Red Sox Could Reverse Course on Brendan Rodgers After Cut

The Boston Red Sox have certainly been busy in the lead up to Opening Day.

First and foremost, the Red Sox had to finalize their official roster to kick off the season. That brought difficult decisions in itself, of course. For example, the Red Sox selected Connelly Early for the Opening Day roster and will have him in the starting rotation. Johan Oviedo, who was the favorite for the last rotation spot, will be pitching out of the bullpen to begin the year at least.

The final few days of camp always bring difficult decisions. Clubs have to sort out their active roster, assign prospects to affiliates and even move on from players, both in the majors and down in the minors. For example, the Red Sox reportedly are sending No. 4 prospect Kyson Witherspoon to High-A Greenville, per Baseball Now's Andrew Parker. The Red Sox have also released a handful of guys, both at the big league level and down in the minors.

The Red Sox may not be done with the infielder

Jun 14, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Astros second baseman Brendan Rodgers (1) hits a single during the third inning against the Minnesota Twins at Daikin Park. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

On Wednesday, the Red Sox released former Gold Glove Award winner Brendan Rodgers, per the official transaction log. Rodgers is the second injured player released over the last week by Boston as it also cut ties with veteran reliever Vinny Nittoli. When it comes to Rodgers, though, MassLive.com's Chris Cotillo didn't close the door on him coming back on a "re-negotiated" deal.

"Rodgers may get a re-negotiated new deal as he rehabs, FWIW," Cotillo wrote on X.

Even if he does get a new deal with Boston, Rodgers unfortunately won't be playing baseball for a while. He suffered a torn labrum and a chipped bone and underwent shoulder surgery to fix it that likely ended his season before it could've even begun.

When the Red Sox brought Rodgers in on a minor league deal, the expectation was that he would be able to at least fight for a roster spot. When it was shared that Romy González was going to be missing time, it increased Rodgers' chances of making the club. He's a seven-year big league veteran with a Gold Glove Award under his belt and he's a .261 career hitter. With González out of the picture for the foreseeable future, that opened up a utility bench spot with Rodgers, Andruw Monasterio and Nick Sogard among options to take it. Rodgers got hurt and Monasterio got the job.

It wouldn't be bad at all to hand Rodgers a cheap deal while he rehabs and see if he can be a depth piece for the club either very late in the 2026 season, or fight for a job next year.