Walker Buehler has been released by the Boston Red Sox, the team announced on Friday.
The 31-year-old right-hander, who signed a one-year, $21.05 million contract in the offseason, struggled in his first season in Boston, so much so that Red Sox manager Alex Cora decided to move Buehler to the bullpen last week.
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In 23 appearances this season, Buehler compiled a 5.45 ERA with 84 strikeouts in 112.1 innings. That strikeout rate of 6.7 per nine innings is the lowest of his eight MLB seasons. Buehler has also allowed 120 hits, an average of 9.6 per nine frames and 55 walks for a 4.4 per nine average that’s the highest of his career.
Buehler missed the entire 2023 season after undergoing the second Tommy John surgery of his career and returned to register a 5.38 ERA in 16 starts last year for the Los Angeles Dodgers. He showed improvement during the Dodgers’ postseason run to a World Series championship, striking out 13 and allowing six hits in 15 innings.
The hope was that he could show even more improvement with the Red Sox and re-enter the free-agent market seeking more than a one-year, “prove it” contract. Yet he allowed nine earned runs in 9 1/3 innings during his first two starts of the season and eventually went on the injured list due to right shoulder bursitis. After allowing seven runs in two innings on June 6 versus the Yankees, Buehler said he was “f***ing embarrassing.”
Prior to undergoing surgery, Buehler earned All-Star honors in 2019 and 2021, when he went a combined 30-8 with a 2.87 ERA.
The release of Buehler corresponds with the promotion of top pitching prospect Payton Tolle, who will start Friday’s game against Paul Skenes and the Pittsburgh Pirates.
The Red Sox are currently 3.5 games out of first place in the AL East and sitting in the first wild card spot with 27 games to play in the regular season.
