Red Sox 40-Man Roster Crunch: Jose Peraza, Cesar Puello, and Dylan Covey All Outrighted Wednesday

All three players outrighted Wednesday had joined the Red Sox in some capacity within the past 12 months, with Peraza signing on as a major-league free agent last December, Puello signing on as a minor-league free agent in February, and Covey coming over in a trade with the Rays in July.

Between the three of them, Peraza saw the most time at the major-league level in 2020, though the 26-year-old’s season essentially came to a premature close when he was optioned to the alternate training site on September 9. That demotion came after he had slashed a dismal .225/.275/.342 with one home run and eight RBI through his first 34 games with Boston.

Puello, meanwhile, had his contract selected by the Sox on September 19 and was subsequently added to the 40-man roster. In just five games with his new club, the former Marlins outfielder went 3-for-8 at the plate while seeing time at both corner outfield positions.

As for the only pitcher involved in this set of moves, Covey actually had somewhat of an interesting season with the Sox.

On the surface, the 29-year-old’s ERA of 7.07 and OPS against of .799 over eight appearances and 14 innings pitched does not exactly jump out at you, but upon closer inspection, Covey posted a 3.91 FIP and 3.84 xFIP. That would suggest that the California native ran into some tough luck over the course of his inaugural season in Boston.

With that being said, the Red Sox could very well be glad they were able to retain Covey’s services going into next year depending on what their outlook on him consists of.

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Following Wednesday’s transactions, as well as Jackie Bradley Jr. expectedly becoming a free agent, the Sox’ 40-man roster currently stands at 31 players. That number could drop down to 30 in the next few days if chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom and Co. decide not to pick up left-hander’s Martin Perez’s $6.5 million team option for 2021. We will have to wait and see on that.