Red Sox Cut Ties With Hard-Throwing 25-Year-Old In Surprise Roster Move

The cuts have begun for the Boston Red Sox, but the first to go wasn't necessarily who anyone predicted.

According to a report from MassLive's Chris Cotillo, the Red Sox designated 25-year-old right-handed pitcher Luis Guerrero for assignment on Thursday. It was a somewhat surprising subtraction, as Guerrero flashed some promise for the Red Sox last season before struggling and spending time on the injured list this year.

Guerrero will hit waivers, where the other 29 teams will have a chance to claim him, or the Red Sox will get the opportunity to trade him, before he could potentially return to the Boston organization as a minor-leaguer without a 40-man roster spot.

Guerrero DFA is surprising in comparison to other options

Jun 17, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Boston Red Sox pitcher Luis Guerrero (99) throws against the Seattle Mariners during the eighth inning at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images | Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

In 13 games for the Red Sox at the major league level this season, Guerrero managed a 4.15 ERA, but walked 14 batters in 17 1/3 innings and struck out only 10. A sub-one strikeout-to-walk ratio won't get you far in the big leagues these days, and his command issues persisted at the Triple-A level as well.

Guerrero also did not pitch in the majors after June 27, though he made 11 outings on a rehab assignment to Triple-A Worcester in August and September. He didn't have a promising season at all, but it was still unexpected to see him first out the door.

Guerrero was one of nine players who entered Thursday still on the Red Sox's 60-day injured list, and the deadline to add them back to the 40-man roster was 5 p.m. ET. There were effectively eight spots open after the removal of the players who entered free agency, so Guerrero's departure could be the only subtraction until additions start getting made.

The eight players Boston added back to the 40-man roster were Kutter Crawford, Tanner Houck, Marcelo Mayer, Hunter Dobbins, Josh Winckowski, Patrick Sandoval, Vaughn Grissom, and Triston Casas.

In particular, Grissom and Winckowski stood out as candidates to get DFA'd before Guerrero, as well as left-hander Jovani Morán, who made just two appearances this year after arriving in a trade with the Minnesota Twins.

Perhaps the Red Sox expect some of the others to leave anyway and believe now could be the right time to get back a low-level prospect of some kind for Guerrero in a trade. But for a pitcher who began his major league career on a streak of 12 straight scoreless appearances, this was a quick fall from favor.

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