BOSTON — The Red Sox made a somewhat surprising roster move Monday by designating utility infielder Pablo Reyes for assignment to clear a roster spot for trade addition Garrett Cooper. On Tuesday, manager Alex Cora pointed to Reyes’s defense as a reason why the move was made.
Reyes, who played 21 games (14 starts) for the Red Sox at all four infield positions, ranked in the second percentile in range/outs above average at -4, according to Statcast. He made four errors in 78⅓ innings filling in for Rafael Devers at third base while also seeing 39 innings at second base and about a dozen each at first base and shortstop. Mixed with a .183 average and .451 OPS in 64 plate appearances, the downturn was enough to cut bait.
“He did a good job last year,” Cora said. “This year, he never got on track, especially defensively. He made some errors and all that but offensively, you can see his swing and he controls the strike zone. He didn’t get hits but the at-bats were good.”
“He never took off this year,” said Cora. “Let’s put it that way. But he’s still a good player. I won’t be surprised if somebody claims him or does something with him because he’s versatile. He can hit lefties.”
Reyes joined the Red Sox in a minor trade with the Athletics last May and was surprisingly productive for the Red Sox throughout the rest of the season, hitting .287 with a .716 OPS and some big hits in clutch situations in August. He became something of a cult hero among Red Sox fans on Twitter/X after hitting a walk-off grand slam to beat the Royals on Aug. 7.
Reyes entered the season as a top infield bench option with the ability to play multiple positions, and he got chances to play with Devers, shortstop Trevor Story, second baseman Vaughn Grissom and first baseman Triston Casas dealing with injuries at various points. With Grissom close to being activated off the injured list (the flu has set him back a bit, Cora said) and Cooper coming over in a trade with the Cubs, two infielders needed to be lopped off the team’s roster. Boston decided to move on from Reyes instead of one of their young middle infielders (David Hamilton or Enmanuel Valdez) or first baseman Bobby Dalbec.
Another move will be due when Grissom is activated. Unlike Reyes, who was out of minor league options, the other three infielders (Dalbec, Hamilton and Valdez) can be sent to Triple-A Worcester freely without the risk of losing them via waivers.
“Where we’re at roster-wise, it’s going to get tougher and there’s going to be tougher decisions in the upcoming days, in a month,” Cora said. “That’s good. That’s where we’re at as an organization.
“We’ve got good players, man. It’s getting to that point where you have to make decisions. We’ve got Coop. We’re thinking about Vaughn. Romy is on the IL. Bobby’s here. Valdy, Hammy. You’ve got to manage the game, too.”
