The Crimson Sox made a flurry of roster strikes Tuesday evening, buying and selling left-handers Chris Murphy and Brennan Bernardino to the Chicago White Sox and Colorado Rockies, respectively, whereas including minor league pitchers David Sandlin, Shane Drohan and Tyler Uberstine to the 40-man roster forward of subsequent month’s Rule 5 Draft.
The Crimson Sox acquired minor league catcher Ronny Hernandez in change for Murphy, and utility man Braiden Ward in change for Bernardino. To clear further house, the membership designated right-hander Josh Winckowski for project.
The membership additionally traded minor league righty Alex Hoppe to the Seattle Mariners in change for catcher Luke Heyman, a 14th-round decide on this previous summer time’s draft.
The strikes, all of which have been confirmed to the Herald by a Crimson Sox supply, got here hours after the Crimson Sox traded minor league right-hander Luis Guerrero to the Tampa Bay Rays for infielder Tristan Grey and DFA’d first baseman Nathaniel Lowe.
Red Sox make roster cuts, swing trade with Rays ahead of Rule 5 deadline
Bernardino and Murphy are each coming off productive seasons in Boston, however every had bounced up and down between the majors and Triple-A. Bernardino has been one of many membership’s workhorses in recent times, posting a 3.14 ERA over 51.2 innings and 55 appearances, and Murphy posted a 3.12 ERA in 23 appearances after finishing his restoration from Tommy John surgical procedure.
Ward, 26, performs each infield and outfield and loved a robust stretch on the plate after being known as as much as Triple-A this previous season, batting .331 with a .906 OPS in 44 video games. Hernandez, 21, batted .251 with a .679 OPS in 82 video games with the White Sox’s Low-A affiliate.
Hernandez and Heyman, who hit 41 dwelling runs in three seasons at Florida however who has but to make his skilled debut, will give the Crimson Sox some badly wanted organizational depth at catcher.
Initially acquired throughout spring coaching of 2024 in change for righty reliever John Schreiber, Sandlin has established himself as considered one of Boston’s high pitching prospects and was thought-about a lock to be protected. The 24-year-old ranks because the group’s No. 10 prospect in line with MLB Pipeline, and this previous season he was amongst quite a few candidates for a late-season MLB call-up, although the Crimson Sox finally opted for Payton Tolle and Connelly Early as an alternative.
Standing at 6-foot-4, 215 kilos, Sandlin’s fastball sits high-90s and has been clocked as excessive as 101 mph in an offseason exercise. This previous season the righty posted a 4.50 ERA with 107 strikeouts in 106 innings break up between Double-A and Triple-A, although Sandlin struggled upon incomes his promotion to Triple-A.
Even with these rising pains, Sandlin tasks as somebody who might impression the Crimson Sox pitching workers as quickly as subsequent season, both as a depth starter or as a reliever.
Drohan, a 26-year-old lefty, is coming off a productive bounce-back season during which he posted a 2.27 ERA with 67 strikeouts in 47.2 innings over 12 outings (11 begins) with the WooSox. Drohan was beforehand picked within the 2023 Rule 5 Draft however was returned to Boston and restricted to only 16.1 innings resulting from a collection of shoulder accidents in 2024.
Uberstine, a 26-year-old righty, didn’t pitch in 2023 and was restricted to 4.2 innings in 2024 resulting from Tommy John surgical procedure however delivered a breakout season in 2025. He threw 120.2 innings over 25 outings (21 begins) between Double-A and Triple-A, posting a 3.58 ERA with 137 strikeouts.
The Rule 5 Draft exists to offer large league alternatives for minor leaguers who is perhaps blocked of their present group. Gamers turn into eligible after they’ve spent both 4 or 5 years with their group, and people chosen are instantly added to their new workforce’s energetic roster, the place they have to keep for your entire season or be supplied again to their authentic workforce.
Garrett Whitlock and Justin Slaten have been each latest Rule 5 picks who went on to get pleasure from quick success in Boston, and Danvers native Shane Smith earned All-Star honors as a rookie this previous season with the White Sox after being taken No. 1 general in final winter’s Rule 5 Draft.
This yr’s Rule 5 Draft will happen on Dec. 10 in the course of the MLB Winter Conferences in Orlando.
4 settle for qualifying affords
A report 4 gamers who have been prolonged qualifying affords by their groups accepted earlier than Tuesday’s 4 p.m. deadline, the MLB Gamers Affiliation introduced. These gamers, together with Brewers right-hander Brandon Woodruff, Yankees outfielder Trent Grisham, Cubs right-hander Shota Imanaga and Tigers second baseman Gleyber Torres, will all return to their groups on one-year, $22.025 million offers.
The opposite 9 gamers who obtained qualifying affords, together with shortstop Bo Bichette, outfielder Kyle Tucker, designated hitter Kyle Schwarber, beginning pitchers Dylan Stop, Ranger Suarez, Framber Valdez, Michael King and Zac Gallen, and nearer Edwin Diaz, rejected the supply and at the moment are free brokers.
Previous to this yr solely 14 gamers had ever accepted a qualifying supply because the system was first carried out in 2012. Essentially the most gamers to simply accept in a single offseason earlier than this winter was three in 2015.
