Red Sox Demote Romy González Amid Post-Trade Deadline Frenzy

The Boston Red Sox were among the most active teams in baseball before the 2026 Major League Baseball trade deadline and the roster certainly has been impacted.

On Monday, the hot stove around Major League Baseball was on fire and Boston was heavily involved. The biggest deal of the day for Boston certainly was the acquisition of catcher Adley Rutschman from the Baltimore Orioles. It was a shocker, to say the least. Now, Boston will have a superstar behind the plate when he is healthy and ready to return.

That's not all, though. The Red Sox landed outfielder Eli White in a deal with the Atlanta Braves. Catcher Jake Rogers also came to town, as well as reliever Erik Miller. On Monday, the Red Sox activated Miller, Rogers, and White to the big league roster. To make room, Boston made two difficult decisions. Romy González was optioned to Triple-A and reliever Ryan Watson was designated for assignment. The Red Sox announced the news.

The #RedSox today announced the following roster moves: pic.twitter.com/9zukDi4d3J
— Red Sox (@RedSox) August 4, 2026

A Busy Day Of Moves

Jul 7, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Boston Red Sox designated hitter Romy Gonzalez (23) rounds third base to score against the Chicago White Sox during the ninth inning at Rate Field. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

When it comes to González, unfortunately, things haven't clicked for him this season. He was seemingly rushed back from injury and looked good right away. Things took a turn afterward. Overall, he has slashed .185/.264/.308 with a .572 OPS, one homer and seven RBIs on the season. Unfortunately, that's not at the level he was playing last year.

In 2025, González was a key cog for Boston and slashed .305/.343/.483 with an .826 OPS, nine homers and 53 RBIs. That's not the production Boston has gotten this season. Now, he will have a chance to reset with less pressure in Triple-A.

When it comes to Watson, his spot in the bullpen has been up in the air all season. He has a 4.53 ERA in 35 appearances and has been mainly used in low-leverage situations when the Red Sox were either winning by a lot, or losing by a lot. His specialty has been coming in and getting outs across multiple innings. But he has also allowed 28 earned runs in 55 2/3 innings pitched.

Watson came to Boston by way of the Rule 5 Draft. He was selected by the Athletics and then traded to Boston. With Watson now designated for assignment, he'll head to waivers where clubs will have a chance to claim him, but still with the Rule 5 Draft tag attached.

This means that if he is claimed, the team landing him would have to follow the same rules as Boston. If Watson goes unclaimed, he has to be offered back to the San Francisco Giants, who lost him in the Rule 5 Draft. If he goes claimed, then the team landing him would have to do the same if they moved on from him at a different point.

Boston certainly wasn't messing around and this roster already looks different.

Add us as a preferred source on Google