Red Sox's Most Scrutinized Player Finally Placed On Waivers After Multiple Poor Years

Boston waited far too long to cut ties with the right-hander

Scott Neville | Oct 11, 2023

Red Sox's Most Scrutinized Player Finally Placed On Waivers After Multiple Poor Years /

In this story:

Boston Red Sox

The Boston Red Sox have had a few players come through the organization in recent years who lost the backing of the fanbase.

With the exception of Matt Dermody -- who was hated for his off-the-field actions -- those players were under scrutiny for a consistent lack of production.

After a last-place finish, there was plenty of blame to go around. Ryan Brasier held the torch to open the season and quickly handed it to Kiké Hernández. With both players gone, there was only one player the fanbase almost unanimously wants gone -- and his time in Boston appears to be coming to a close.

"Told the Red Sox have placed right-handed pitcher Kaleb Ort on outright waivers," The Boston Globe's Pete Abraham tweeted Wednesday.

Ort posted a 6.31 ERA with a 51-to-24 strikeout-to-walk ratio, .297 batting average against and 1.68 WHIP in 51 1/3 innings over the last two seasons with the Red Sox.

The 31-year-old threw hard but never went on a run that would instill confidence in the reliever. He hurt the team nearly every time he touched the ball. Even when the Red Sox would have massive leads, he would give it right back and force Kenley Jansen into save situations.

Unfortunately, Ort still could find his way back into a Red Sox uniform. His placement on waivers removes him from the 40-man roster but he could return to the organization.

A move would have to be made to elevate him again, which bodes well for him staying off the roster. It's also almost a forgone conclusion that when a player is placed on waivers at this point in the season, he eventually elects free agency in an attempt to find a place where he'd have a higher standing in the organization.

The waiver move likely is the first step in Ort moving on but it's not a guarantee.

More MLB: Ex-Red Sox Hurler Nearing End Of Career Vows To Play At Least One More Season

Published Oct 11, 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