Red Sox Select Wyatt Olds

The Red Sox announced they have selected the contract of right-hander Wyatt Olds. Left-hander Raymond Burgos has been optioned in a corresponding active roster move. The 40-man had three vacancies, so adding Olds takes the Sox from 37 to 38. Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reported the moves prior to the official announcement.

The move is presumably related to the events of yesterday’s game. The Sox fell behind early against the Pirates. The Bucs were up 7-0 after three innings and eventually won 8-3. Patrick Sandoval started that game for Boston and lasted four innings. Burgos was sent in to mop up the rest and tossed another four, throwing 52 pitches and allowing the rest of the bullpen to stay idle in the lost cause. Burgos was not going to be available for a few days, so he has been sent down to bring in a fresh arm.

Olds, 27, will be that fresh arm. He was a seventh-round pick of the Sox in 2021. He was initially developed as a starter but didn’t have much success in that role and was eventually moved to the bullpen. Generally speaking, he has been able to send opponents back to the dugout but also to first base, as he has always had big strikeout and walk numbers.

That has continued to be the case this year. Olds has thrown 50 2/3 innings over 39 Triple-A appearances here in 2026, allowing 5.33 earned runs per nine. His 32.6% strikeout rate is huge and his 43% ground ball rate is above average as well. However, he has walked 28 of the 227 batters he has faced, a big 12.3% clip. He has also hit five batters and uncorked five wild pitches. His four-seamer is averaging 96.8 miles per hour on the year while he is also throwing a cutter, slider and changeup.

Olds has never really been a top prospect but the Sox will put him in the final spot of their bullpen and see what happens. In the short term, it’s possible he’s only around until a fresh arm is needed again. He has a full slate of options and could easily be sent back to the farm. In the long run, he’ll probably have to improve his control to really flourish at the major league level.