Red Sox lefty Patrick Sandoval he has been in rehab assignment for more than three weeks. He is still going to work but the Red Sox may trade him instead. MassLive’s Chris Cotillo reports that teams plan to explore his next starting point in the rebuild in anticipation that the Sox may be open to a trade.
Sandoval, 29, was once a solid starter for the Angels. From 2021 to 2024, he pitched 460 innings for the Halos, allowing a 3.80 earned run average. His 10.2% walk rate was a bit high but his 22.6% strikeout rate was about average and his 47.3% ground ball rate was quite strong.
He needed internal brace surgery on the ulnar collateral ligament in the summer of 2024. The angels did not like him after that. The Sox got him by signing him to a two-year, $18.25MM guaranteed contract. Boston was probably hoping for some deals late in 2025 but they certainly expected that money to pay off with a healthy Sandoval in 2026.
That has yet to happen, as several obstacles have prevented Sandoval from returning to the big leagues. That being said, he may finally be on the verge of returning to the majors. He began rehab work on June 5 and has started five rehab sessions since then. The latest brought him to 60 in four innings at Triple-A Worcester yesterday.
A pot renewal quota usually comes with a maximum of 30 days. If a player is coming back from UCL surgery, the team can apply for a ten-day extension, up to three times. That means the remediation window can be extended to a total of 60 days.
Regardless, with the first 30-day window nearly up, Cotillo’s column suggests the Sox may be willing to trade Sandoval. There is some logic to that. The Boston rotation is currently in solid shape with Sonny Gray, Guard Suárez, Payton Tolle, Connelly Early again Jake Bennett all is well.
The depth undoubtedly shines a little with the boys Garrett Crochet, Tanner Houck, Cutter Crawford again Johan Oviedo all in IL for 60 days. On the other hand, they have it Brian Bello in Triple-A. He struggled badly at the start of the year but has looked decent since being dropped and is much better than the sixth man who started at other clubs. Boys love it Alec Gamboa again Eduardo Rivera they also play well in Worcester.
Even if the rotation wasn’t in good shape, it would have made sense for the Sox to make Sandoval available. Even after sweeping the Yankees over the weekend, the team is 36-46. That puts them 4.5 games back of a playoff spot in a weak American League but there’s a good shot they end up in the dealer’s spot before the deadline. Sandoval is a free agent, as his two-year contract expires at the end of the season.
Sandoval’s injury odyssey will give teams pause about his future. Ideally, his numbers in his rehab assignment look similar to his previous career. In his last five starts, he has gone 13 1/3 innings with a 2.70 ERA, 20.8% strikeout rate and 9.4% walk rate. He makes a whopping $12.75MM this year, as his contract was backloaded with an eye toward him offering more value in 2026 than in 2025. That leaves more than $6MM to be paid.
Despite Sandoval’s impressive record, clubs won’t be eager to take that kind of money for a guy who hasn’t played in the majors in two years. Maybe the Sox will be willing to take some of that money to make the deal. Teams around the league need arms, and the injury bug has been biting the Cubs, Angels and many others lately.
If the trade doesn’t go through, Sandoval will need to be reinstated to Boston’s 40-man roster upon reinstatement, as he is currently on IL’s 60-day suspension. He also cannot be selected without his consent as a player with at least five years of service time, so he will need a spot on the active roster.
Photo courtesy of Rick Cinclair, Imagn Images
