Over the weekend, the Boston Red Sox cut ties with left-handed pitcher Sean Newcomb as they designated him for assignment. To take Newcomb’s spot on the 40-man roster, Boston called up reliever Luis Guerrero from Triple-A Worcester.
With Newcomb getting DFA’d, the Red Sox had a week to trade the veteran pitcher or clear him through waivers. If the Red Sox picked the latter option, Newcomb would be outrighted to the minor leagues, but would have the option to accept or reject it.
The Red Sox won’t have to go down the path, as the team announced on Tuesday that they traded Newcomb to the Athletics for cash considerations.
Newcomb spent the previous two seasons with the Athletics before signing a minor league deal with the Red Sox. In 14 games with the A’s, the veteran pitcher had a 2-1 record and 4.32 ERA.
The 31-year-old southpaw had his struggles on the mound in the regular season after a great showing in Spring Training. Newcomb had a 0.63 ERA in five appearances in Spring Training. However, he couldn’t replicate the same performance when the calendar flipped to Opening Day at the end of March.
Newcomb started in the starting rotation, given the injuries Boston was dealing with involving Lucas Giolito and Brayan Bello. However, Newcomb couldn’t find his groove, sporting a 4.43 ERA and a 0-3 record.
The Brockton, MA native allowed 32 hits, 15 runs (11 earned), 11 walks, and a home run, while striking out 27 batters in 22.1 innings. Opponents were also hitting .348 at the plate off the lefty, which is not good.
However, with the Red Sox getting back Giolito and Bello, they moved Newcomb to the bullpen. The southpaw pitched better as a reliever, posting a 3.06 ERA in six appearances. That said, opponents still hit .306 at the plate.
Even though things did not work out for Newcomb, he still got to pitch for his hometown team and showed flashes of good pitching in Spring Training. Now he has another opportunity to get back on track with the team he just played with in the previous two seasons.