Expanded rosters aren’t what they used to be, but the Red Sox are still utilizing every inch of the extra allotted space they’ve been grated today. Unlike back in the old days when September meant rosters expanding from 25 to 40 people and an armada allowed in the bullpen …
… we now have a much more modest expansion from 26 to 28 players. As a result, the Red Sox made the following moves this morning:
The expanded roster part of this is simple: Jedixson Paez and Isiah Kiner-Falefa are in as the club goes from 26 to 28 men.
The more interesting aspect though might be the changes on (what was) an already full 40 man roster. Both Paez and Kiner-Falefa had to be added there (so you got Rivera to the 60-Day IL and a Harris DFA to make room). This suggests to me the Sox were concerned Paez was getting grabbed in Rule 5 again (he was snatched by the White Sox last December and then returned in April) and they made room for him now.
It’s also a rather convenient time to call him up because the pitching staff looks as vulnerable as it has all season, and there’s not reinforcements on the immediate horizon. This means with Paez on the 40-man, they can call him up to make his first ever big league start (he worked out of the bullpen for three games in Chicago) and push everybody else back a day. Paez might not even stay in Boston very long (he could get sent back down for other arms later this week), but the Sox had to put him on the 40 in the next couple of months anyway to Rule 5 protect him, so they did that now and are using him to cover for a day where they’re short on pitching.
(Some fans probably don’t care about the fringes of the roster, but I love this logistical stuff and seeing how teams negotiate it!)
So with Paez headed to the bump, what are we likely to see? Well, here’s and article from Christopher Smith of MassLive, who got the following quote on Paez from Eddie Romeroin this piece from 2024:
“He’s always had this incredible poise and just an advanced feel,” Red Sox assistant GM Eddie Romero said. “It’s always been like that — strike throwing ability over high velo or pure off-the-charts stuff. But his pitchability is incredible. We’ve seen the velo tick up now into the low 90s. Really good feel for a breaking ball. He has a four- or five-pitch mix that he really controls and commands really well. And that’s been kind of what has driven his success.”
Ian Cundall (of Baseball America and Sox Prospects) also echoed Paez’s ability to throw strikes in this tweet earlier today:
So this is the key: Paez needs to be around the zone and let his defense help him out. He was unable to do that during his very brief stint with the White Sox (three walks in three innings pitched), but he regained his form in Portland and Worcester this year as Cundall notes above.
The Red Sox also made another move that impacts their pitching staff today, and it’s Tyron Guerrero to the IL and Wyatt Olds back to Boston. This feels like an attempt to give Guerrero a rest and hope he can regain his early season form by the end of the month. If he can’t it will leave the Sox down an arm they can trust in the pen in a postseason series.
There’s also bad news on Adley Rutschman, who is out of the lineup again today.
With all that on our plate, let’s get to the lineup and kick off the game thread:
⚾️ First Pitch: 6:45pm — Fenway Park, Boston, MA
📺 TV: NESN
📻 Radio: WEEI
Join us in the game thread below!
