The Red Sox gave their bullpen a much needed shakeup late last night, designating Austin Davis and Hirokazu Sawamura for assignment. Zack Kelly and Kaleb Ort were recalled from Triple-A Worcester in a corresponding move. While Davis and Sawamura have struggled mightily as of late, fans should hope they clear waivers, as they could provide meaningful depth for next season.

Davis was acquired from Pittsburgh at the 2021 trade deadline in exchange for Michael Chavis. Chavis was seen as a former top prospect who desperately needed a change of scenery, but has failed to live up to his potential with the Pirates, posting a 92 OPS+ and 0 WAR. Davis got off to a hot start in 2022, with a 0.75 ERA in May and an overall 3.44 ERA in the first half. With control through 2025, Davis looked to become a mainstay in the Red Sox bullpen for years to come, but come mid-June (Davis hadn’t given up a run through 4 June outings), a bizarre change in his usage turned his whole season around. From June 12-July 4, Davis pitched just 3 times. One of those outings was as a 3 inning opener where he allowed just 1 run. The Red Sox usage of him was confusing to say the least, and from then on Davis has pitched to a 9.68 ERA. Not only did Davis pitch terribly in the second half, he also did it in low leverage situations.

With 1 being neutral leverage, his leverage index was just 0.34 in the 2nd half, 6th lowest in all of baseball amongst qualified relievers. It seems likely that a non-contending team would take a chance on a controllable reliever who has shown flashes of potential, and Davis’ disappointing tenure in Boston is likely coming to an end.

(UPDATE: Chris Cotillo of MassLive reports Davis has been claimed by the Minnesota Twins)

Signed to a two-year deal before the 2021 season, Hirokazu Sawamura was another mixed bag in a bullpen full of them. After a lucky 2021, where he pitched to an ERA almost 2 full points lower than his FIP, Sawamura needed to step up in a big way this year to get his team option picked up for 2023. While he has produced a seemingly solid 3.73 ERA, his advanced peripherals show lots of concerning metrics such as an 8th percentile ranking in HardHit% and 7th percentile ranking in BB%.

Like Davis, Sawamura has also thrown a bunch of meaningless innings, with just a 0.61 leverage index, 2nd lowest on the team. The only fact that may spark interest from teams on the waiver wire would be Sawamura’s tremendous road splits, as his ERA drops from 5.84 at home to a minuscule 0.84 on the road. While it seems likely Sawamura will clear waivers and finish off the year with the WooSox, a team looking for depth in a playoff push could grab him in the hopes that his road splits would be sustainable.

With the Red Sox quickly falling out of contention and deeper into last place in the loaded AL East, giving some lesser-known guys a shot seemed like an appropriate decision. With John Schreiber seemingly coming out of nowhere to become the Red Sox best reliever this year, the Red Sox are combing their system to see if they can uncover yet another hidden gem.

The 30-year-old Kaleb Ort is a former Independent League player who was chosen in the Rule 5 draft from the Yankees in 2020. He’s pitched to a 9.00 ERA with the Red Sox in 15 IP, but has a much better 2.88 ERA in Triple-A. The high ERA is absolutely a concern, but he has been extremely unlucky, with a much more appropriate 4.06 FIP. Limiting walks is certainly an issue, as he hovers around 4 walks per 9 innings in both Boston and Worcester. However, he definitely has plus stuff, with a fastball that touches 98 and a solid slider. The Red Sox seem determined to figure out what Ort has to offer, as this is already his 3rd time being called up this season, There’s reason to believe that if Ort can figure out his control his stuff will be good enough to play at the major league level.

As I write this, Zack Kelly is making his major league debut on a Monday night against the Minnesota Twins. It’s been quite the journey for the righty, who was signed by Oakland A’s for just $500 as an undrafted free agent out of Division II Newberry College in 2017. He bounced around with 3 different organizations before coming to the Red Sox, and was absolutely fantastic for the WooSox in 2022. With a minuscule 2.72 ERA and 0.92 WHIP, Kelly has blossomed with a solid 4 pitch mix, with his best pitches being his 96-98 MPH fastball and a plus changeup. He generates tons of swings and misses, with a 34.4 K%, and Red Sox fans should be extremely excited to see what Kelly can contribute for this last bit of the season.

(UPDATE: Kelly pitched a scoreless 6th inning with 2 strikeouts in his debut)

Davis and Sawamura were on their way out for a few weeks now, and there were many speculations for who the Red Sox would call up to fill their place. Some thought it would be Frank German, a 24-year-old former Yankee acquired in the Adam Ottavino trade, or even top prospect Triston Casas if they wanted to pitch on a short bullpen. The Red Sox ended up choosing some less exciting prospects, however both Kelly and Ort have performed well in AAA and still have room to grow and develop. This last month of the season will be vital to their futures with the team and an interesting development to what has been a disappointing Red Sox season.