Justin

Wilson

The deal has up to $750,000 in performance bonuses based on games pitched. Wilson had Tommy John surgery in May of 2022 and missed the entire 2023 season. He came back this past year and made 60 appearances for the Reds, posting a 5.59 ERA. The 37-year-old does have a career 3.61 ERA over 12 years split between the Pirates, Yankees, Tigers, Cubs, Mets, and Reds, so the Red Sox will hope that he can get back to that level of production after another year removed from surgery.

The “decision stems from a roster crunch, not a move to become outright sellers,” so the Reds will only look to move relievers who will be free agents at the end of the year. That includes players like Lucas Sims, Buck Farmer, Justin Wilson, and Nick Martinez. Veteran right-handers Emilio Pagán and Ian Gibaut are out of options and getting closer to a return, leaving the Reds short on roster spots for relievers they’d like to keep, which is why they might be looking to rearrange deck chairs in their bullpen.

The save was Wilson’s first of the year. With Alexis Diaz unavailable after picking up his 13th save on Friday, Lucas Sims started the ninth inning. Wilson came in with two men on and one out and escaped with the save. Outside of the occasional save, Wilson doesn’t have much fantasy value.

Wilson ended up missing just the minimum stint while dealing with tightness in his left shoulder. The southpaw wasn’t terribly effective with a 5.91 ERA over 10 2/3 frames, but he’ll have a chance to work in the middle innings now that he’s back on the roster. Alex Young was sent down to Triple-A to make room.

The 36-year-old southpaw has seen plenty of action out of the Reds’ bullpen this season, posting an underwhelming 5.91 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and a 14/2 K/BB ratio over 10 2/3 innings in his 16 appearances. It’s not yet clear how long he’s expected to be shelved for. Carson Spiers was recalled from Triple-A Louisville in a corresponding move to replace Wilson in the Reds’ bullpen.

Wilson will also have the potential to earn an additional $1 million in incentives. The 36-year-old southpaw opted out of his contract with the Dodgers earlier in the week, but it didn’t take him long to find a better opportunity. The Reds are very familiar with his work, as he spent parts of the 2021 and 2022 seasons with the club. He’ll land a spot in the team’s Opening Day bullpen.

Wilson spent parts of two seasons with the Reds from 2021-22 and will return to Cincinnati just a few days after opting out of his minor league contract with the Dodgers. The 36-year-old lefty hasn’t pitched in the majors since the 2022 campaign due to injury. He’ll likely take the roster spot of lefty Alex Young (back) who is headed to the injured list.

The 36-year-old southpaw opted out of his minor league contract with the Dodgers and is once again officially a free agent. It’s likely that Wilson was informed that he would not be making the team’s Opening Day bullpen, and this will give him time to try to latch on elsewhere if he can find a better opportunity. Wilson registered a 4.50 ERA, 1.75 WHIP and a 9/2 K/BB ratio over his four innings in Cactus League action with the Dodgers.

Wilson has struggled to stay healthy over the past few seasons. The 36-year-old lefty has only appeared in 47 games since 2021 and missed the entire 2023 season with a left lat strain.

There was zero chance the Brewers were retaining Wilson after the veteran southpaw suffered a left lat strain in late July that ended his season before he could make his Milwaukee debut. The 36-year-old lefty hasn’t pitched since undergoing Tommy John surgery back in 2022.