Just never in cards
Craig finally cut loose
TORONTO — Joe Kelly has become a weapon out of the bullpen in 2017, but the Red Sox have cut ties with the other player who came over from the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2014 trade.
Allen Craig, a former AllStar who received MVP votes while with the Cardinals in 2012 and 2013 but drastically went backward after the Red Sox acquired him, was released yesterday.
He was hitting .253 with a .668 OPS and one home run in 47 games at Triple-A Pawtucket.
Craig turns 33 in July and was being paid $11 million in the final year of his contract. He has a $13 million option for 2018 with a $1 million buyout.
The Red Sox will have spent about $27 million on Craig since he was acquired with Kelly in exchange for John Lackey, who had the best season of his career for the Cardinals in 2015 while making the major league minimum salary.
The trade was made by former general manager Ben Cherington.
Craig played just two games with the Red Sox in 2014 before he injured his foot, then never seemed to recover. He recorded only 195 plate appearances with the big league club, hitting .139 with a .432 OPS.
He spent most of his time in the minor leagues, hitting .254 with a .679 OPS in 698 plate appearances.
Before being traded to the Red Sox, Craig was a career .291 hitter with an .803 OPS.
Family day for Farrell
John Farrell is taking a day off. Dave Dombrowski told him to.
The Red Sox manager will leave the team today to fly to Kansas City, where his son, Luke, will make his major league debut on the mound for the Royals against the Twins.
“Extremely proud,” Farrell said. “Luke’s overcome a number of health issues himself. If there’s a word that I could sum up him, it’s determination. And to see him realize a dream of becoming a major league pitcher with his debut (today), a great day for him. The support that his mom and his brothers have given him along the way, this is a good day for him.”
Dombrowski, the president of baseball operations, cleared Farrell to let bench coach Gary DiSarcina manage the Red Sox for today’s game against the Jays.
“I’ve had a chance to talk to Dave Dombrowski a couple of times about this, and I appreciate his willingness to let me be there in person,” Farrell said. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime event for (Luke). So, really looking forward to seeing him on a major league mound.”
Luke Farrell, a righthander, had a 3.83 ERA with 77 strikeouts in 821⁄ innings 3 with Triple-A Omaha this year.
Pedroia back in
Dustin Pedroia felt better after sitting a day to rest his sore knee. Back in the lineup, he went 1-for-4 with three walks in the Sox’ 7-4 win over the Blue Jays last night.
“(Thursday) was a good day for him in terms of how he has responded to the treatment,” Farrell said. “Some of the symptoms he was dealing with have subsided quite a bit, so right back in there (last night).”
Fister a fine fifth
Considering the expectations could not have been too high when the Sox claimed Doug Fister off waivers, he’s done just fine as a serviceable fifth starter. After throwing six innings of three-run ball in his first start, the 32-year-old was mostly good against the Jays, allowing three runs over five innings.
“We saw it in his first start against the Angels: He has wherewithal and know-how on the mound, Doug Fister,” Farrell said.
Fister had a 4.64 ERA with the Astros last year.
“Overall, it’s average. It’s not my best,” he said. “I feel like there’s still a lot in the tank I need to get in and finalize. But it’s always a work in progress, always trying to strive to be better, so fortunately for us we pulled out a great win (last night). It was a long haul for the boys, but they really pulled it, a good team win.”
Bradley on roll
Jackie Bradley Jr. went 3-for-5 and finished a redhot June in which he hit .353 with a .431 on-base percentage and 1.009 OPS.
“He’s in such a good place right now,” Farrell said. “He’s hitting .380 or .390 against lefties. It’s great to see that. That’s kind of reminiscent of what he did in the minor leagues and how well he handled left-handed pitching on the way up. It’s been a little bit of the reverse for the past year or so. He’s a big member of this offense currently.” . . .
Eduardo Rodriguez felt good after his rehab start for Double-A Portland on Thursday and is scheduled for a bullpen session under the eye of the Red Sox coaching staff today.