Red Sox manager Alex Cora revealed Wednesday night that Nick Pivetta will return to Boston’s bullpen, and that development caused the organization to option reliever Ryan Sherriff back to Triple-A Worcester.
The left-handed Sherriff was called up to Boston on Tuesday before the Red Sox faced the Seattle Mariners in the second of three games. The 32-year-old pitched in each of the last two games for Boston: He pitched the eighth inning of the Red Sox’s victory on Wednesday night after pitching the sixth inning in Tuesday’s win. Sherriff allowed one hit with one walk during those two appearances.
Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom acknowledged the “tough decision” regarding moving Pivetta to the bullpen. It comes with the Red Sox getting healthier, having more starters than spots in the rotation.
Sherriff was signed by the Red Sox as a minor league free agent in January. He started the season in Worcester and posted a 3.00 ERA (five earned runs over 15 innings) in 15 appearances. Sherriff owns a 3.50 ERA in 46 career major league games (46 1/3 innings) across stints with the St. Louis Cardinals (2017-18), Tampa Bay Rays (2020-21) and Red Sox.
