For the second year in a row, the Red Sox finished in last place and missed the postseason. Once again, there was a lot of player movement. Among the more random players to get cards made and avoiding this list were: Pablo Reyes, Luis Urias, Caleb Hamilton, Nick Robertson and Joe Jacques. Then there are the guys below.
JORGE ALFARO
Alfaro was once a top prospect. He was so highly regarded that he was the primary return the Phillies received from the Rangers in the Cole Hamels deal and was later a big part of the return sent to the Marlins in the J.T. Realmuto deal. He had a nice season in 2019, but largely disappointed afterwards, later appearing with the Padres. The Red Sox picked him up as a potential catching option prior to the 2023 season and he was a Spring Training sensation. Unfortunately for him, Connor Wong developed and became the primary catcher with Reese McGuire as the backup, and there was no room for Alfaro on the roster. He was released, played a few games with the Rockies, then was released from them and brought back to Boston where he finally made it into some games. He played in just eight games with the Red Sox, hitting .118/.250/.118 with just two singles and a couple walks in 20 plate appearances. He was terrible defensively too and was released again. Alfaro has bounced around a lot and made a cameo for a few games with the Nationals in 2025. He's just 32, so there is a possibility he could make it to the Majors again.
KYLE BARRACLOUGH
Once a valuable relief pitcher with the Marlins, Barraclough had fallen on some hard times for a few years before finding himself in Boston. His first three seasons with the Marlins saw him have an ERA at 3.00 or lower each year. In 2016, he had a 2.85 ERA and 113 strikeouts in 72.2 innings. After 2017 he began to struggle and bounced around, appearing in games for the Nationals, Giants, Twins and Angels. The Red Sox picked him up as a free agent in June of 2023 and he appeared in three games in Boston, pitching 7.2 innings to an ERA of 12.91. He gave up 14 hits and six walks while striking out four. He had a 1-1 record. He had some decent numbers in Worcester, but has not appeared in the Majors since.
BRENNAN BERNARDINO
Bernardino is a fascinating story and an annoying player to have on this list because of it. Originally drafted by the Reds in the 2014 draft, he couldn't make the Majors for years. He drifted to the Indians system and then played in the Mexican League for a couple of seasons, even delivering food for awhile to make ends meet. He finally made it to the Majors with the Mariners in 2022 for two games at the age of 30. The Red Sox brought him in as pitching depth during the season and he excelled. In 55 games, he had a 2-1 record with a 3.20 ERA. He was often used as an opener, making six starts. He pitched 50.2 innings, striking out 58 batters and walking 18. Bernardino will be seen in these posts again, and he has yet to appear on any card with a Major League team.
YU CHANG
Making his second appearance in this series, Chang was a minor league free agent after 2022 but ended up returning to the Red Sox. He played a bit more often in the Majors in 2023 than he did in 2022, appearing in 39 games, primarily at shortstop, but also appearing at every position in the infield and DH. As stated in a previous post, Chang looked to be getting a regular job in Cleveland earlier in his career, but by 2023 he was exclusively a depth option. He hit .162/.200/.352, but showed some pop with six home runs. He also had two doubles, 18 RBIs and four stolen bases. Chang has not been in the Majors since, but has played in the World Baseball Classic and in the Chinese league.
MATT DERMODY
Iowa native Dermody was drafted several times before finally signing with the Blue Jays, though he was never drafted higher than the 23rd round and was picked in the 28th when he signed. Despite that, he made it to the Majors in 2016 at the age of 25 with Toronto. He pitched in 23 games in 2017 and had a 2-0 record and a 4.43 ERA. He didn't make it back to the Majors until the COVID season in 2020 with the Cubs for a game. He made a similar cameo with the Cubs in 2022. Boston signed him as depth and he proved to be somewhat controversial due to some statements he made on social media. He was brought up to start a game when the team was desperate for pitching help. He threw four innings, gave up two home runs among four hits and three runs. He walked one and struck out one. He took the loss in a 10-3 final against Cleveland. He was released shortly afterwards. Dermody has been pitching in the Mexican League since.
JAKE FARIA
Faria had been a starting pitcher for the Tampa Bay Rays for a few years and was pretty decent in his rookie season of 2017. He started 14 games with a record of 5-4 and an ERA of 3.43, striking out 84 and walking 31 in 86.2 innings. His numbers declined a bit the following season and he started to move around a bit, appearing with the Brewers and Diamondbacks before the Red Sox picked him up as depth prior to the 2023 season. He spent most of the season in the minors, but appeared in one game with Boston, throwing two very ugly innings. He gave up five earned runs, four hits and four walks while striking out three. His ERA was an unsightly 22.50. Faria has also been in the Mexican League without a Major League appearance since. He does have a minor league card in the Red Sox organization.
JUSTIN GARZA
Garza had been a major piece of the Team USA pitching rotation in the 2014 Olympics and was drafted by Cleveland in 2015. It took him awhile to make it to the Majors, finally making his debut in 2021. He pitched in 21 games with Cleveland, going 2-1 with a 4.71 ERA and striking out 29 while walking 18 in 28.2 innings. He started the 2023 season in the Angels system, but did not pitch in the Majors. Boston picked him up off of waivers and he made it into 17 games, starting one. He threw 18.1 innings and notched 17 strikeouts while walking 12. His ERA was 7.36. He was released after the year, then made it to the Mets staff for a few games in 2025. He has not appeared anywhere in 2026.
ZACK KELLY
Like Chang, Kelly is in his second appearance in this series. Kelly will return several more times unless he receives a card soon. 2023 was his least-deserving season for a cardboard appearance as his Major League service time consisted of just eight games and 9.1 innings. He walked eight batters while striking out six and had a 3.86 ERA. Injuries were a big factor in 2023 as he appeared in just seven games at four levels in the minors. As I said, Kelly will appear several more times. He does have cards in the minor league system.
DINELSON LAMET
Lamet always seemed like a guy that was on the cusp of hitting it big in the Majors. In the COVID-shortened 2020 season, he went 3-1 with a 2.09 ERA, striking out 93 and walking 20 in 69 innings. I personally thought he would take the next step in 2021, but he struggled. He never really returned to his 2020 form. He pitched for the Rockies from 2022 into 2023, but his numbers continued to decline. He was signed by the Red Sox as a free agent in August of 2023 after Pedro Martinez made a push for the Red Sox to take a flyer. He rehabbed for a bit then, like Dermody and Faria, appeared in just one game at the Major League level with Boston. He pitched two innings in relief, giving up four hits and three runs, walking one and striking out one. He had a 13.50 ERA. He was released shortly thereafter. He appeared in three games with the Dodgers in 2024 and has been in several foreign leagues since.
ZACK LITTELL
It is possible Boston gave up on Littell too quickly. After pitching well as a reliever for a few years with the Twins and Giants, Boston picked him up from the Rangers system early in 2023. In 2019, Littell had a 2.68 ERA in 29 games with the Twins and then had a 2.92 ERA in 68 appearances for the Giants in 2021. Littell pitched in two games for the Red Sox, throwing three innings, walking three, striking out two with a 9.00 ERA. He was then placed on waivers and picked up by the Rays, who turned him into a more-than-serviceable arm for a few years. He had a 3.68 ERA over parts of three seasons in Tampa Bay. He is pitching for the Nationals in 2026.
MAURICIO LLOVERA
The Red Sox did not do much leading in to the trading deadline. The team had a winning record but did not address many needs. One of the things they did do was acquiring Llovera a few days before the deadline from the Giants for Marques Johnson. Johnson had appeared with the Phillies and Giants in the prior seasons, but was not a major relief arm. He pitched in 25 games down the stretch with a 1-3 record and a 5.46 ERA. In 29.2 innings, he struck out 24 while walking 13. And that was the last time he has appeared in the Majors. He pitched in the Mariners system in 2024, but that's it.
KALEB ORT
Ort is in his third appearance in this series. The former Rule 5 pick selected from the Yankees had a rough season in 2023. He pitched in 21 games, starting two as an opener and accumulated 23 innings with an unsightly 6.26 ERA. He struck out 24 batters while walking nine. But this is the last time Ort will appear as he was placed on waivers after the season and the Mariners grabbed him. Then he went to Marlins, the Phillies, the Orioles and then the Astros before the 2024 season. He had a very good season with the Astros in 2024, pitching to a 2.55 ERA in 22 games, but struggled in 2025. He is in the Angels system now. Ort does have minor league cards in the Red Sox system.
JOELY RODRIGUEZ
A journeyman southpaw reliever, Rodriguez was 31 years old when he was acquired by the Red Sox and had already played for the Phillies, Rangers, Yankees and Mets. He was part of the deal that sent Joey Gallo to the Yankees at the deadline in 2021, which most Yankees fans wish never happened. Rodriguez was pretty good for them down the stretch as he had a 2.84 ERA in 21 games. Rodriguez appeared in just 11 games for the Red Sox in 2023 with a 6.55 ERA. He struck out 14 and walked six in eleven innings pitched. This will not be his last appearance in this series, so I will discuss him more later.
TAYLER SCOTT
One thing Scott has going for him is that he is one of just two players, and the only one to play for the Red Sox, from South Africa. Scott was drafted in the fifth round by the Cubs in 2011 and made it to the Majors in 2019 for the first time. He appeared in games with the Mariners, Orioles, Padres and Dodgers before making it to Boston. He was purchased from the Dodgers in June and made it into four games with the Red Sox. In 3.2 innings, he struck out two and walked four and had an ERA of 4.91. He was placed on waivers less than a month after his arrival and then went to his third team of the year, the Athletics. He had a very good year in 2024 with the Astros and had a 2.23 ERA in 62 games. He appeared with the Astros and Diamondbacks in 2025 and is in the Braves system this year.
RYAN SHERRIFF
Southpaws will always have the ability to find work and Sherriff is an example of that. He was drafted by the Cardinals in the 2011 draft and worked his way up to the Majors in 2017. He bounced between the minors and Majors a lot, never appearing in more than 16 games at the highest level. Not even the Rays were able to make much of him. After not appearing in the Majors in 2022, the Red Sox signed him as a free agent. He spent most of the season in the minors, but did appear in five games for the Red Sox. He was pretty good though with a 2.70 ERA in 6.2 innings, striking out five and walking two. He was released in July and picked up by the Dodgers, but he has not appeared in the Majors since. Sherriff does have minor league cards in the Red Sox organization.
RAIMEL TAPIA
One of the more successful players to appear in this post, Tapia was a a regular player for several seasons with the Rockies and Blue Jays before signing with the Red Sox to be a fourth outfielder. Tapia had been a top prospect in the Rockies system, but never really broke through. His best season was his first season with Toronto when he hit .265/.292/.380 with seven homers and 52 RBIs. One of those home runs is well-known to Red Sox fans as he hit an inside-the-park grand slam that Jarren Duran completely lost in the lights. Tapia played quite a bit in Boston in the early going, appearing in 39 games and hitting .264/.333/.368 with a home run, ten RBIs and six stolen bases. Unfortunately, there was a roster crunch in the outfield with Duran, Alex Verdugo, Masataka Yoshida, Adam Duvall and Rob Refsnyder. Someone had to go, and that was Tapia. He was released in June and hooked on with the Brewers and then the Rays. He has not played in the Majors since.
ZACK WEISS
Weiss was a sixth round pick in the 2013 draft by the Reds and made his Major League debut 2018, pitching in one game. He did not make it back to the Majors until 2022 after moving between the Twins and Mariners system before landing with the Angels. He had a decent season in short work with the Angels in 2022, then had a rough start in 2023. The Red Sox snagged him off waivers in late August and he pitched in six games with a 2.08 ERA. In 8.2 innings, he struck out eight and walked four. Since then he has pitched in the Twins and Cardinals organizations, but has not made it back to the Majors.
FINAL THOUGHTS
A lot of these guys played in just a handful of games, so most these make sense, though I still do not like it. I would have loved a card of Jorge Alfaro with the Red Sox because he looks like a character out of Game of Thrones, but I understand it because he only played in eight games. Some of these guys are players that I really liked at one point in their Major League career and wanted to see them with the Red Sox (Alfaro, Dinelson Lamet, Raimel Tapia). There are a few guys here who played in quite a few games, and those are the guys that I really am disappointed to not have in my collection. Of them, Brennan Bernardino is probably the name I would pick if I could pick just one. He had a cool story of continuing to work toward his dream and he was very successful as well as appearing in the most games. It's pretty sad that a guy who pitched in a third of the games did not appear on a card.
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