The Red Sox agreed to a minor league contract with infielder/outfielder Dalton Guthrie, per the transaction log at MiLB.com.
Guthrie has logged MLB time with the Phillies in each of the past two seasons, albeit in a quite limited role. The 28-year-old has tallied 28 plate appearances in each season while appearing in a combined total of 37 games. In that small sample, he’s batted .244/.393/.333 with a hefty 16.1% walk rate against a 25% strikeout rate.
Beyond a decent showing in limited MLB work, Guthrie touts a solid .289/.357/.434 slash in parts of three Triple-A seasons. He’s not a big power threat, with just 16 long balls in 856 plate appearances at that level, but he’s generally shown decent contact skills and provided a good bit of defensive versatility. Guthrie has played at least 582 innings at each of shortstop, second base, third base and center field, and he’s logged a combined 688 innings in the outfield corners (398 in right, 290 in left). The former Florida Gator was a sixth-round pick by the Phillies back in 2017.
Over the past year, Guthrie has begun to bounce around the league. The Phils selected his contract in September of 2022 but designated him for assignment last June when they needed to open a roster spot for Darick Hall’s return from the 60-day IL. Guthrie was traded to the Giants for cash, designated for assignment three weeks later, and then claimed off waivers by the Braves a week after that. He didn’t appear in a big league game with Atlanta, who designated him for assignment at the trade deadline and succeeded in passing him through waivers. Guthrie elected minor league free agency at season’s end.
Guthrie will add a right-handed bat to the Red Sox’ bench competition, and his experience playing just about anywhere on the diamond could serve him well as he tries to work his way back to the big leagues. Bench options currently on Boston’s 40-man roster include Enmanuel Valdez, Rob Refsnyder, Pablo Reyes, Bobby Dalbec and David Hamilton.