Red Sox Newcomer Has Tools To Become Fixture In Bullpen

The Red Sox acquired right-handed reliever Trey Wingenter on Saturday, and waisted relatively little time adding him to roster.

Wingenter, who was dumped by the Detroit Tigers in a minor-league swap, was called up ahead of Tuesday’s series opener against the Oakland Athletics. It wasn’t just a depth move, however.

Boston clearly likes the prospect of working with the 30-year-old.

Wingenter is an imposing figure on the mound, standing at 6-foot-7 and weighing 237 pounds. He’s certainly less frightening of a figure when you find out he has a career 5.28 ERA across 50 appearances, but the 3.82 FIP and 0.7 WAR do make up for it slightly.

What’s so special about him, though?

1. He strikes out the world.
2. He has pretty good stuff.
3. The Red Sox make magic with those two things.

Triple-A Toledo lost one of their best strikeout men with the trade, as he fanned 48 batters in just 32 2/3 innings this season for the Mud Hens. In 87 innings with the Tigers and San Diego Padres, Wingenter has a really promising 12.52 strikeouts per nine innings. He also averages 96 miles per hour on his four-seam fastball and 85 miles an hour on his slider, according to FanGraphs, which are both pretty fast.

Is Andrew Bailey going to allow him to throw the four-seamer? We aren’t prepared to answer that one.

We are prepared to say this could be a pretty decent find for the Red Sox, though. Wingenter’s arrival is in part due to an assignment clause in his contract that requires him to be on the 40-man roster. Boston obviously felt he was worthy of one, and with shuffling happening routinely in the bullpen, there’s an opportunity for him to take hold of a low-leverage spot while the “Run Prevention Unit” works their magic.