Red Sox's Two Latest Waiver Claims Already on Thin Ice

The Boston Red Sox are now met with an interesting dilemma.

On Sunday, the Red Sox created two open spots on the 40-man roster by trading Jordan Hicks and David Sandlin to the Chicago White Sox. But they quickly backfilled those spots by claiming catcher/infielder Mickey Gasper and infielder Tsung-Che Cheng off waivers this week.

Boston still has not officially announced the Isiah Kiner-Falefa signing, but when they do, the 40-man roster will need to lose a body. Fortunately, Gasper and Cheng don't yet appear to be at risk, but that safety could be only temporary.

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Are Red Sox waiting to sign Kiner-Falefa?

Nov 1, 2025; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays second baseman Isiah Kiner-Falefa (7) bunts against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the eleventh inning during game seven of the 2025 MLB World Series at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images | John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

The official start of spring training for the Red Sox is on Tuesday, when pitchers and catchers are scheduled to hold their first mandatory workout. At that time, players can be placed on the 60-day injured list, and right-handed pitcher Tanner Houck, who underwent Tommy John surgery and could miss the whole season, can be taken off the 40-man.

Red Sox insider Sean McAdam seemed to confirm the notion that Kiner-Falefa would be added to the 40-man roster on Friday, after the Cheng waiver claim was processed.

"The Red Sox are now at 40 on their 40-man roster with spring training set to start next week. They will need to clear a spot to accommodate Kiner-Falefa’s deal becoming official but can move injured starter Tanner Houck to the 60-day injured list to do so," McAdam wrote.

If the Red Sox are indeed willing to wait a few more days to make the Kiner-Falefa deal official, it would appear the two newcomers are spared. However, even assuming both Gasper and Cheng survive the awkward next few days, they're definitely not out of the woods.

However, the start of spring training is not the start of the regular season. We've heard every day for weeks that the Red Sox are still looking to add one more infielder via trade, and on Friday, we heard that the trades they had in mind were prospect-specific.

It's perhaps a little too early to assess the odds that either Gasper, Cheng, or both will survive all of spring training on the 40-man roster. But if the Red Sox make that next addition, it's hard to envision anyone else being taken off.

It's nothing new for either player to be on the chopping block, especially Cheng, who has been let go by four other organizations this winter. But the Red Sox only claimed them because the space was free, so when space is needed, it's hard to imagine they won't be the first to go.

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