Red Sox Score Quiet Win With Reported Brendan Rodgers Deal

The Boston Red Sox released former Gold Glove Award winner Brendan Rodgers, but it didn't last long.

Rodgers will not be playing in 2026, or at least for the vast majority of the campaign. The 29-year-old former Gold Glove Award winner suffered a torn labrum and a chipped bone in his shoulder and underwent shoulder surgery. The Red Sox released him and MassLive.com's Chris Cotillo followed up shortly afterward by reporting that the two sides could work towards a "re-negotiated new deal."

On Saturday, Chris Hatfield of SoxProspects.com reported that the two sides have in fact agreed to terms on a new, two-year minor league deal.

The Red Sox made another good move on Saturday

Jun 6, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Houston Astros second baseman Brendan Rodgers (1) celebrates his solo home run with center fielder Jacob Melton (31) in the sixth inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images | David Richard-Imagn Images

"After being released earlier this week, veteran IF Brendan Rodgers has re-signed with the Red Sox on a two-year minor league deal," Hatfield wrote. "Allows him to rehab his shoulder surgery and stay with the team [through] 2027. ... It's a minor league deal. There's no downside. He'll go on the 60-day IL soon, presumably, and if he's good to go next year, you've got another depth piece."

What a good move. First and foremost, you can almost never go wrong with a minor league deal. The cost is little and they're essentially lottery tickets. If any minor league deal works out and helps at the big league, it's a plus. If not, minor league deals simply add depth throughout an organization, which is good.

When it comes to Rodgers, he's a 29-year-old Gold Glove Award winner and is a career .261 hitter in 495 games played in the big leagues. The fact that the Red Sox have him on a two-year minor league deal keeps him in town to rehab and then already gives Boston a head start on depth for 2027. When healthy, he has all the upside in the world.

He was selected with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2015 MLB Draft. In 2024, Rodgers played in 135 games and slashed .267/.314/.407 with 13 homers and 54 RBIs. At the end of the day, getting a guy who has shown in the majors that he can have this success on a minor league deal is always good. For Boston, having him around the team for a year also is a positive.

It's unfortunate that Rodgers will not be able to go for a while, but this is a great move nonetheless.