BOSTON — The Red Sox have activated left-handed reliever Steven Matz, who they acquired in a trade with the Cardinals on Wednesday night.
To clear a spot on the active roster, Boston optioned lefty Brennan Bernardino to Triple-A Worcester.
Matz has posted a 3.44 ERA in 32 outings (55 innings) this year. He has a 5.40 ERA, allowing 17 earned runs in 28 ⅓ innings, in his last 21 outings dating back to May 14.
“He’s served multiple roles in the big leagues, but it seems like out of the pen the stuff has ticked up,” chief baseball officer Craig Breslow said Thursday. “He’s got a really good fastball that plays to both sides. He’s a great strike thrower. Has been in kind of pressure situations before, so we feel like he’s someone that Alex (manager Alex Cora) can call upon in the seventh, eighth, ninth inning and get really big outs for us. And if you kind of look at what he’s done out of the pen, he’s been really, really good.”
Bernardino had a 3.09 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, 36 strikeouts and 22 walks in 47 outings (43 ⅔ innings). He did not allow a run and gave up just five hits in 12 innings (10 outings) during July.
“We’re deeper now. That’s why we have to make tough transactions,” manager Alex Cora said.
Cora added about Matz: “Good fastball. Veteran. Strike thrower. So we’ll see how we play it out. But I think he’s an important piece. I think he’s going to help us a lot.”
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