Red Sox Cut Ties With 12-Year Veteran Just Before All-Star Break

The Boston Red Sox are hottest team in baseball right now, but that isn't stopping the club from making moves.

On Saturday, the Red Sox won their eighth straight game by taking down the New York Mets, 4-0. In the process, the Red Sox moved within a half-game of an American League Wild Card spot. On Sunday, the Red Sox will play their final game before the All-Star break and conclude a three-game series against the Mets by going for a sweep.

Despite all of the club's recent success, Boston made a change on Saturday and designated 12-year big league veteran Danny Coulombe for assignment after he pitched two shutout innings against New York, per MassLive.com's Chris Cotillo.

The Red Sox Moved On

Jul 11, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; Boston Red Sox pitcher Danny Coulombe (67) delivers a pitch during the ninth inning against the New York Mets at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

"The Red Sox designated Danny Coulombe for assignment after he finished the game today, sources say," Cotillo wrote.

Cotillo also pointed out it was Coulombe's 29th appearance of the season and that he had games played bonuses that would've started to kick in at 30 games.

"Coulombe has bonuses based on appearances that start kicking in at 30 games. Tonight was his 29th of the season. He also has bonuses in his re-worked deal based on days on the active roster," Cotillo wrote.

When the Red Sox signed Coulombe, the hope was that he was going to be a high-leverage reliever for this club from the left side. Unfortunately, that didn't materialize. Coulombe hasn't finished a season with an ERA above 2.81 since 2021 and he hasn't finished a season with an ERA above 3.67 since 2018. Unfortunately for the Red Sox, that version of Coulombe hasn't been in town. He has a 4.50 ERA in 29 outings across 22 innings of work.

The Red Sox's bullpen is thin right now, to say the least. Boston used five relievers on Sunday, including Eduardo Rivera as an opener after being promoted from Triple-A Worcester. With Coulombe out the door, arguably the easiest option to replace him would be to promote fellow lefty Tyler Samaniego. The 27-year-old rookie has pitched in 20 games in the majors this season and has logged a 2.66 ERA. But he is down in Triple-A because the club ran out of spots for him, despite guys like Coulombe and Ryan Watson taking up roster spots.

The Red Sox moved on from a lefty and have another one in Samaniego ready to go. Boston has one more game before the break and that would be the best move.

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