Mar 8, 2012; Fort Myers, FL, USA; Boston Red Sox right fielder Ryan Sweeney (not pictured) batting helmet in the dugout before the game between the Red Sox and the Minnesota Twins at JetBlue Park. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-US PRESSWIRE Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Red Sox Could Cut Ties With Speedster After 22-Steal Season

Originally posted on Boston Red Sox on SI
By Jackson Roberts | Last updated Oct 30, 2025 10:00 AM ET

This is the nervous time of year for a lot of fringe Major League Baseball players.

The Boston Red Sox, like the other 29 teams around the league, will soon have to set their 40-man roster for the winter. Then, even if players survive that initial cutdown, there will be other moves to account for any free-agent signings.

For those who didn't live up to expectations this past season, there's a sense that every day of the offseason could be the day the Red Sox cut bait. That list assuredly includes speedy infielder David Hamilton, whose offense took a major step back from his rookie season a year ago.

Is Hamilton's 40-man roster spot in jeopardy?

On Tuesday, Chris Cotillo of MassLive named Hamilton as a candidate to be removed from the 40-man roster due to eventual major league acquisitions. That removal could come via trade, or simply by Hamilton being designated for assignment.

"The club then needs to reinstate nine players ... from the 60-day IL, which doesn’t exist in the offseason," Cotillo wrote. "That means there will likely be 41 players for 40 spots. The Red Sox will then need to make a cut to fit everyone on.

"There are some depth options on the roster who are candidates to be designated for assignment, like lefty Jovani Morán and righty Josh Winckowski. Eventually, as winter additions are made, the roster spots of guys like ... David Hamilton and others could become tenuous."

Hamilton, 28, is a good player to have on a roster in theory because of his 95th-percentile sprint speed. A year after stealing 33 bases in 37 attempts, he regressed slightly to a 22-for-38 rate, but the far bigger concern was his offensive ineptitude.

With a .198 batting average and .257 on-base percentage, Hamilton didn't create enough traffic on the basepaths to allow his speed to play. His .307 OBP a year ago wasn't great by any means, but it was close enough to league average to allow him to steal some runs by taking extra bases.

Hamilton won't be the first name on the chopping block, but the number of additions the Red Sox make could eventually force him out. And it's hard to imagine another team wouldn't want him as a bench piece, so there's probably a trade to be made in that scenario, perhaps with a rebuilding squad that has the space on its 40-man roster.

This article first appeared on Boston Red Sox on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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