Chad Tracy explains Red Sox roster moves, why 35-year-old ‘deserved’ first call-up since 2019
Zack Kelly had logged a
BOSTON — The Red Sox shuffled their bullpen Friday, not out of necessity, but to give a chance to a standout who had dominated Triple-A. Ahead of a three-game series against the Twins, Boston called up righty Tyron Guerrero — not Tayron, as had been previously listed due to a clerical error that had been present throughout Guerrero’s professional career — and optioned righty Zack Kelly to Triple-A. Interim manager Chad Tracy explained that the move was about getting Guerrero — who had an 0.
92 ERA and 22 strikeouts in 19 ⅔ innings with the WooSox — a chance to contribute at the big league level. Kelly, who posted scoreless appearances in 10 of his 12 games before being sent down (and a 3. 31 ERA in 17 games overall), was simply the odd man out.
“Tayron deserves it. Zack probably didn’t,” Tracy explained, “but there’s part of it that stinks and it’s the life of a reliever with options. Guys have to go up and down sometimes.
But he (Kelly) will be back. ” Guerrero, a 35-year-old veteran who has not pitched in the majors since 2019, was signed as a minor league free agent in January after pitching in Japan for part of last season. After a strong showing during spring training, the 6-foot-8 righty kept his momentum rolling in Triple-A.