Red Sox With No Cards: 2023

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. 

Red Sox With No Cards: 2022

After the surprisingly successful 2021 season, the Red Sox stumbled in 2022, finishing 78-84 and missing the postseason.  Injuries were an issue as only five position players appeared in more than 100 games.  There was a lot of player movement.  Short-term players who made it onto cardboard included Eric Hosmer and Eduard Bazardo.  John Schreiber appeared in the 2021 post which was posted before the 2024 season when he finally appeared in a Red Sox uniform on a card, so he will not appear here.  Then there were the players below:

ABRAHAM ALMONTE

The definition of a journeyman, Almonte played for the Mariners, Padres, Indians, Royals, Diamondbacks, Padres again and Braves before appearing with the Red Sox.  Then he played with the Mets the next season.  He also never played more than 82 games in a season.  Almonte has his contract purchased in July of 2022 from the Brewers (who he never actually played for).  He made it into 15 games with the Red Sox and hit .257/.297/.400 with a homer, two doubles and two RBIs.  He also stole a base.  He played reasonably well for Worcester, hitting .291 with seven homers.  He signed with the Mets the next season.  He has not played in the Majors since.  

YU CHANG

There was a time when Chang looked like a potential regular player.  In 2021 with the Indians, he hit .228/.267/.426 with nine homers and 39 RBIs in 89 games.  The next season he appeared in games with four teams: the Indians, Pirates, Rays and the Red Sox.  Chang's strength was always his versatility as he appeared at every infield position, designated hitter and even pitcher.  The Red Sox snagged him off of waivers from the Rays in September and he played in eleven games.  He hit .150/.346/.250 with two doubles and an RBI.  He played shortstop in every game for the Red Sox.  Chang will also appear in the 2023 post, so that is all I will say for now.

TYLER DANISH

Danish had kind of an odd career.  A second-round draft pick of the White Sox in 2013 out of high school, he made his Major League debut at just 21 years of age in 2016.  He bounced back and forth between the Majors and Minors for the next three seasons with the White Sox, pitching seven games in 2018.  Then, he moved around a lot, appearing in the systems of the Angels and Mariners before finally making it back to the Majors in 2022 with the Red Sox.  Danish appeared in 32 games with the Red Sox as a middle reliever.  He threw 40.1 innings with a 5.13 ERA and a record of 3-1.  He struck out 32 and walked 12.  That was the last time Danish appeared in the Majors, but he did some more moving around, going to the Yankees, Nationals and Rockies organizations.  He has not appeared in a game in 2025, but is just 30 years old.  Danish does have a minor league card in the Red Sox organization.

AUSTIN DAVIS

This is Davis's second appearance in one of these posts.  He was acquired in a mid-season deal in 2021 in which Boston gave up former first-round pick Michael Chavis to the Pirates.  Davis was a weapon down the stretch in 2021.  He was not as good in 2022 though.  The southpaw appeared in 50 games for the Red Sox, throwing 54.1 innings, but his ERA ballooned to 5.47.  He did notch 61 strikeouts, but also gave up 29 walks.  His struggles increased as the season went on and he was waived at the end of August.  He caught on with the Twins and made it into two more games.  Davis did not appear again in the Majors until pitching seven games with the Padres in 2024, and that has been it to date.

JAYLIN DAVIS

Davis was a 24th-round pick by the Twins in 2015, but didn't make his Major League debut until 2019 with the Giants.  He was part of the trade for the Twins to acquire Sam Dyson in 2019.  Davis made it to the Majors for a handful of games in each of the next two seasons after 2019 with the Giants.  He was placed on waivers in April of 2022 and the Red Sox snagged him.  He spent most of the season in the minors, but made the most of his opportunity when he was in the Majors.  Davis played in 12 games with Boston and hit .333/.407/.375.  He had eight hits, four runs scored, a double and two RBIs.  His numbers in the minors were not as impressive.  Davis hooked on with the Mets organization in 2023, but never appeared in the Majors again.  Davis does have a minor league card in the Red Sox organization in 2022.

JAKE DIEKMAN

The Nebraska-born southpaw Diekman had the longest career out of any of the players in this post, spanning 13 years and nine teams.  He also pitched for the Phillies, Rangers, Diamondbacks, Royals and Athletics prior to 2022 with the Red Sox and has since pitched for the White Sox, Rays and Mets.  Diekman was once a part of the deal that sent Cole Hamels to the Rangers.  Diekman signed as a free agent with the Red Sox during Spring Training.  He had a fast start, striking out Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton and Joey Gallo to save a one-run game against the Yankees early in the season.  Unfortunately, that success did not continue the entire season.  Diekman appeared in 44 games with a 5-1 record, throwing 38.1 innings with a 4.23 ERA.  He struck out 51, but walked 30 and picked up a save (the one I mentioned against the Yankees).  Diekman was traded to the White Sox on August 1 in the deal that brought Reese McGuire to Boston.  He has not appeared in a game in 2025 after being released by the Braves in Spring Training.  

JEURYS FAMILIA

Probably the biggest "star" in this post is Familia, who is the only player in this post who has ever been named to an All Star team.  Familia was an All Star in 2016 with the Mets when he led the league with 51 saves and had a 2.55 ERA.  Familia had been a terrific closer with the Mets, saving 124 games with them, primarily between 2015 and 2016.  After he lost the closer role, he was sent to the A's to finish out the 2018 season then returned to the Mets in 2019.  He started the 2022 season with the Phillies, but had a 6.09 ERA and was released in August.  Boston took a flyer on him, but he did not improve in his ten games with them, going 1-2 with a 6.10 ERA in 10.1 innings, striking out eight and walking seven.  He pitched for the A's again in 2023, but has not appeared in the Majors since.  

MICHAEL FELIZ

Like Austin Davis, Feliz is in his second appearance in one of these posts.  Feliz appeared in four games during the 2021 season, before finishing the season with the A's.  After the season, the Red Sox re-signed him and he started the 2022 season in the Red Sox organization.  He made it into one game with the Red Sox, throwing 3.1 innings with one earned run (2.70 ERA).  He struck out four and walked two.  He was released in a roster crunch afterwards and appeared in the Twins and Yankees organizations, but never made it back to the Majors.  Feliz pitched for eight years in the Majors for the Pirates, Astros, Red Sox, A's and Reds.  Feliz does have a minor league card in the Red Sox organization.   

ZACK KELLY

Kelly is the most likely possibility in this post to join Rich Hill and John Schreiber as players to eventually get cards with the Red Sox after appearing in one of these posts.  This is due to the fact that Kelly is actually still active with the Red Sox and in his fourth season with Boston.  2022 was his debut season and he pitched in just 13 games.  Kelly started his professional career after being signed as an undrafted free agent with the Athletics, then moved on to the Angels before being signed as a minor league free agent by the Red Sox before the 2021 season.  As such, he was 27 when he made his debut.  He threw 13.2 innings, striking out 11 and walking four and had a 1-0 record with a 3.95 ERA.  Kelly has often had trouble finishing batters off and limiting hard contact and that has made it difficult for him to stay on the Major League roster.  He will be talked about more, barring Topps finally making a card of him.  He does have minor league cards in the Red Sox system.

KALEB ORT

The righty Ort is another player who is in one of these posts for the second time.  2022 is a more egregious miss for him though.  He appeared in just one game in 2021, in 2022 he appeared in 25.  Ort was originally an undrafted free agent by the Diamondbacks in 2016, then moved to the Yankees organization.  The Red Sox selected him in the minor league phase of the Rule 5 Draft (I have no idea what the rules are for that phase) prior to the 2021 season.  In 2022, he had a record of 1-2 with an ugly 6.35 ERA.  He threw 28.1 innings, striking out 27 and walking 15.  He notched the only save of his Red Sox tenure when he finished off a game against Baltimore.  Ort will be talked about again, though it is worth mentioning that he had a successful 2024 season with Houston and is still with the Astros today.  Ort does have minor league cards in the Red Sox organization.

HANSEL ROBLES

Yet another player who appeared in the 2021 post is Robles, who was one of Boston's better mid-season trades during the 2021 season.  The Red Sox traded for Robles at the 2021 trading deadline, sending minor leaguer Alex Scherff to the Twins.  Robles had been a closer at times with the Angels and Twins and had been a serviceable middle reliever with the Mets previously.  His inconsistency has largely been his downfall throughout his career and led to him moving in and out of the closer role for the Red Sox in 2021.  2022 was mostly just bad for him though.  He came into the season as a setup man/closer option, but struggled.  He appeared in 26 games, throwing 24.2 innings with a 5.84 ERA.  He struck out 21, but walked 14.  The Red Sox released him in July.  Robles has not appeared in a Major League game since, though he has been in the Dodgers and Mariners systems.  

YOLMER SANCHEZ

Once a regular second-baseman with the White Sox, Sanchez had fallen on some hard times by the time he appeared in a Red Sox uniform.  A slick fielder, he won a Gold Glove in 2019 and could once hit enough to justify his place on the diamond.  He led the league in triples in 2018 and had a line of .245/.300/.360 in parts of seven seasons with the White Sox, four of which were as a regular.  He had occasional pop and could steal the occasional bag too.  He started having injury issues that limited him in 2020, then spent the entire 2021 season in the Braves minor league system.  The Red Sox signed him as a free agent prior to the 2022 season and he spent most of his time in their minor league system.  He did make it into 14 games though, hitting an anemic .108/.214/.108 with four hits, a run, two RBIs and was caught stealing both times he attempted.  He played exclusively second base, other than one appearance as a pitcher, his second time doing that.  Sanchez pitched the final inning of an ugly 28-5 loss to the Blue Jays and gave up a run and three hits for a 9.00 ERA.  He was waived in August and played a few games for the Mets.  He has not been in the Majors since.  He does have a minor league card in the Red Sox system. 

PHILLIPS VALDEZ

We close on a player who is on his third appearance in one of these posts.  Valdez looked like a promising pitcher during the 2020 season when he had a 3.24 ERA in 30.1 innings over 24 games after the Red Sox grabbed him off waivers from the Mariners.  He slipped in 2021, raising his ERA to 5.85, but still pitched in 28 games.  He spent time in the minors with the Red Sox organization for the first part of 2022, though he did pitch in 13 games in Boston.  He had an unimpressive stint, going 0-1 with a 4.41 ERA in 16.1 innings pitched, striking out 13 and walking seven.  He was waived in July and caught on with the Mariners organization.  He has not appeared again in the Majors since.

As usual with these posts, there are a lot of relievers, though there were a handful of position players.  A former All Star (Jeurys Familia) and a former Gold Glove winner (Yolmer Sanchez) appear to make things kind of interesting.  Several of these guys had somewhat lengthy careers.  Jaylin Davis probably had the best numbers for the Red Sox, but the player I would have most wanted to see get a card is undoubtedly Jake Diekman.  There are very few Nebraska natives in the Major Leagues, much less ones that play for the Red Sox, so I would like to add them when I can.  For some reason a lot of the Nebraska players who play for the Red Sox never get cards with them (Buddy Hunter and Kip Gross are a couple of examples).  So yes, Diekman it is.

Red Sox with No Cards: 2021

The 2021 Red Sox were a bit of a surprise.  After a brutally bad 2020 season, they retooled with some short-term free agents and caught one of the Wild Card slots.  Then, they went on a run that got them to within two games of the World Series, knocking off the Yankees and the Rays in the process.  The team mixed and matched quite a bit through the season, and had a COVID outbreak that led to a lot of very random players wearing Red Sox uniforms.  Among the short-term players that got cards were Jack Lopez, Austin Brice, Ryan Weber, Eduard Bazardo and Colten Brewer.  The next several guys were not so lucky.  

MATT ANDRIESE

Andriese was originally drafted by the Padres but was traded to the Rays prior to making it to the Majors in a deal that included a lot of spare parts.  He made his debut with the Rays in 2015 and filled a variety of roles.  He started 19 games in 2016, but also relieved in ten and saved a game.  He set career highs in wins, innings pitched, strikeouts and several other categories.  He was traded to the Diamondbacks in 2018 in a minor deal, but struggled.  He was with the Angels in 2020 and had a 4.50 ERA.  Boston brought him in as a low-risk role player in 2021.  He was used exclusively as a reliever and appeared in 26 games, throwing 37.1 innings.  He had a 2-3 record with a 6.03 ERA, striking out 38 while walking 11.  He did save a game.  The Red Sox released him in mid-August and he finished out the season with the Mariners.  He has not pitched in the Majors since.

BRANDON BRENNAN

Joining the list of players who appeared in just one game with the Red Sox is former Mariners pitcher Brennan.  Brennan was originally a draft pick of the White Sox, then moved on to the Rockies before being selected by the Mariners in the Rule 5 Draft prior to 2019.  Given the nature of the rules of the Rule 5 Draft, he had to be kept on the roster the entire season, and he was.  Brennan appeared in 44 games with the Mariners as a reliever.  He threw 47.1 innings, striking out 47 and walking 24.  He had a record of 3-6 with a 4.56 ERA.  He appeared in just five games in 2020, but had a 3.68 ERA.  Boston grabbed him off of waivers in May and he spent most of the season in the minors, but appeared in his one game, throwing three innings of three-hit, no-run ball.  He walked two and struck out one, but that was it.  He was released in September and caught on with Atlanta the next year, but has yet to appear in the Majors again.

AUSTIN DAVIS

Nicknamed "Big Fudge", Davis proved to be a fairly reliable southpaw out of the bullpen for the Red Sox after being acquired in a deadline deal with Pittsburgh for former top prospect Michael Chavis.  Davis was originally drafted by the Phillies and made his Major League in 2018.  He had varying levels of success.  He was traded to the Pirates in 2020 and started to establish himself as a lefty reliever.  He had a 5.59 ERA when he was traded to Boston.  Davis appeared in 19 games for the Red Sox, throwing 16.2 innings.  He had a 4.86 ERA, a 1-1 record, 17 strikeouts and seven walks.  Davis appeared in just one postseason game, getting one out with a walk in a game against the Rays.  Davis will be seen in the 2022 post of Red Sox with No Cards, so I will not get too much in to what he did after the 2021 season, but he pitched for the Red Sox again, before Boston lost him on waivers to the Twins.

RAYNEL ESPINAL

Like Brandon Brennan, Espinal appeared in just one Red Sox game.  Espinal was originally signed to an international free agent deal with the Yankees and spent several seasons in their organization.  Boston snagged him in the minor league phase of the Rule 5 Draft in 2019.  He made his Red Sox organization debut in 2021 and had a nice season, going 11-4 with a 3.44 ERA and 115 strikeouts in 117.2 innings pitched.  He made his Major League debut, starting a game against the Rays during the COVID outbreak, when Boston was able to call players up without them being on the 40 man roster in order to field a complete team.  He pitched just two innings, giving up two runs and two hits and walking one.  He was granted free agency after the season and spent 2022 jumping between the Cubs, Reds and Giants organizations.  He appeared in two games with the Reds.  He has not pitched in 2023.

MICHAEL FELIZ

Feliz has had one of the lengthier careers in this post.  He was once a well-regarded prospect in the Astros system who turned in to a serviceable reliever for the team.  He appeared in a lot of games for Houston in 2016 and 2017 and compiled some pretty impressive strikeout numbers (165 in 113 innings).  He was good enough that he was part of the package shipped to Pittsburgh in the Gerrit Cole deal.  He continued to be a decent middle reliever for the Pirates over the next three seasons, but injuries took their toll in 2020 and he appeared in just three games.  2021 saw Feliz bounce around quite a bit, going from Pittsburgh to Cincinnati to Boston to Oakland back to Boston.  He pitched in just four games for the Red Sox, throwing 5.1 innings, striking out five and walking just one.  It was good enough for a 3.38 ERA.  He was back in Boston in 2022, so he will appear in the next post.

STEPHEN GONSALVES

The southpaw Gonsalves was the fourth-round pick of the Twins in 2013.  It took the big lefty until 2018 to make his Major League debut.  He appeared in seven games that season, starting four of them and finishing with a record of 2-2 with a 6.57 ERA.  He struck out 16 and walked 22 in 24.2 innings.  It was no surprise then that it took awhile for him to make it back to the Majors.  In that time, he went from Minnesota to the Mets and then landed in Boston.  Boston brought him up as COVID relief and he appeared in three games.  He threw 4.1 innings, giving up two hits, two runs, a walk and striking out four for a 4.15 ERA.  After the season, he signed a minor league free agent deal with the Cubs, but has not been back to the Majors since.

TAYLOR MOTTER

If nothing else, we can say that Motter had some great hair.  The only position player in this post, Motter originally came up through the Rays system and made his Major League debut with them in 2016.  He was dealt to the Mariners in the deal that brought Andrew Kittredge to Tampa and appeared in a career-high 92 games with them in 2017.  He hit .198/.257/.326 with seven home runs and 12 stolen bases and displayed his versatility.  The Twins claimed him off of waivers in 2018 and then he went back to the minors until popping up with the Rockies in 2021.  Boston claimed him in September and he appeared in just three games with the Red Sox.  He made the most of those three games though, hitting .333/.429/.833 with a double, a triple, an RBI and a walk.  He played second base for the Red Sox.  He appeared in a couple of games with the Reds in 2022 and has played a chunk of time as a utility man for the Cardinals in 2023.  

BRAD PEACOCK

Peacock was once a very successful pitcher for the Astros who filled in a variety of roles.  He was a late-round pick of the Washington Nationals and made his Major League debut for them in 2011.  He was traded to the Athletics as part of the package that brought Gio Gonzalez to Washington and then was sent to the Astros in the deal for Jed Lowrie.  Peacock found a home in Houston for awhile, but was injury-prone.  He had his best season in 2017 when he went 13-2 with a 3.00 ERA in 34 games (21 starts).  In 132 innings, he struck out 161 batters and walked 57.  The next season, he was almost exclusively a reliever, pitching in 61 games with a 3.46 ERA over 65 innings pitched.  He notched the only three saves of his career.  2019 saw his numbers slide to a 4.61 ERA and then injuries reared up again in 2020.  Peacock started the 2021 season in the Cleveland organization, but did not make it to the Majors.  Boston purchased his contract and he was brought back during the COVID outbreak.  He pitched in two games, starting one and finishing one, but had a brutally bad 15.19 ERA in 5.1 innings pitched.  He struck out three and walked three and had a record of 0-1.  Peacock has bounced around between organizations since, but has not made it back to the Majors.

YACKSEL RIOS

Rios started his professional career after being drafted by the Phillies in 2011.  He made his Major League debut in 2017 and had some success.  After a rough 2018, in which he pitched in 36 games, but had a 6.75 ERA, and an even rougher start in 2019, Rios was claimed off waivers by the Pirates.  He pitched through the 2020 season in Pittsburgh then found himself in Seattle to start the 2021 season.  Boston purchased his contract in June and Rios ended up being used quite a bit.  He pitched in 20 games for the Red Sox, throwing 24.1 innings.  He struck out 21 while walking 14 and had a 3-0 record with a 3.70 ERA.  Not bad numbers at all.  Rios was granted free agency after the season and bounced around a bit.  He popped up in Oakland in 2023 for a few games.

HANSEL ROBLES

Robles was one of the bigger trade deadline acquisitions for the Red Sox in 2021.  He started his career as a fireballing arm out of the Mets bullpen.  There was always a thought that he had the potential to develop into a closer.  After a few years of uneven results, the Mets waived him and he found a home in the Angels bullpen.  In 2019, he had his first taste of sustained success as a closer.  That season he was 5-1 with a 2.48 ERA and 23 saves.  He notched 75 strikeouts and 16 walks in 72.2 innings pitched.  Unfortunately, he was horrific in 2020, pitching to a 10.26 ERA in 16 innings pitched over 20 games.  He was non-tendered after the season and started out the 2021 season with the Twins, saving ten games with a 4.91 ERA before the Red Sox sent a pitching prospect to Minnesota for him.  Robles was mostly decent for Boston in 2021, appearing in 27 games with a 3.60 ERA in 25 innings pitched.  He struck out 33 and walked 13 and saved four games with a 0-1 record.  He appeared in six games in the postseason, but did not have much success.  Robles started the 2022 season back in Boston, but that will be covered in the next post.

JOHN SCHREIBER

I will probably spend a lot more time in the next one of these posts talking about Schreiber.  I am still holding out hope that he will get a card made soon after his incredible performance in 2022.  So, perhaps by the time I am doing that post, he will join Rich Hill as players who got cards made later.  Schreiber was a Tigers draftee in 2016.  He made his Major League debut with the team in 2019 and for the next two seasons had an ERA over 6.00 over nearly 30 innings pitched.  It was not surprising that the Tigers waived him.  Boston picked him up and he spent all but one game in the minors, pitching to a 2.71 ERA in 33 games.  In his one game in Boston, he threw three innings, giving up one run and one walk, while striking out five.  It was a harbinger of things to come for him in 2022, but I will get to that in the next post in this series.

PHILLIPS VALDEZ

This is the second time Valdez has appeared in one of these posts.  After a very good rookie season for the Red Sox in 2020, Valdez spent a chunk of the 2021 season in the Red Sox bullpen.  The results were somewhat mixed.  He had a 2-0 record, appearing in 28 games and throwing 40 innings.  His strikeout numbers declined from almost a strikeout an inning to 35 in 40 innings.  He walked 19 and had a 5.85 ERA.  Valdez did notch his first, and thus far only, Major League save.  He had a bit more success in the minors.  Valdez will appear again in the 2022 post.

Once again, this post is overloaded with pitchers, particularly relievers.  There are a few notable names here, players with some impressive success in the Majors.  Brad Peacock and Hansel Robles in particular had some good years.  If I had to pick one player from this post I would most want to see get a card, I would probably pick Robles due to the impressive numbers he put up for Boston and his role in helping Boston to the postseason.

Red Sox With No Cards: 2020

Oh man, the 2020 season.  There were a shocking number of players who played for the Red Sox in the 2020 season, particularly since it was just a 60 game season.  Some key pitchers were unable to contribute due to injuries or other health issues.  Boston had to try to patch together a pitching staff, which proved difficult.  The Red Sox finished in last place, with a record of 24-36.  Among the players who DID appear on a cardboard were such short-term guys like Yairo Munoz, Jonathan Lucroy, Zack Godley, Josh Osich and Austin Brice.

DYLAN COVEY

Covey spent three seasons with the White Sox as a starting pitcher before 2020.  He had a rather atrocious record of 6-29 with an unsightly 6.54 ERA in 63 games (45 games started).  In 250.1 innings pitched, he struck out 173 and walked 114.  Covey was originally drafted by the Athletics, but was selected by the White Sox in the Rule 5 Draft in 2016.  After the 2019 season, Covey was non-tendered and the Rays picked him up, but he never pitched for them.  The Red Sox acquired him in July, ahead of the season.  Covey pitched in eight games with the Red Sox, all in relief.  He finished two games and threw 14 innings.  He did not have a record and he struck out eleven batters while walking just two.  Unfortunately, he also gave up eleven earned runs and had a 7.07 ERA.  He has not pitched since, but apparently recently signed a contract with the Dodgers in hopes of resurrecting his career.

DEIVY GRULLON

Grullon was a fairly highly-regarded Phillies prospect before Boston acquired him in 2020.  In 2019, he hit .283/.354/.496 with 21 home runs and 77 RBIs in Triple-A.  He was not very good defensively though, which made him somewhat expendable.  He did see his first Major League action in 2019, but played in just four games, getting one hit in nine at-bats.  Grullon was selected off of waivers by the Red Sox from Philadelphia in September.  He played in just one game with the Red Sox, getting four plate appearances.  He walked and singled, driving in a run.  His line was .333/.500/.333.  To date, that is the last time he has appeared in the Majors.  He has jumped from organization to organization since, shuffling between the Reds, Rays, Mets and White Sox.  He spent the 2022 season in the Red Sox organization, hitting .250 in 20 games.  He is still just 26, so he could make it back some day.  Grullon does have minor league cards in the Red Sox organization.

MATT HALL

There were raves about Hall's stuff after he was acquired by the Red Sox.  It was thought that he was a good, low-risk acquisition.  Unfortunately, things did not work out well.  Hall was drafted in the sixth round of the 2015 draft by the Tigers.  Boston acquired him in a trade for minor league catcher Jhon Nunez.  Hall struck out 106 batters in just 86.2 innings in the minors in 2019 and struck out 27 in 23.1 innings for the Tigers.  Hall ended up pitching in just four games with the Red Sox in 2020, starting one game as an opener.  He threw 8.2 innings, striking out nine, but walking ten.  He had a record of 0-3 and a deplorable 18.69 ERA.  He stayed in the Red Sox organization and had a 7.36 ERA in 28 games in the minors for Boston in 2021.  He was released late in the season.  Hall pitched in the Giants system in 2022.  He has not appeared in the Majors since 2020.  He does have cards with the Red Sox minor league organization in 2021.

MIKE KICKHAM

Kickham appeared in six games with the Red Sox in his first Major League appearances since 2014.  He was originally drafted by the Giants in 2010 and moved fairly quickly through their minor league system, making his Major League debut with 12 games in 2013.  He had a 10.16 ERA and a record of 0-3.  The next season, he appeared in just two games, with a 22.50 ERA.  He then began an odyssey that took him through the minor league systems of the Cubs, Mariners, Rangers, back to the Giants and then to the Marlins, before winding up with the Red Sox in 2020.  Kickham appeared in six games with the Red Sox, starting two and closing two.  He pitched 14 innings, striking out 17, while walking five.  But he gave up 12 earned runs and had an ERA of 7.71.  He was granted free agency and signed with the Dodgers in 2021.  He appeared in just one game with the Dodgers in 2021 and has not pitched since.

ROBINSON LEYER

Originally an undrafted international free agent, Leyer spent several seasons in the White Sox organization with middling results.  He then moved to the Reds and Mariners system before the Red Sox acquired him in June of 2019.  He was primarily a reliever by this point in his career.  Leyer made his Major League debut with the Red Sox in 2020, pitching in six games.  He started one game as an opener.  Leyer pitched in just 4.2 innings, striking out nine, but walking eight and giving up eleven earned runs.  He had an ERA of 21.21 and a record of 0-0.  He moved on to the Twins organization in 2021, but has not pitched since then.  Leyer has just a handful of cards issued and no Major League cards.  He has none with the Red Sox organization.

CHRIS MAZZA

Well, this is a first.  Not only does Mazza not have any Boston Red Sox cards (or any Major League cards for that matter), but I cannot even find a scan of any of the three minor league cards he does have.  Mazza was drafted in the 27th round by the Twins in 2011.  After a few years in the Twins organization, he was released and caught on with the Marlins organization.  He then went to the Mariners and was picked up by the Mets in the Rule 5 Draft in 2018.  He spent the 2019 season with the Mets, pitching in nine games with a 5.51 ERA.  The Red Sox picked him up off of waivers from the Mets in December and he spent most of the 2020 season in the Red Sox rotation.  Mazza pitched in nine games, making six starts and pitching 30 innings.  He struck out 29 batters while walking 15 and giving up 16 earned runs.  He had a record of 1-2 with a 4.80 ERA.  He was impressive enough to be traded to the Rays after the season in a deal with prospects Ronaldo Hernandez and Nick Sogard.  Mazza appeared in 16 games with the Rays over the next two seasons.  

CESAR PUELLO

Outfielder Puello was once a highly-regarded prospect in the Mets organization.  He spent the first several years of his career in the Mets system before starting a long journey that took him through the Yankees, Rangers, Angels, Rays, Diamondbacks, Giants and Marlins systems before joining the Red Sox in 2020.  He appeared in the Majors with the Angels, Rays and Marlins.  2019 was his first extended look in the Majors as he appeared in 12 games with the Angels and 32 with the Marlins, hitting .248/.356/.384 with four home runs and 18 RBIs.  Puello appeared in five games with the Red Sox, hitting .375/.500/.375 in eleven plate appearances.  Puello had two assists and two double plays in the outfield.  During the 2021 season, he returned to the Mets, but did not play in 2022.  

RON ROENICKE

After Red Sox manager Alex Cora was suspended for the entire 2020 season due to his involvement in the Astros cheating scandal in 2017, bench coach Roenicke was tabbed to manage the Red Sox.  Roenicke had been the Brewers manager from 2011 to 2015, leading the team to a first-place finish in 2011, winning the division series against the Diamondbacks, but being eliminated by the Cardinals in the NLCS.  He was unable to replicate that success though.  Roenicke had an eight-year career in the Majors with the Dodgers, Mariners, Padres, Giants, Phillies and Reds.  He hit .238/.353/.338 with 17 home runs and 113 RBIs.  His best season was 1986 with the Phillies when he hit .247/.381/.356 with five home runs and 42 RBIs while playing left and center field.  Roenicke was relieved of his managerial duties when Alex Cora returned from his suspension in 2021.  

JEFFREY SPRINGS

The southpaw Springs was originally drafted in the 30th round by the Rangers in 2015.  Despite this, he moved quickly through the minors and made his Major League debut in 2018, appearing in 18 games.  He had a 3.38 ERA in 32 innings pitched.  He had a 6.40 ERA in 2019 in 32.1 innings pitched.  The Rangers traded Springs to the Red Sox in January of 2020 for former top prospect Sam Travis.  Springs pitched in 18 games with the Red Sox in 2020, finishing eight.  He had a record of 0-2 with a 7.08 ERA in 20.1 innings pitched.  He notched 28 strikeouts against just seven walks though, numbers that were intriguing enough that the Rays wanted him included in the deal with Chris Mazza for Ronaldo Hernandez and Nick Sogard.  Since then, Springs has blossomed into an impressive pitcher.  He had a 3.43 ERA as a reliever in 2021, striking out 63 in 44.2 innings.  In 2022, he had a record of 9-5 with a 2.46 ERA, striking out 144 and walking 31 in 135.1 innings pitched.  He looks to be an important member of the Rays rotation moving forward.

ROBERT STOCK

Originally drafted as a catcher by the Cardinals in the second round of the 2009 draft, Stock eventually transitioned to the mound.  Stock moved around quite a bit before making his Major League debut with the Padres in 2018.  He spent time in the organizations of the Astros, Pirates, Reds and Phillies as well.  Stock had a successful 2018 season with the Padres, appearing in 32 games and pitching to a 2.50 ERA in 39.2 innings.  He was not as successful in 2019 though and found his way to Boston just before the 2020 season.  Stock pitched in ten games with the Red Sox, all in relief and finishing four games.  He pitched 13.1 innings with a 4.73 ERA and a record of 0-1.  He struck out 14 and walked ten.  Since then, he appeared in a couple games with the Cubs and Mets and recently signed a minor league deal with the Brewers.

DOMINGO TAPIA

Tapia was signed by the Mets as an international free agent and spent several seasons in their organization, looking like a future reliever.  After the 2016 season, he signed on with the Reds for a couple seasons.  Boston signed him as a minor league free agent prior to 2019 and he spent the entire season in the minors, pitching to a 5.18 ERA in 66 innings over 44 games.  He struck out 52 and walked 32 while saving two games.  Tapia made his Major League debut in 2020 with Boston, pitching 4.1 innings over five games.  He struck out four and walked two and had an ERA of 2.08.  Impressive enough numbers that the Mariners claimed him on waivers after the season.  He pitched in two games with the Mariners in 2021 before being sold to the Royals.  In Kansas City, he pitched in 32 games with a 2.84 ERA and a 4-1 record.  He struck out 25 and walked 14 in 31.2 innings.  He pitched in eleven games with the A's in 2022, but had an ERA of 8.47.  He signed a deal with the Padres for 2023.  Tapia has minor league cards with the Red Sox organization from 2019.

ANDREW TRIGGS

Yet another pitcher with a long journey that led him to Boston in 2020, Triggs was originally drafted by the Royals in 2012.  He then hopped to the Orioles and then the Athletics before making his Major League debut in 2016.  Triggs spent the next three seasons in Oakland trying to break through as a starting pitcher.  In 50 games (29 starts), he had a record of 9-8 with a 4.53 ERA in 163 innings pitched, striking out 148 and walking 50.  Triggs started the 2020 season with the Giants, but pitched in just one game, giving up three earned runs in just one-third of an inning.  The Giants waived him and the Red Sox brought him in.  Triggs pitched in four games with the Red Sox, making two starts and pitching eight innings.  He struck out seven and walked three in eight innings and had a 4.50 ERA and a record of 0-1.  Triggs has not appeared in the Majors since.

PHILLIPS VALDEZ

Dominican-born right-hander Valdez was one of Boston's best rookies in 2020.  Originally signed to a deal with the Indians, Valdez also pitched in the Nationals system before making his Major League debut with the Rangers in 2019.  He appeared in eleven games that year with a 3.94 ERA and 18 strikeouts over 16 innings, parlaying that performance into a minor league deal with the Red Sox in 2020.  Valdez appeared in 24 games with the Red Sox, pitching 30.1 innings and had a 1-1 record and a 3.26 ERA.  All of his games were in relief, and he finished five games.  Valdez struck out 30 and walked 16.  He continued to pitch for the Red Sox in 2021 and 2022 and will be showcased again in those posts later.  

There are a LOT of pitchers in this post.  The only position players were Deivy Grullon and Cesar Puello, and neither of them played in more than a few games.  In fact, that is mostly true of the pitchers too.  Phillips Valdez easily appeared in the most games, with Jeffrey Springs a distant second.  Springs has been able to have the best Major League career, by quite a large margin.  If I had to pick just one of these players to appear on a card though, it would have to be Valdez.  He was easily the most impressive of the players.  In fact, he was good enough that I kept expecting him to appear in either Topps Total or Heritage the next year.  He never did though.  And thus, he will be another multi-year player in these posts.