres The Sox would prefer Alex Bregman plays third base and Rafael Devers takes over as the designated hitter. They also have Wilyer Abreu , Jarren Duran , and Ceddanne Rafaela in the outfield with Roman Anthony closing in. Related : Where does that leave Masataka Yoshida , who has three years and $55.8 million remaining on his contract? 'Masa's going to be part of the picture. We just need to get him going,' Cora said. 'Last year he was a DH; this year we need him to play defense.' Advertisement Via a translator, Yoshida said where he plays is out of his control. 'I'll play where they want me to,' he said. Yoshida had offseason surgery on his right shoulder in October and just started a throwing program. 'In terms of hitting, I feel 100 percent,' he said. 'Which is pretty good.' Yoshida was asked if a trade would make sense at this point. 'My job is to give it all my best, whatever my job calls for,' he said. 'If that is to DH or that is to play the outfield, I'm giving it my best. I'm still here on this team.' Marquee matchup Garrett Crochet showed up ready to pitch. He worked two innings and threw 32 pitches on the stadium field. Crochet struck out five of the seven batters he faced. Trevor Story homered over the Faux Monster in the second inning. He struck out swinging in the first inning but saw nine pitches. Chapman hit 100 miles per hour during his inning of work. Hendriks allowed a double by Vaughn Grissom but came back to strike out Bregman. He was 93-94 with his fastball. 'You can see it stuff-wise. Bunch of big boys over there,' Cora said … Abreu missed the workout with an illness. Peter Abraham can be reached at
Boston Globe
18-02-2025
- Business
- Boston Globe
Alex Bregman signing puts Red Sox over the first competitive balance tax
'The CBT has always been a guide. It's like one marker that we have to pay attention to, but it's never been a firm number that we either have to stay below or get over for certain reasons,' Kennedy said Monday. Related : Advertisement Kennedy said the Sox remain open to making other moves. 'There's definitely been a larger investment this year,' he said. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up The Sox, Kennedy said, have been focused on rebuilding the organization in recent years. 'The short answer is I think we're willing to do what it takes to get back to the postseason,' he said. 'We don't look at the CBT threshold or the second or third levels as an inhibitor or a barrier that we just have to absolutely avoid. 'What we do look at is what, what moves are we going to make to ensure competitiveness in the near term [and] in the long term.' Kennedy felt like the signing of Bregman was a milepost for the organization. Related : 'He chose Boston. He had other opportunities. He chose Boston because he wants to get back to the postseason again in his career,' Kennedy said. 'He's a winning, winning ballplayer. I think our fans are going to love what he represents. But make no mistake, we did everything in our power that we thought was responsible to bring him here. But he chose. He chose us. And that's a great thing.' Kennedy said the Sox are working with Major League Baseball to bring the Advertisement The 2026 game has already been awarded to Philadelphia. Beyond that, no sites have been selected. Kennedy said any bid by the Red Sox is not contingent on the real estate plans the team has for the area around Fenway Park. The team also has the support of Mayor Michelle Wu . Group rate The Sox had their annual 'company meeting' before the first full-squad workout. It was a brief assembly compared to epic events of the past and the practice was over by noon. 'It was fun to watch,' manager Alex Cora . 'Emphasized in the meeting doing the things that we need to do to meet our standards. We have to be locked in.' Cora said the attention to detail is better than it has been it was in the last few years. He also challenged the pitchers and hitters to work together more often.' 'I'm very happy; I'm very pleased. I love it,' Cora said. Outfielder Thompson added The Sox signed 33-year-old outfielder Trayce Thompson to a minor league contract that included an invitation to spring training. Thompson has 369 games of major league experience spread out over seven seasons and five teams. The Sox are his 11th organization in all. He is a career .212 hitter with a .711 OPS. Thompson has experience at all three outfield spots and is considered a good defender. Thompson spent last season in Triple A with the Mets and then the Cubs. He had a .786 OPS over 107 games. He is the son of former NBA player Mychal Thompson and the younger brother of five-time All-Star Klay Thompson . Another brother, Mychel , had a brief NBA stint in 2012. Advertisement Thompson has No. 37. Fare thee well, Hitting the roof David Ortiz once did regularly … Cooper Criswell , Richard Fitts , and Quinn Priester are rotation candidates … Masataka Yoshida , who had offseason surgery on his right shoulder, has started a throwing program. But he did not throw during outfield drills inside the main stadium. Peter Abraham can be reached at
