Prior to their game against the Minnesota Twins on Saturday, the Boston Red Sox — who at 18-16 sit two games out of first place in the American League East — made a pair of roster moves. One was expected, and sadly necessary.
But the second move left some fans angry, or at least scratching their heads.
Following a frightening injury to 25-year-old, fourth-year first baseman Triston Casas — who was diagnosed with a ruptured left patellar tendon, the club announced Saturday — the Red Sox recalled versatile infielder Abraham Toro from Triple-A Worcester to take the roster spot previously occupied by Casas.
Casas was placed on the 10-day injured list, but he is likely to need much longer than 10 days to recover. The patellar tendon connects the bottom of the kneecap to the shin bone. A tear to the patellar is a serious injury that, for a professional athlete, typically requires recovery time of eight months to one year.
But in Saturday’s second roster move, in what can only be described as a puzzling decision, the Red Sox optioned bullpen righty Luis Guerrero to Worcester. The 2021 17th-round draft pick was an odd choice, as he had not allowed a single earned run, and only one run in total, in his two short big league stints this season and last.
He has struck out 12 in that span, while walking only two and allowing seven hits, for a career WHIP of 0.643. In addition, according to Statcast, his fastball velocity ranks in the 96th percentile of major league pitchers.
Fans on social media were not happy to see Guerrero go.
Thought Guerrero had nasty stuff. What are we doing? Haha. Burdi is ready too.
— SPS (@triplef02) May 3, 2025
Mistake
— Adam Ventura (@adamv2326) May 3, 2025
Literally why lol. All this guy has done is produce. He deserves his spot
— Mr. Sports (@MisterSports00) May 3, 2025
I don’t understand why they optioned Guerrero he he’s been perfect literally
— GarrettCrochetEnthusiast (@patsnation0815) May 3, 2025
Guerrero was optioned to make room for the return of southpaw Brennan Bernardino, who was activated from the bereavement list, according to a report by Chris Cotillo of MassLive.
Bernardino has also pitched well this season, with a 2.45 ERA in 11 innings. On the other hand, his ERA may be somewhat deceptive. The lefty has allowed eight runs to score, but only three have been credited as earned and count against his ERA.
More MLB: Red Sox Provide Alarming Diagnosis for Triston Casas After Scary Injury
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