Red Sox Reportedly Place Long-Struggling Reliever On Waivers

The Boston Red Sox reportedly have jumpstarted their offseason.

Kaleb Ort was placed on outright waivers Wednesday, according to Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe. The move effectively designates the 31-year-old for assignment, according to Chris Cotillo of MassLive.

Ort finished the regular season on the 60-day injured list, but there is no offseason IL, necessitating a roster decision to be made. The Red Sox would have needed to reinstate Ort onto their roster within five days of the conclusion of the World Series if not placed him on waivers.

He spent the last three months of the 2023 season on the injured list with right elbow inflammation, last pitching for the Red Sox on July 4. He made three rehab outings for the WooSox in September but was never activated.

It was a bumpy ride for the hard-throwing right-hander in Boston, with the Red Sox initially acquiring him from the New York Yankees in the minor league portion of the 2020-21 Rule 5 draft. He procured a 6.27 ERA in 51 2/3 innings with Boston. Ort did have success in Triple-A, however, posting a sub-3.00 ERA in parts of three years with Triple-A Worcester.

Ort has the requisite service time to declare free agency at the start of the offseason if he goes unclaimed.