Jeurys Familia has elected free agency after clearing waivers and being outrighted to Triple-A, the Red Sox announced Friday.
Boston designated the veteran reliever for assignment following a Sept. 13 outing that saw Familia allow three runs (two earned) and three walks in the 10th inning of a 7-6 loss to the Yankees. Familia was told he was being designated for assignment immediately after the game.
“I’m going to have to take some time off and rest a little bit and then get back to work so I can be ready for next year,” Familia said at the time, per MassLive.com's Chris Cotillo.
The Red Sox signed Familia to a minor league deal in early August after the Phillies designated the righty for assignment. He signed a one-year, $6 million deal with Philadelphia bin March. After posting a 6.09 ERA over 38 games for the Phillies, Familia nearly replicated that mark with a 6.10 ERA in 10 games for Boston.
All in all, the 32-year-old likely ended his season with a 6.09 ERA over 44.1 innings at the major league level. He recorded 4.5 walks per nine innings.
“I’ve fallen behind the hitters too much,” Familia said after his final appearance for the Red Sox. “When you fall behind the hitters, [there's a] 90 percent chance the hitter gets on base. I haven’t been able to command my pitches.”
Familia's 2022 numbers are a far cry from the stats he posted when he was a fixture in the Mets' bullpen. He had two stints with New York and racked up 94 saves from 2015-2016. Familia was an All-Star in 2016.
Familia, who also spent 30 games with the Oakland Athletics in 2018 after being traded out of Queens, entered this season with a 3.28 ERA and 125 saves over 498.2 innings.
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