Tyler O’niell will not be Starting in the RF Opening Day as a result…
The 30-year-old right-hander Naoyuki Uwasawa was purchased by the Red Sox from the Rays for cash considerations, according to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times.
Uwasawa signed a minor-league deal with the Rays earlier this offseason; the Red Sox have not formally stated whether or not he would be added to their major-league roster.
After playing in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the first nine years of his professional career, Uwasawa is currently in the midst of his debut MLB season. With the Nippon Ham Fighters, he had a fantastic 2023 season despite facing NPB competition, going 9-9 with a 2.96 ERA in 24 games.
But Uwasawa did not land a spot on Tampa’s roster after several rough outings against MLB batters in spring training. In 9.1 innings of work with the Rays, Uwasawa relinquished 14 earned runs and 15 hits — resulting in a 13.03 ERA. He struck out nine batters over that stretch, but also walked eight.
Although Uwasawa’s starting position with the Red Sox is still unknown, it is best to consider the right-hander as a depth piece rather than a possible addition to Boston’s rotation.
Uwasawa signed a minor-league deal with the Rays earlier this offseason; the Red Sox have not formally stated whether or not he would be added to their major-league roster.
After playing in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the first nine years of his professional career, Uwasawa is currently in the midst of his debut MLB season. With the Nippon Ham Fighters, he had a fantastic 2023 season despite facing NPB competition, going 9-9 with a 2.96 ERA in 24 games.
