With the addition of Erik Miller ahead of the 2026 Major League Baseball trade deadline, the Boston Red Sox had a tough decision to make in the bullpen to free up a spot.
In order to make room for Miller, the Red Sox opted to designate rookie hurler Ryan Watson for assignment after making 35 appearances with the organization and logging a 4.53 ERA in 55 2/3 innings pitched.
Watson was one of 13 players selected in the Major League phase of the 2025 Rule 5 Draft . He was picked by the Athletics and traded to the Red Sox shortly afterward. This is important to note because with Boston designating him for assignment, he hit waivers with the Rule 5 Draft rules still attached to him, meaning that if a club claimed him off waivers they would have to keep him on the big league roster for the duration of the season, or risk returning him to the San Francisco Giants .
Jul 28, 2026; West Sacramento, California, USA; Boston Red Sox pitcher Ryan Watson (56) throws a pitch against the Athletics during the eighth inning at Sutter Health Park. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
On Friday, he was selected off waivers. The Red Sox announced that Watson was claimed by the Los Angeles Angels .
"RHP Ryan Watson today was claimed off waivers by LAA," the Red Sox announced.
So, now, the Angels are faced with the same rules as Boston was. Early on this season, there was an argument that the Red Sox had a few better options down in the minors , but Boston couldn't simply option him down to Triple-A.
When the Red Sox added Miller, it was the move that made Boston make the change. Arguably, it should've been made earlier in the season, but the Red Sox have the best bullpen ERA in baseball, so it's hard to argue against any of their decisions at this point. Boston's bullpen has a 2.89 ERA right now.
Watson didn't dominate in Boston, by any means. But he did play an important role. Watson was the mop-up man for the club. He could come in at a moment's notice and eat up innings, whether Boston was leading or losing.
Having that multi-inning guy out of the bullpen is helpful. A game in which he would've been a helpful would've on Thursday night against the Chicago White Sox . Ranger Surez was only able to go three innings before coming out. Having someone like Watson come in and pitch two or three innings could've helped to save the bullpen. But at the end of the day, Boston won, so that doesn't matter much.
Watson made his big league debut as a member of the Red Sox this season after spending years down in the minors in the Baltimore Orioles and Giants' farm systems. He began his professional career in 2021. It took a long time to get to the majors, but he did with Boston and that's a success in itself. Now, he'll try to help the Angels out.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/red-sox/onsi as Red Sox Lose 28-Year-Old Rookie Pitcher to Angels .
