Red Sox Cut Two Pitchers

The Boston Red Sox designated two pitchers for assignment on Monday to create space on their 40-man roster. The club removed righthander Zack Kelly and lefthander Eduardo Rivera from the active roster. This move clears the final spots required as the team enters free agency, which began at 5 p.m. Monday.

The roster adjustments are necessary because the team must reinstate seven players from the 60-day injured list. The 60-day injured list does not exist during the offseason. The other players being reinstated are Kutter Crawford, Johan Oviedo, Justin Slaten, Triston Casas, and Eli White. With all seven players returning to the active roster, the Red Sox reached the 40-man limit.

Kelly, who turns 32 next season, has pitched for the Boston organization for parts of five seasons. He primarily served as a low or medium-leverage reliever. Over that span, he recorded a 4.04 earned run average and a 1.31 walks plus hits per inning pitched mark in 115 games. Kelly is entering 2027 without minor league options, which reduces his value to the club. Teams often prioritize roster flexibility from relievers who can move freely between the majors and Triple-A.

Rivera, 23, made his major league debut with the Red Sox without appearing in Triple-A first. He appeared in four games for the club during the season. His performance resulted in a 6.30 earned run average. The designation for assignment places both players in a position to be claimed by other teams, sent outright to the minors, or released.

These personnel moves occur alongside award announcements from the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. The BBWAA named Chad Tracy a finalist for American League Manager of the Year on Monday. Tracy took over as interim manager on April 26. Under his leadership, the Red Sox finished the regular season with a 77-58 record. The team recorded a 32-5 run during the summer that secured a wild-card playoff berth.

Tracy was in his fifth season as the manager of Triple-A Worcester before his promotion. He signed a three-year contract in late September after the team clinched a playoff spot. His fellow finalists are Kevin Cash, who led the Tampa Bay Rays to the best record in the American League, and Will Venable, who guided the Chicago White Sox to the postseason after three consecutive 100-loss seasons.

The Red Sox have only two previous winners of this award in their history. Jimy Williams won in 1999, and John McNamara won in 1986. Tracy is the son of Jim Tracy, who won the National League Manager of the Year award in 2009 after leading the Colorado Rockies to the postseason as an interim manager.

Payton Tolle, a right-handed pitcher for the Red Sox, was named a finalist for American League Rookie of the Year. Tolle began the season in Triple-A but was called up in late April when Sonny Gray sustained a minor injury. He started that game against the New York Yankees and remained in the rotation for the rest of the season. Tolle finished with a 3.03 earned run average and a 1.10 walk plus hit per nine innings mark in 26 starts. He struck out 171 batters in 148 and two-thirds innings.

Other award finalists include Kevin McGonigle of the Rays and Parker Messick of the Guardians for Rookie of the Year. Cam Schlittler of the Yankees was named a finalist for the American League Cy Young Award. Schlittler is considered a favorite to win that honor. Sonny Gray and Aroldis Chapman did not make the top three cutoffs for the Cy Young and Reliever of the Year awards, respectively.

The BBWAA will announce the award winners next week. Rookie of the Year will be revealed on Monday, Manager of the Year on Tuesday, Cy Young and Reliever of the Year on Wednesday, and Most Valuable Player on Thursday.