Red Sox's Sudden Danny Coulombe Cut Had One Obvious Explanation

Pictured below: Coulombe's last on-field act with the Sox

Jul 11, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; Boston Red Sox pitcher Danny Coulombe (67) celebrates with catcher Carlos Narvaez (75) after defeating the New York Mets at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Boston Red Sox hung Danny Coulombe out to dry on Saturday, and it became apparent why shortly after the game.

After downing the New York Mets for the second time in what would eventually become a three-game sweep, the Red Sox designated Coulombe for assignment. Signed for an apparent bargain at $1 million plus incentives, the 12th-year veteran never became the reliable lefty middle relief option Boston was hoping he'd be.

Coulombe was let go after his longest outing of the season by far -- 37 pitches, which raised eyebrows in the moment that Boston might be having him empty the tank for a reason. And beyond his subpar performance for most of the year, there was a financial explanation for the move.

Coulombe cut one outing short of $75K bonus

Jun 5, 2026; Bronx, New York, USA; Boston Red Sox pitcher Danny Coulombe (67) delivers a pitch during the seventh inning against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

As his Spotrac page showed, Coulombe had $75,000 bonuses available for his 30th, 35th, 40th, and 45th appearances of the season. He made his 29th appearance on Saturday, so the Red Sox effectively made the move at the most opportune time to save a few bucks.

The 36-year-old Coulombe did earn $250,000 bonuses for being on the active roster for 30, 60, and 90 days this season, so he wound up netting $1.75 million from the Red Sox for half a season. He had a 4.50 ERA and a putrid 15-to-10 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 22 innings.

Moreover, with Eduardo Rivera coming up and pitching a fantastic 3 2/3 innings earlier in the day, it was just clear the Red Sox had better options. Coulombe's DFA was the corresponding move for Brayan Bello's return to the big leagues, and Boston also should have Ranger Suárez coming back shortly after the All-Star break.

“It stung because he’s an amazing human being, when you just look at things beyond baseball,” manager Chad Tracy said, per Chris Cotillo of MassLive. “The person he is and how positive he is and the way he was with everybody, not just the bullpen guys but with other players, he’s an amazing human being."

As the Red Sox re-enter the playoff race, it's good from a fan perspective to see that they're not hesitating to make tough roster moves. In the clubhouse, though, losing Coulombe had to be somewhat sobering.