The Red Sox made a series of roster moves ahead of Tuesday’s game, with the most notable being the addition of newly acquired right-hander Trey Wingenter to the active big league roster.
“I knew I had the clause coming up in my contract,” the righty said as he stood in his new clubhouse on Tuesday afternoon. “Kind of in the dark for two days, and then all of a sudden, Boston.”
The Red Sox acquired Wingenter, 30, from the Detroit Tigers in exchange for minor league pitcher C.J. Weins on Saturday night. He’ll pitch out of the bullpen in Boston and wear No. 61. The 30-year-old has appeared in 90 MLB games over three seasons, posting a 5.82 ERA over 87 innings, most recently in 2023. This season he’s exclusively pitched in Triple-A, where he’s posted a 3.31 ERA in 32.2 innings.
“The thing for me always has been staying healthy, and it’s been being in the zone at a high level,” Wingenter explained of his pitching evolution as a “bigger guy.” (He’s listed at 6’7″.) “I’ve been able to develop some high-level stuff, and when I’m in the zone, I have a lot of success. And the focus this year has been pounding the zone, and when I get ahead in the count, finishing hitters off.”
Originally selected by the San Diego Padres in the 17th round of the 2015 draft, Wingenter made his debut with the club on August 7, 2018. He underwent Tommy John surgery two summers later, and was non-tendered by the Padres in November ’21. Since then, he’s had minor-league contracts with the Cincinnati Reds and Tigers. With the latter, his tenure was limited by right-shoulder tendinitis.
“Last year was a little interesting for me coming off some years of injury,” he said. “This year I feel like myself again, I feel healthy, and that swing-and-miss stuff is as good now as it’s ever been.”
The organization’s revamped pitching development – headlined by pitching coach Andrew Bailey – is already gaining a reputation around the league.
“They seem like a high-level group of guys,” Wingenter said. “I’m excited. I think they’re going to be able to get the most out of me, and I’m hoping to help them out, too.”
The team’s current situation makes for a desirable landing spot, too. The Red Sox entered Tuesday 49-40, with a 1.5-game lead for the third American League Wild Card (and only 4.5 games out of the first.)
“I can tell they got a good thing going here in this clubhouse,” Wingenter said. “It’s high-energy, team’s playing good ball. I’m just trying to immerse myself in the culture and be able to help as soon as possible.”
To clear space on the 40-man roster, the Red Sox designated right-hander Naoyuki Uwasawa for assignment. The club had already cleared a spot on the active big league roster Monday when they optioned left-hander Cam Booser to Triple-A.
In addition to the pitching shakeup, the Red Sox also optioned second baseman Enmanuel Valdez to Triple-A and called up infielder Jamie Westbrook.
