Feb 18, 2019; Lee County, FL, USA; A general view of a Boston Red Sox helmet as Boston Red Sox center fielder Jackie Bradley Jr. (19) walks on the field during a spring training workout at Jet Blue Park at Fenway South. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images

Red Sox Must Cut Bait With Unused 3rd-Stringer To Save Playoff Hopes

Originally posted on Boston Red Sox on SI
By Jackson Roberts | Last updated Sep 18, 2025 6:00 PM ET

As the Boston Red Sox endure a daily struggle to find offense, there's a glaring issue with the roster that desperately needs correcting.

Every team gets two extra roster spots in September -- one for a pitcher, one for a position player. The Red Sox have effectively deployed that additional pitcher spot, keeping a full stable available in the bullpen despite juggling the Boston debuts of lefties Payton Tolle, Connelly Early, and Kyle Harrison.

On the other hand, the Red Sox have essentially punted on the extra position player spot all month. And with only nine games left on the schedule after Thursday's pathetic series finale against the Athletics, it's high time they did something to fix that.

Red Sox should DFA Ali Sánchez in favor of any Triple-A bat

Catcher Ali Sánchez is on his second stint with the Red Sox since August, having been claimed off waivers by Boston, designated for assignment, signed with the New York Mets, and traded back to Boston on a minor-league contract.

Sánchez has therefore been on the Red Sox's active roster for a total of 25 days this summer. In that time frame, he has four appearances, none of which have been starts, and a grand total of two plate appearances (both in absolute blowouts).

The only logic behind Sanchez remaining on the roster is that A) starting catcher Carlos Narvaez has been playing through knee pain for most of the second half, and B) on rare occasions, the Red Sox might use a catcher as a pinch-hitter, then need a defensive replacement (it's happened twice this month).

But looking at how much the offense is struggling down the stretch, it's sacrilege to keep Sánchez on the roster as an insurance policy. The Red Sox could desperately use one more bench player in all of these games, and they have a handful of them readily available in Triple-A.

The ideal move would be to call up Kristian Campbell, but it seems the Red Sox are reluctant to do so in order to protect the 23-year-old from more failures in the big leagues this fall. That's fine, though; Abraham Toro or Jhostynxon Garcia would suffice. Heck, even calling up 2022 first-round pick Mikey Romero to make his major league debut ahead of schedule would be a preferable option.

The Red Sox are telling us through their actions that they don't trust Sánchez to handle a bat for virtually any reason. It's unacceptable that they haven't yet replaced him with someone they do.

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

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