Red Sox Officially Cut Former Catcher Prospect After Inconsistent Run In Minor Leagues
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The Boston Red Sox made a quiet move Monday.
It was an extremely noteworthy day for Boston on Monday with the return of Chris Sale to the mound and the unfortunate injury to designated hitter Justin Turner after being hit in the face with a pitch in the team's win over the Detroit Tigers.
Boston had a busy day, to say the least, but one move the team made that went under the radar was the release of former fourth-round draft pick and catcher prospect Kole Cottam, according to the MiLB Transaction Log.
Boston drafted the 25-year-old out of the University of Kentucky in the 2018 MLB June Amateur Draft and he began his professional career as a member of the then Low-A affiliated Lowell Spinners in 2018.
In four professional seasons, Cottam was promoted all the way to the Triple-A Worcester Red Sox in 2022. He struggled in 14 games with Worcester slashing .178/.260/.289. In his professional career so far, Cottam has slashed .258/.347/.421 across all levels of play to go along with 23 home runs and 129 RBIs in 268 total games.
The 25-year-old reportedly asked the team for his release in an attempt to find a bigger role with another club, according to SoxProspects.com's Ed Hand.
Boston currently has Reese McGuire and Connor Wong on the 40-man roster and slugger Jorge Alfaro signed to a minor league deal. McGuire and Wong entered camp as the expected duo to take the field with the big league club in 2023, but with Wong out due to a hamstring injury and Alfaro's impressive play in Grapefruit League action, things change. When Opening Day rolls around, a combination of McGuire, Wong, and Alfaro will take the field with the Red Sox leaving one of the trio likely to go to Worcester.
With Caleb Hamilton, Ronaldo Hernandez, and Elih Marrero all in the mix for a spot with Worcester as well, Cottam likely wouldn't have had much of a role with the club in 2023.
After five years in the Boston organization, hopefully he is able to find a bigger role with another club in the not-so-distant future.
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