Red Sox call up lefty reliever for crucial Astros series

The Boston Red Sox have called up left-handed reliever Jovani Moran from Triple-A Worcester before the team’s series opener against the Houston Astros on Monday, according to Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com.

It’s a corresponding move after Boston designated righty reliever Nick Burdi for assignment.

“Thank you Red Sox for letting me put on a big league uniform again,” Burdi posted Monday via X. “Will see what the next chapter brings!”

Moran came over to the Red Sox in an offseason trade with the Minnesota Twins with Boston sending infielder/catcher Mickey Gasper to the Twin Cities in return. Moran has not pitched in the majors since 2023 but has appeared in 79 games over three seasons. In that time, he has a 4.15 ERA and 1.330 WHIP with 112 strikeouts in 91 innings.

His best season came in 2022 when Moran made 31 appearances for the Twins and threw to a 2.21 ERA. He also had a 32.9 percent strikeout rate, and while his 11.0 percent walk rate doesn’t look very good, it was the lowest of his career.

Moran comes to the Red Sox with up to five years of team control despite his sporadic appearances in the majors. That could come into play if Boston can find a way to recapture his 2022 form. He also has one minor-league option remaining.

As for Burdi, he hasn’t necessarily done anything wrong this year. In four appearances with the Red Sox, he threw 5.1 scoreless innings, giving up five hits with five strikeouts and two walks. A foot injury, however, landed him on the injured list in June and the organization sent him to the minor leagues when he was healthy again.

Burdi more than did his job at Worcester, where he appeared in 20 games and compiled a 1.88 ERA, striking out 32 batters in 24 innings.

The Red Sox currently sit four games behind the Toronto Blue Jays for first place in the American League East and are 2.5 games ahead of the New York Yankees in the Wild Card hunt.


Russell Steinberg covers Major League Baseball and the New York Liberty for ClutchPoints. A baseball and basketball lifer, he has written for Boardroom, SLAM, SB Nation, The Next, and more. He graduated from NYU in 2012 and still returns to serve as PA announcer and occasional broadcaster for the school’s basketball and volleyball teams.

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