The Red Sox have reached agreement with reliever Nick Burdi on a minor league contract, reports Chris Henrique of Beyond the Monster. MassLive’s Chris Cotillo writes that the right-hander will go to minor league camp, as he did not receive a non-roster invite to MLB Spring Training.
Burdi, 32, is a former Twins’ second-round draftee and well-regarded bullpen prospect. His career has been beset by myriad injuries. He underwent Tommy John surgery early in his time in the Minnesota farm system. He landed with the Pirates as a Rule 5 pick, where he battled thoracic outlet syndrome. Burdi’s arm continued to bother him the following year, and he underwent another Tommy John procedure after the 2020 campaign.
The Louisville product didn’t return to the mound until 2023. Burdi landed with the Cubs in the Triple-A phase of the Rule 5 draft. Chicago called him up for three appearances, but he quickly went back to the injured list due to a bout of appendicitis. He didn’t return to the majors and the Cubs cut him loose at the end of the season.
Burdi inked a minor league deal with the Yankees last winter. He broke camp but went on the injured list within a few weeks because of a right hip problem. Renewed hip pain sent him back to the IL between May and August. New York outrighted him one month later, sending him back to minor league free agency at the end of the season.
Despite the latest injury-plagued season, Burdi established a career high with 12 MLB appearances for the Yankees. He fired 9 2/3 frames of two-run ball. Burdi fanned 12 with nine walks. It was a similar story in Triple-A, where he turned in a 2.65 earned run average through 17 innings. He struck out a third of opponents against a huge 15.3% walk rate.
The raw stuff remains intriguing. Burdi averaged 97.5 MPH on his fastball while sitting in the upper 80s with his slider. He doesn’t consistently harness that high-octane arsenal, but that could be tied to the stop-and-start nature of so many of his seasons. There’s no real downside for the Red Sox in bringing him to camp and sending him to Triple-A Worcester to open the year.