The Red Sox continued trimming their roster ahead of Opening Day, now less than two weeks away.
Boston re-assigned pitchers Seth Martinez, Wyatt Olds, T.J. Sikkema and Noah Songto minor league camp. It marks the club’s third round of cuts this spring, and all four are expected to begin the season with Triple-A Worcester, which opens play next Friday at Polar Park.
Martinez and Song were among the more intriguing bullpen candidates. Song, in particular, impressed this spring, posting a 1.13 ERA with nine strikeouts and one save over eight innings (six appearances).
Back with the WooSox, Song is expected to continue refining his arsenal in the pitching lab as he works toward a potential big league call-up later this season.
“I think the cutter is a pitch that they talked about during the meeting — just getting it involved,” Alex Corasaid. “But overall, he was a good one.”
Song is coming off Tommy John surgery and split last season across multiple levels in the Red Sox system. He logged 43 of his 55 innings with Double-A Portland, posting a 4.19 ERA with 44 strikeouts and 22 walks. He carried that momentum into camp, allowing just one run on three hits this spring while striking out nine and walking five.
Originally drafted by Boston in the fourth round in 2019, Song stepped away from baseball for three seasons to fulfill his military service as a U.S. Naval Academy graduate. He joined Phillies camp after he was selected in the Rule 5 Draft in the winter of 2022 with a chance to make the majors, but suffered a back strain during a rapid ramp-up, derailing that opportunity. After completing flight school, Song’s request to resume his baseball career was eventually approved in early 2023.
Now healthy and back in the Red Sox system, Song has put himself back on the radar with a strong spring and could factor into Boston’s bullpen plans later this season.
NOAH SONG ON MY TV pic.twitter.com/GXfweatWKf— Tyler Milliken (@tylermilliken_) February 20, 2026
Martinez owns a 4.00 ERA across 144 major league innings with the Astros and Marlins, but he struggled this spring, posting a 7.27 ERA (11 hits, seven runs) with five strikeouts and four walks over 8 2/3 innings.
Boston still believes Martinez can contribute at the big league level, but he’ll need to clean a few things up in Worcester.
“Just get back to being consistent in the strike zone,” Cora said. “He knows it. He talks about it. There were flashes of him throwing the ball well, but he didn’t show the consistency you need. He’ll go down there, do his job, and be ready — because we’ll need guys.”
Olds, a 2021 draft pick, also needs to refine his command. He allowed five runs on five hits with nine strikeouts and five walks over five innings this spring. Sikkema will provide left-handed depth at Triple-A.
Tayron Guerrero is going to pop the radar gun this spring. Topped out at 100.6. He's also 6'8. Gave up a walk and single. Control is going to be spotty, but there's a reason he's still getting opportunities at 35. pic.twitter.com/ej8zJF48WL— Tyler Milliken (@tylermilliken_) February 22, 2026
With Tuesday’s moves, Boston’s bullpen competition is coming into focus. Rule 5 pick Ryan Watson, Kyle Keller, Tayron Guerrero and left-hander Tyler Samaniego remain in the mix, with likely just one spot still up for grabs.
Aroldis Chapman, Garrett Whitlock, Greg Weissert, Justin Slaten and Danny Coulombe (if ready) appear locked into spots, while Zack Kelly and Jovani Moránare strong favorites to round out the group.
Whitlock is coming off an impressive outing for Team USA on Sunday, recording two strikeouts in a high-leverage spot.
“Garrett Whitlock is absolutely nasty,” Team USA manager Mark DeRosasaid.
Cora confirmed that Whitlock will be available again for Team USA in Tuesday night’s World Baseball Classic final against Venezuela.
Outside of the WBC, the Red Sox bullpen picture is coming into focus. Keller, Watson and Guerrero are the primary candidates for the final spot. Samaniego appears on the outside looking in following the addition of Danny Coulombe, though he remains a depth option early in the season.
Coulombe is expected to pitch Thursday, which should provide more clarity on his readiness for when Boston opens the season in Cincinnati.
“So we’ll see where he’s at physically and whether he’s going to be ready to start the season with us — probably yes,” Cora said. “It’s getting close. We have a pretty good idea of where we’re at.”
Coulombe, 36, is entering his 12th major league season and is coming off a strong year in which he posted a 2.30 ERA across 43 innings in 55 appearances split between the Minnesota Twins and Texas Rangers. Prior to that, he enjoyed a standout two-year run in Baltimore, posting a 2.56 ERA with 90 strikeouts in 81 innings from 2023–24.
Cora added that he and chief baseball officer Craig Breslowdiscussed bullpen decisions Tuesday morning.
“I think by the end of the weekend we should have a great idea of what we’re going to do,” he said.
