Red Sox Veteran Hurler Elects Free Agency After Short Stint In Boston

Boston's turbulent pitching staff lost another member on Tuesday

Jul 22, 2019; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; A detail view of Boston Red Sox hat and glove laying in the dugout at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports / Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

The Boston Red Sox's volatile 2024 pitching staff is once again experiencing turnover.

The past week has been one of the most turbulent portions of the season, especially for the pitchers. Nick Pivetta had one of his starts skipped, Brayan Bello went on paternity leave, and James Paxton went on the 15-day injured list with a calf strain.

As a result, the Red Sox bullpen has had to cover lots of unexpected innings, and the team has had to make a bunch of roster moves to keep the arms fresh.

On Tuesday, those roster moves had ramifications, as one of the veteran options in the bullpen decided to leave the organization.

According to Alex Speier of the Boston Globe, veteran righty Brad Keller, who was optioned to Triple-A by the Red Sox on Monday, elected free agency.

That opens a spot on the 40-man roster that Boston could fill internally with a minor-league player or add from outside the organization via free-agent pickup or waiver claim. The waiver deadline is August 31.

Keller, 29, has made a total of 15 big-league appearances this season, his last 10 were for the Red Sox, totaling 20.2 innings and a 5.66 ERA. He picked up the loss in his most recent outing, a four-inning appearance in which he allowed two home runs against the Houston Astros.

With Keller gone, the Red Sox may allow rookie Chase Shugart a chance to stick on the big-league roster. The 27-year-old, who has never appeared in a Major League Baseball game, posted a 4.98 ERA across 59 2/3 innings in Triple-A this season.

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