Red Sox Send Spring Training Standout to Minors

The Boston Red Sox took another step towards finalizing their Opening Day roster on Monday by sending down a guy who caught manager Alex Cora's attention early on in camp.

The Athletic's Jen McCaffrey reported that the Red Sox have optioned left-handed reliever Tyler Samaniego down to the minors.

"Red Sox announce another cut: LHP Tyler Samaniego to optioned to minor league camp," McCaffrey wrote.

Samaniego made four appearances with Boston throughout Spring Training and didn't allow an earned run. The lefty only allowed one base hit across 5 1/3 innings pitched while striking out six batters. Samaniego joined the Red Sox this past offseason in a trade with the Pittsburgh Pirates that brought Johan Oviedo to town and sent Jhostynxon Garcia to Pittsburgh.

The Red Sox are finalizing the roster

Feb 17, 2026; Lee County, FL, USA; Boston Red Sox pitcher Tyler Samaniego (78) poses for a photo during media day at JetBlue Park. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images | Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

Earlier in Spring Training, Cora gave Samaniego a shoutout and noted that he's "going to contribute" at some point to the club in the big leagues.

"That’s a good fastball from the left side,” Cora said. “He has an angle and a sinker to them. He’s still young, but I was waiting for him to get out there. ... He pitched for Andy (Fox, former Red Sox first base coach) last year at Double A, and when we traded for him, Andy called me right away and said, ‘Hey man, this guy is going to be a big leaguer.’ When, we don’t know, but he’s going to contribute at one point.”

The Red Sox were thin on lefties, which helped Samaniego's chances of making the club. But the Red Sox added veteran lefty Danny Coulombe with just about two weeks to go until Opening Day. Now, there are just three days left to go until Opening Day and Coulombe has made two appearances and hasn't allowed an earned run while striking out four batters across 1 2/3 innings pitched.

While Samaniego may not have made the big league club out of camp, his time is coming and likely in 2026. The highest level he has pitched professionally is Double-A to this point. So far in his young career, he has a 3.82 ERA in 127 total professional appearances. Now, he's going to kick off the 2026 season likely down in Triple-A. One of the best things about Spring Training is guys having a chance to make unlikely noise. That's what Samaniego did. He didn't come into camp with a lot of fanfare. Now that camp is coming to an end, it seems like he will get a shot at some point, even though it won't be on Opening Day.