The Boston Red Sox have gotten a lot of credit from reporters and fans for the changes they made over the offseason to revamp their pitching staff and infield.
The 2025 Red Sox are an interesting mix of seasoned veterans and talented young players with minimal big league experience. So far, games have had similar outcomes as last season — Boston’s record has hovered around .500, offensive production has been inconsistent and the defense has made a few too many errors despite the winter’s reinforcements.
The season is still young and players have only appeared in a small sample size of games, but if the Red Sox hope to get back to the postseason, as they so adamantly promised their fans they would, they need to have their best players on the field as often as possible.
Here are three Red Sox players whose early performances warrant a stint in Triple-A or DFA, either because they’ve gotten off to a rough start or there are reinforcements coming soon.
3 Red Sox players who’ve already proven they don’t belong on roster after May 1
Sean Newcomb
The Red Sox haven’t used the best version of their rotation yet, as Brayan Bello and Lucas Giolito are in Triple-A rehabbing injuries from spring training. Luckily, their rehab stints are going well, and they need just one or two more starts before they can join the Sox in the majors.
When either Bello or Giolito is promoted, Sean Newcomb seems like he could be the most likely roster casualty. The former Braves and Athletics pitcher posted an excellent spring training with the Sox (0.63 ERA in 14.1 innings pitched,) but he’s struggled to limit traffic in the regular season. Newcomb has pitched to a 4.97 ERA with 15 strikeouts and seven walks in 12.2 innings.
David Hamilton
David Hamilton has been slow to start at the plate in the first few weeks of the season. He’s played just eight games, but he’s posted only one hit and one walk with six strikeouts.
Hamilton is quick on the base paths and is a valuable pinch-running option for the Sox, and his defense has been solid so far. Still, the Red Sox have a top prospect infielder in the minor leagues who’s been swinging a hotter bat and could be one of the smoothest defenders in the game — Boston needs all the help it can get after its five-error night against the White Sox on April 11.
There’s still no hint of a timeline for the Sox’s plans to call up Marcelo Mayer, but when it happens, Hamilton seems like the likeliest roster move.
Zack Kelly
The Red Sox’s bullpen has looked pretty stable in the first few weeks of the season, which is a welcome change from the second half of last year. The ‘pen could get even better, though, as Liam Hendriks just began a rehab assignment with the WooSox. The Red Sox haven’t announced a timeline for his return, but a roster move will be necessary to get Hendriks to the big leagues.
Zack Kelly could be the easiest choice. He’s allowed three runs on seven hits in 5.2 innings so far (4.76 ERA), and the rest of the Sox’s bullpen has been solid with a 3.86 ERA over 53.2 innings. Kelly also has two minor league options left, so Boston could option him to Triple-A as a depth option in case other injuries arise.
