Red Sox Could Take Shot On Recently Released Reliever To Bolster Bullpen

Boston is in a tough spot due to injuries and lack of depth

Scott Neville | Jul 3, 2023

Red Sox Could Take Shot On Recently Released Reliever To Bolster Bullpen /

In this story:

The Boston Red Sox are in "beggars can't be choosers" mode with their injury-riddled pitching staff that wasn't very good in the first place.

It appears that right-hander Garrett Whitlock could be headed to the injured list, joining Tanner Houck (face) and Chris Sale (left shoulder inflammation).

The Red Sox are well aware they need to restock on arms and might be able to find a short-term solution on the waiver wire. With so many pitchers out, Boston is expected to rely on young arms such as Chris Murphy and Brandon Walter to steady the ship. They also recently signed starters Kyle Barraclough and Dinelson Lamet to potentially fill-in in the near future.

However, the bullpen is going to be heavily taxed as only two true starters -- Brayan Bello and James Paxton -- are in the rotation. The Red Sox would be smart to add some bullpen depth, and might have an opportunity to do just that.

The Miami Marlins designated right-hander Archie Bradley for assignment on Saturday after a quick stint in the big leagues according to the Major League Baseball transaction wire.

Bradley got roughed up in his four appearances for Miami but had been fantastic at Triple-A Jacksonville.

The veteran hurler posted a 2.95 ERA with a 16-to-5 strikeout-to-walk ratio, .200 batting average against and 0.98 WHIP in 18 1/3 innings this season.

Bradley has a career 4.05 ERA with a 487-to-201 strikeout-to-walk ratio, .252 batting average against and 1.38 WHIP in 489 innings across nine seasons in the majors.

The 30-year-old hurler has been a standout reliever in the past (1.73 ERA in 73 innings in 2017) and could bolster a Red Sox bullpen that will need to option arms up and down just to stay fresh until the bulk of the rotation returns to health.

Bradley is not going to save the Red Sox's season but he could be a solid addition to a pitching staff that shuffles new arms in and out on a monthly basis.

More MLB: Red Sox Likely Losing Another Starting Starting Pitcher Due To Arm Injury

Published Jul 3, 2023

SCOTT NEVILLE

Scott Neville covers the Boston Red Sox for Sports Illustrated's new page "Inside The Red Sox." Before starting "Inside The Red Sox", Neville attended Merrimack College, where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Communication and Media with a minor in Marketing. Neville spent all four years with Merrimack's radio station WMCK, where he grew as a radio/podcast host and producer. His propensity for being in front of a microphone eventually expanded to film, where he produced multiple short films alongside his then-roommate and current co-worker Stephen Mottram. On a journey that began as a way to receive easy credits via film classes, he received a call from "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia" star Charlie Day. Day advised him to make a feature-length film, which he completed his senior year. While writing the film, Neville completed an internship for United Way as part of their NFL Partnership Program. Neville ran the blog for a team of interns and hosted an internet show called "United Way's NFL Partnership Series" where he interviewed NFL alumni. After college Neville wrote for SB Nation's "Over The Monster," a Red Sox sister site of the flagship brand. His work would eventually lead him to a job as a content producer with NESN, where he would cover all sports. After developing as a writer with the top regional network in the world, he was given the opportunity to join the Sports Illustrated Media Group in his current endeavor as the publisher of "Inside The Red Sox." The successful launch and quick rise of "Inside The Red Sox" led to Neville joining the Baseball Essential ownership group, a national baseball site under SIMG. Follow him on Twitter: @ScottNeville46 Email: nevilles@merrimack.edu