The Red Sox are making some roster moves — and shaking up their bullpen — before starting a series in Houston on Monday night.
Boston has called up left-hander Jovani Morán from Triple-A Worcester, multiple sources told MassLive. The club will also activate recently claimed catcher Ali Sánchez off waivers before Monday’s game. The Red Sox will need to clear two active roster spots to accommodate Morán and Sánchez. It’s unclear how they’ll do so but pitchers Isaiah Campbell Chris Murphy are candidates to be sent down, as are second baseman David Hamilton and, if the club doesn’t want to carry three catchers, Connor Wong.
To clear a 40-man spot for Morán, the club designated righty Nick Burdi for assignment. Sánchez is out of minor league options, so he needed to either be activated or designated for assignment at some point Monday.
Morán, 28, is a former Twins reliever who was acquired in the Christmas Eve trade that sent Mickey Gasper to Minnesota. Morán spent the first couple months of the season finishing his Tommy John rehab and has since made 12 appearances with the WooSox, posting a 3.44 ERA and striking out 26 batters in 18 ⅓ innings.
Morán, a former seventh-round pick of the Twins in 2015, appeared in the big leagues in parts of three seasons from 2021-2023. He emerged as a dominant force for Minnesota in 2022, when he logged a 2.21 ERA and struck out 54 batters in 40 ⅔ innings. The 2023 season was a struggle in which Morán logged a 5.31 ERA in 43 big league games before having Tommy John surgery over the winter. He was non-tendered and re-signed by the Twins during his rehab, then traded as a non-40-man roster player in December.
The end of Morán’s rehab delayed his 2025 debut to June 3, and after two games in the Florida Complex League and four more at High-A Greenville, he joined Worcester on June 25.
Burdi, who was signed to a minor league contract during spring training, appeared in four games for the Red Sox in May and June, tossing 5 ⅓ scoreless innings before hitting the injured list with a right foot contusion. He was recently activated and returned to Triple-A Worcester, where he owns a dominant 1.88 ERA and 12.0 K/9 rate in 24 innings this year.
It’s expected Burdi, 32, will draw interest on waivers considering his strong Triple-A performance.
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