Released Red Sox Reliever Signs Minor League Deal With Dodgers

It didn’t take too long for former Boston Red Sox reliever Ryan Brasier to get back on his feet.

After the Red Sox released the struggling right-hander on May 21, Brasier told WEEI.com on Monday that he signed a minor league deal to join the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Brasier will see plenty of familiar faces if he can work his way back up to the big league level. Two of Brasier’s teammates from Boston’s 2018 World Series run, Mookie Betts and J.D. Martinez, are central figures on the Dodgers this season. And even with Triple-A Oklahoma City, Brasier will be teammates once again with Matt Andriese, who spent part of one season with the Red Sox in 2021.

The 35-year-old Brasier was wildly ineffective out of the bullpen for the Red Sox this season. He allowed 17 earned runs on 24 hits in 21 innings to post a bloated 7.29 ERA and a 1.57 WHIP. That putrid production led to the Red Sox designating the veteran reliever for assignment before ultimately parting ways with him.

The Dodgers, who are tied for first place in the National League West with the Arizona Diamondbacks entering Monday, are in need of improvements to their bullpen. They have the sixth-worst batting average against in the majors, per WEEI’s Rob Bradford.

It doesn’t seem like Brasier would be a benefit to any bullpen given how he has pitched this year, but he does have a career 4.55 ERA and nine saves to his credit. He’s obviously a clear reclamation project for the Dodgers, though, as they look to see if he has anything left to give.