Red Sox Cut Bait With 12-Year Veteran Pitcher After Just One Month

A worthwhile experiment that seems to be ending...

Jun 17, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox pitcher Tommy Kahnle (46) pitches in the eighth inning against the New York Yankees at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Jaiden Tripi-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

What started as an exciting veteran depth signing quickly went south once Tommy Kahnle arrived on the Boston Red Sox.

After many years of failing to sign him at the peak of his powers, the Red Sox nabbed Kahnle on a minor-league deal in March, too close to the start of the regular season to get him on the opening day roster. He spent two dominant months in the minors and was called up after he triggered an opt-out clause that would have made him a free agent if the Red Sox didn't make him a big-leaguer.

Just under one month later, Kahnle and the Red Sox are on the verge of parting ways. The Red Sox cut him from the 40-man roster on Wednesday night, according to a report from Chris Cotillo of MassLive.

Why Kahnle cut made sense

The news broke after Kahnle allowed four earned runs in an awful eighth inning of an 8-1 loss against the Washington Nationals on Tuesday. It was his fourth-straight outing with earned runs allowed after four scoreless outings to begin his Red Sox big-league tenure.

On the whole, Kahnle allowed eight earned runs in nine innings. Of the 12 hits he gave up, two were home runs, including a moonshot over the right-field bullpen from Nationals shortstop CJ Abrams on Tuesday.

Though the corresponding move had not been announced at the time of publication, the Red Sox have ample Triple-A arms who have recently been excelling and could be solid replacements. Some of those arms are Zack Kelly, Tyler Uberstine, Eduardo Rivera, and Alec Gamboa. They also have to fit Patrick Sandoval onto this major league roster sometime soon.

Kahnle could theoretically pass through waivers and choose to accept an assignment to the minors, or even test free agency and eventually sign back with the Red Sox. He was pitching to an impressive 1.40 ERA in 19 1/3 innings with Triple-A Worcester before his call-up.

After seeing him cement himself as a reliable bullpen arm for the rival New York Yankees for so many years, the Red Sox were undoubtedly hoping Kahnle still had something left in the tank. And maybe he does, but the odds of him showcasing it now after such a rough June were very low, especially if he stayed put in Boston.

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