Red Sox Release Struggling Reliever; Activate Former Top Prospect

Yu Chang was ranked as the No. 6 prospect in the Cleveland Guardians organization.

Scott Neville | Sep 14, 2022

Red Sox Release Struggling Reliever; Activate Former Top Prospect /

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Boston Red Sox

The Boston Red Sox made a move to cut ties with a struggling reliever and took a shot on a former top prospect who has yet to put it all together.

Right-handed reliever Jeurys Familia was designated for assignment Wednesday after allowing three runs (two earned) in the 10th inning of Tuesday's game against the New York Yankees which would lead to Boston's eventual loss, 7-6.

Familia ended his short stint in Boston with a 6.10 ERA, 10 hits allowed and an 8-to-7 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 10 1/3 innings.

In a corresponding move, the Red Sox added Yu Chang, a 27-year-old former top prospect who has yet to reach his potential. The utility infielder was ranked as the No. 6 Cleveland Guardians prospect in 2017 and 2018 by Baseball America for his power at the plate and steadiness defensively.

Chang has a long way to go before reaching the high expectations bestowed upon him years ago, but will have a chance to build up his reputation in the final weeks of the season in Boston.

The utility man has spent time with the Guardians, Pittsburgh Pirates and most recently the Tampa Bay Rays this season. He'll represent a rare fourth team in a single season.

As it stands now, Chang can be viewed merely as organizational depth. That said, fellow utility man Christian Arroyo had a similar profile when he was claimed late in the shortened 2020 season without much fanfare. He's now become a staple of the Red Sox roster as he concludes his second full season in the organization.

The Arroyo scenario appears to be Chang's ceiling at this point but it would make a lot of sense if the Taiwanese infielder ended the year with a few big hits in a lost season and earned a shot to compete for a role in spring training come February.

Regardless of Chang's future, it was time to end Familia's tenure with the Red Sox.

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Published Sep 14, 2022

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