Hours before Tuesday’s 6 p.m. ET deadline to finalize their 40-man roster for next month’s Rule 5 Draft, the Red Sox swung a trade with a division rival and designated first baseman Nathaniel Lowe and right-hander Josh Winckowski for assignment.
Right-handed reliever Luis Guerrero is going to the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for Tristan Gray to Boston.
Guerrero, however, was no longer on the 40-man roster after being designated for assignment, clearing waivers, and being outrighted to the minors earlier this month. Thus, the Red Sox opened a roster spot for Gray by DFA’ing Lowe. Winckowski’s spot will be given to a top prospect they wish to protect from the Rule 5, likely right-hander David Sandlin.
Gray, 29, is coming off his second stint with the Rays, with whom he made his big-league debut in 2023, but only has 47 career games under his belt. He split the ‘24 season between the Markins and Athletics. Over a career-high 30 games for the Rays this year he batted .231 with a .693 OPS. He is a lifetime .207, .634 OPS hitter, but has played all four infield positions in the majors and can provide defensive depth. It also could mean less work for utility infielders David Hamilton and Nick Sogard.
Guerrero, 25, debuted for the ‘24 Sox and made nine scoreless appearances to begin his MLB career. He continued his scoreless streak through his first three games this year, but struggled with command and consistency in his final 10 outings and did not pitch for the big-league team after June 27.
Winckowski, 27, has been with the Red Sox since the 2020-21 offseason, when they acquired him as a prospect in the three-team Andrew Benintendi trade with the Kansas City Royals and New York Mets, and debuted with Boston in ‘22. He owns a 4.20 ERA over 121 career games these last four seasons, including a strong ‘23 campaign in which he made 60 appearances and posted a career-best 2.88 ERA. He only made six big-league appearances this year, and spent the bulk of the season on the 60-day injured list with a right flexor strain.
The Red Sox acquired Lowe from the Washington Nationals at this summer’s trade deadline. He is projected to receive approximately $13.5 million in arbitration this year, an unnecessary cost for the Red Sox if fellow first baseman Triston Casas can contribute.
