Red Sox will remove wide receiver Jonathan Lucroy off your list today and call right Chris Mazza from their alternative training site in Pawtucket, Chad Jennings and Ken Rosenthal from The Athletic report (via Twitter). The exact nature of the movement is unclear. It is possible that Lucroy is simply designated for assignment, although it is also conceivable that he could be sent to another club with the need to capture depth.
Lucroy, 34, broke Boston’s Opening Day list as the third receiver behind Christian Vazquez and Kevin PlaweckiBut he has yet to count a plate appearance with the Red Sox. He divided the 2019 season between the Angels and the Cubs, hitting a combined .232 / .305 / .355 rate in 101 games and 328 plate appearances.
It’s been more than three full years since Lucroy enjoyed his above-average season at the plate, but for a time, he was considered one of the game’s elite caps. From 2012-16, Lucroy hit .291 / .353 / .465 (120 OPS +) while drawing elite framing marks and posting a solid steal rate of 27.5 percent. Those days, however, are long past. During his previous three seasons, Lucroy has combined for a .248 / .315 / .350 production as his defensive ratings have dropped considerably.
Instead, the Sox will add to the 30-year-old Mazza an out-of-season exemption claim from the Mets organization that has just 16 1/3 MLB innings under his belt. While Mazza doesn’t have much Major League experience, he had a 3.67 ERA with 7.3 K / 9 versus 2.1 BB / 9 in 76 Triple-A frames last year, particularly strong marks given the offensive explosion there. Mazza has an overall ERA of 3.72 or better at each individual minor league level and has a composite ERA of 3.21 with 7.4 K / 9 and 2.5 BB / 9. He has also regularly posted an excellent dirt ball mark, thanks to a great sinker who has one of the lowest turn rates in MLB (which is a good thing for sinkers).
