Chicago White Sox Utility Man Romy González Heads to Boston Red Sox Via Waiver Wire
The Boston Red Sox have claimed utility man Romy González off waivers from the Chicago White Sox, the team announced Wednesday afternoon.
Chicago designated González for assignment on Jan. 26 in order to make room for relief pitcher John Brebbia, who they recently signed to a one-year, $5.5 million deal. Boston, meanwhile, designated right-handed pitcher Zack Weiss for assignment in order to bring in González.
The White Sox have had González since they took him out of the University of Miami (FL) in the 18th round of the 2018 MLB Draft. He made his MLB debut in 2021 and got a few shots at the big leagues in 2022 and 2023 as well.
González is a career .222 hitter with five home runs, 37 RBI, seven stolen bases, five walks, 86 strikeouts, a .600 OPS and a -0.8 WAR across 86 major league appearances. He has logged most of his innings at second base, but also has experience in right field, at shortstop and at third.
In 2023, González hit .194 with three home runs, 14 RBI, seven stolen bases, a .585 OPS and a -0.4 WAR in 44 games. He underwent surgery to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder in July, landing on the injured list for the remainder of the season.
Even though longtime White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson remains a free agent, the team added veteran middle infielders Paul DeJong and Nicky Lopez back in November. Journeyman outfielder Brett Phillips also inked a deal with Chicago earlier in January, further alleviating their need for González.
González will now join a Red Sox team that has been turning over second basemen ever since Dustin Pedroia got hurt in 2017. Former Atlanta Braves standout Vaughn Grissom is favored to earn the starting job in 2024 while top prospect Ceddanne Rafaela has also proven capable of logging innings at the position.
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