The Boston Red Sox are making moves to improve the big league club as their series winds down with the Chicago Cubs. It started with the news that the team acquired Garrett Cooper from the Cubs, giving them a steady option at first base while Triston Casas is out. Now, the Red Sox have made a change in their pitching staff. The team announced today that they’ve designated Joely Rodriguez for assignment. This is the corresponding move to recalling right-hander Naoyuki Uwasawa, who the club acquired from the Tampa Bay Rays. With the Joely Rodriguez DFA, the Red Sox will look to other lefties as their primary options out of the bullpen.
The #RedSox today made the following roster moves: pic.twitter.com/rpJvZId8iC
— Red Sox (@RedSox) April 28, 2024
Red Sox DFA Joely Rodriguez Amidst Extended Struggles
Rodriguez never found the success the Red Sox had hoped for. Part of it was due to an injury history, but when he was on the mound, he wasn’t very effective. Since last season, Rodriguez has thrown 22 innings for Boston. In that time, he’s surrendered 28 hits, 16 earned runs, and walked eight.
The Red Sox designated Joely Rodriguez after he had four meltdowns over 11 appearances this season. There was a clear, better option as a left-handed reliever in Brennan Bernardino. He has a 0.84 ERA this season and a 6.1 inning scoreless streak while registering five strikeouts over that span.
Naoyuki Uwasawa Provides Another Starting Option for the Red Sox
Uwasawa, 30, signed with the Tampa Bay Rays in January. An opt out in his contract forced the Rays to trade him to a team that would put him on the 40-man roster. Since then, he’s been with Triple-A Worcester as a starter. He’s logged 15 innings to a 4.80 ERA with 17 strikeouts.
While Uwasawa doesn’t boast the pedigree that Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, or Kodai Senga had before coming over from Japan, he was effective in his own right. He registered a 3.19 ERA across 1118.1 innings for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters. Uwasawa struck out 913 batters for a 7.3 K/9 in 2023. However, he’s found a bit more dominance during his brief tenure in the United States. His performance in the NPB was capped off by 170 innings at an ERA of 2.70 in 2023. Uwasawa struck out 124 batters with 41 walks and allowed 14 homers.
With the Joely Rodriguez DFA, the Red Sox open up a spot on their 40-man roster. Now they’ll have seven days to trade him or attempt to pass him through waivers. Rodriguez signed with the Red Sox for one-year $1 million dollars.
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