The Red Sox made a move to bolster their bullpen just weeks before the regular season begins in Cincinnati.
Boston has agreed to a one-year contract with left-hander Danny Coulombe, according to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal. While MassLive’s Chris Cotillo reported the deal is worth $1 million.
To make room on the 40-man roster, the Red Sox moved infielder Romy Gonzalez to the 60-day injured list. Gonzalez is dealing with a shoulder issue and will be sidelined for at least the first two months of the season. Gonzalez had an arthroscopic debridement procedure on his shoulder, according to SoxProspects'Andrew Parker.
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.
Coulombe held left-handers to a .526 OPS, while right-handers posted a .614 OPS against him. Against same-handed hitters, he leaned heavily on his cutter, consistently locating it on the glove side. The pitch generated a 52.9% chase rate and a 23.7% swinging-strike rate, according to Baseball Savant.
He paired it with a sinker that avoided hard contact when thrown for strikes. Coulombe also mixed in a four-seam fastball and a sweeper against lefties, though with limited success. Against right-handers, however, he issued walks at a 13.3% rate.
As camp and Grapefruit League play begin to wind down, the Red Sox already have several bullpen locks for Opening Day. All-Star closer Aroldis Chapman, Garrett Whitlock, Justin Slaten, Greg Weissert, and Zack Kelly are all expected to be part of Alex Cora’srelief corps.
Rosenthal: Danny Coulombe to sign a 1-year deal with the Red Sox.— Underdog MLB (@UnderdogMLB) March 12, 2026
The addition of Coulombe doesn’t necessarily rule out the possibility of left-hander Jovani Morán also making the bullpen. Morán has been effective this spring but hasn’t quite looked like the pitcher he was prior to Tommy John surgery. His fastball has been sitting around 94 mph and could play well if he’s able to consistently locate it at the top of the zone.
Newcomer Tyler Samaniego, who was acquired from the Pirates in the Johan Oviedo trade, opened camp dealing with a back issue. He remains on the 40-man roster but now appears likely to begin the season with Triple-A Worcester.
Ryan Watson hasn’t pitched well this spring and faces an uncertain path. Because he was selected in the Rule 5 Draft, he must remain on the 26-man roster or be designated for assignment. Watson has appeared in seven games this spring and owns a 7.36 ERA.
Boston has had success with Rule 5 pitchers in recent years. Both Whitlock and Slaten are prime examples. The 6-foot-5, 225-pound Watson features a deep arsenal that includes a four-seam fastball that reached 97 mph last season, along with a sinker, splitter, slider, and curveball.
Danny Coulombe, Filth. 😷 pic.twitter.com/ZXh81gQGQA— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) May 24, 2024
“A deep mix, a big guy with good extension and good strike-throwing ability that should translate to success in the big leagues,” chief baseball officer Craig Breslow said after acquiring him.
With the addition of Coulombe, the door likely closes on a reunion with veteran left-hander Justin Wilson. Wilson remains a free agent and has been weighing retirement, though he has said he would consider pitching for a contender.
Other potential candidates for the Red Sox’ Opening Day bullpen include Kyle Keller and Tayron Guerrero. Keller has impressed after spending the past four seasons pitching overseas in Japan’s NPB, while Guerrero has posted a 1.29 ERA over seven innings this spring and offers a power arm with major league experience.
Red Sox Announce First Round of Cuts
Boston announced its first round of cuts from big league camp earlier this week.
The Red Sox said Monday morning they have optioned left-hander Jake Bennett and reassigned catchers Nate Baez and Ronald Rosario, right-handers Osvaldo Berrios, Hobie Harris, Vinny Nittoli and Devin Sweet, and left-hander Jeremy Wu-Yellandto minor league camp.
Nittoli, another minor league pitcher, was shut down the week before his reassignment due to elbow pain. The righty on March 3 underwent an MRI to find the source of his discomfort, but no formal diagnosis has been announced. Harris has also been shut down due to an arm issue this spring.
With those moves, the Red Sox now have 58 players remaining in big league camp, including 18 non-roster invitees.
Bennett allowed three runs on five hits over three innings of work with three strikeouts and two hit batters. He threw 72 pitches over his two outings and 65% of them went for strikes.
None of the players sent down were considered candidates to make the Opening Day roster. Bennett is the most notable name of the group. The left-hander currently ranks as Boston’s No. 7 prospect according to MLB Pipeline after arriving from the Nationals in the Luis Peralestrade.
Crochet: ‘No Thanks’ to the WBC
Red Sox ace Garrett Crochetis one of the best starting pitchers in baseball, but he decided before the World Baseball Classic that he wouldn’t take part in the tournament.
Both reigning Cy Young winners, Tarik Skubal and Paul Skenes,pitched in the WBC, but Crochet politely declined the invitation and hasn’t had any second thoughts about skipping the event.
“I haven’t been watching, to be honest,” Crochet said. “I’ll watch games when they’re on here in the clubhouse, but I’m not really worried about it.”
Crochet and his wife welcomed their first child this offseason, which played a role in his decision. The left-hander knew he would be away from his family once the season began and wanted to spend time with them during spring training.
“Not really,” Crochet said when asked if he reconsidered. “I told (chief baseball officer Craig Breslow and manager Alex Cora) that I wasn’t going to do it, so the moment I said that, I didn’t really care anymore.”
More importantly, Crochet is focused on preparing for the season with Boston after coming off a year in which he logged a career-high workload. He didn’t want to add additional innings in March.
“For a pitcher, the risk is so great,” Crochet said. “For hockey and the NBA, those guys have their legs under them and they’re probably fine. But as a pitcher, it’s sketchy. You never know how many throws you’ve got left.
“I want to have a normal spring training coming off the highest workload I’ve ever had. I don’t want to get going too early when the plan is to pitch until November.”
