Jamie

Westbrook

Westbrook went unclaimed on waivers after being designated for assignment earlier this week and will remain with Boston for now. The versatile 29-year-old hit just .150 with a .584 OPS, two home runs, and seven RBI in 48 plate appearances with Boston this season, but was hitting .291/.391/.475 in 71 games at Triple-A with a 17 percent strikeout rate and 12 percent walk rate. He will continue to provide organizational depth in the infield for the remainder of the season.

Westbrook, 29, had been back in Triple-A for the last couple of weeks after hitting .150/.234/.350 in 48 plate appearances for the Red Sox. He offers versatility and some thump against lefties, maybe another team will put in a claim.

Westbrook was optioned to make room for the newly acquired Lucas Sims. He hit .150 with a .584 OPS, two home runs and seven RBI in limited time with Boston. Westbrook remains on the 40-man roster and will serve as minor league depth in the time being.

O’Neill is coming off a huge game on Tuesday with two home runs. However, with a right-hander on the mound in a day game, the Red Sox will play Wilyer Abreu in right field, Ceddanne Rafaela in center field, David Hamilton at shortstop, Romy Gonzalez at third base, and Jamie Westbrook at second base.

Westbrook is up to take the place of Enmanuel Valdez with the Red Sox optioning Valdez to Triple-A as the corresponding transaction. Westbrook will serve as a utility option while with Boston in this go-around, and isn’t worth fantasy consideration.

Westbrook should be at least a 26th man in the majors, but the Red Sox currently prefer Romy Gonzalez’s defensive versatility. Westbrook went 4-for-18 with a homer and a double during his two weeks with the Red Sox. His average exit velocity on his 13 balls in play was an impressive 92.8 mph.

With left-hander Cristopher Sanchez on the mound, the Red Sox will deploy their right-handed heavy lineup, which means all of Enmanuel Valdez, Dominic Smith, and Masataka Yoshida will head to the bench. In addition to Dalbec, Jamie Westbrook is in the game at second base and Rob Refsnyder is starting in right field.

Westbrook is up to take the place of Romy Gonzalez with Gonzalez on the IL due to a hamstring strain. The 28-year-old will provide some infield depth while on the active roster.

Yorke is the Red Sox’s 8th-ranked prospect according to MLB Pipeline. The 22-year-old struggled this spring but hit .268/.350/.435 in 110 games at Double-A in 2023 with 13 home runs and 18 steals. He has only played second base in his minor league career but with Vaughn Grissom now in Boston, the team may look to try Yorke at some other positions if they want to find a place for him on the roster. The 27-year-old Hagenman looked good this spring, throwing 5 2/3 shutout innings with seven strikeouts and one walk. He posted a 2.95 ERA in 85 1/3 Triple-A innings (41 appearances, five starts) with the Dodgers and Red Sox last year. He figures to get big league innings in 2024.

A longtime minor league journeyman, Westbrook has yet to ascend to the big leagues after being drafted in the fifth round of the 2023 MLB Draft. The 28-year-old offers a smorgasbord of defensive versatility and could finally get a shot in Boston after posting a strong .897 OPS with 21 homers and six steals across 496 plate appearances this past season for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in the Yankees’ system. He’ll be in the mix next spring for a spot on the Red Sox’ season-opening roster in a bench role.