2 days Ago By Brendan Campbell, Blogging the Red Sox
After spending the 2024 season in the Red Sox organization, free agent right-hander Bryce Bonnin signed a minor-league contract with the Texas Rangers last week, according to the MiLB.com transactions log . Bonnin, 26, joined the Red Sox on a minors pact just days after being released by the Reds in early March.
A former third-round draft selection of Cincinnati in 2020, the Texas Tech product opened the season on High-A Greenville’s 7-day injured list with a rotator cuff issue that cost him the entirety of the 2023 campaign. Upon being activated in late April, Bonnin proceeded to pitch to a 4.04 ERA (3.
92 FIP) with 40 strikeouts to 16 walks over 19 relief appearances (35 2/3 innings) for the Drive in which he held opposing hitters to a .164 batting average against. He spent nearly two weeks on the injured list in May but bounced back after that and was later promoted to Double-A Portland on August 20.
In three outings (one start) with the Sea Dogs, Bonnin allowed four earned runs on seven hits, four walks, and eight strikeouts over 6 1/3 innings. Altogether the righty forged a 4.29 ERA (4.
36 FIP) with 48 strikeouts to 20 walks in 22 appearances (42 innings) between Greenville and Portland this season. Opponents batted just .181 against him.
Among the 60 Red Sox minor-leaguers who threw at least 40 innings in 2024, Bonnin ranked fourth in batting average against, sixth in swinging-strike rate (18.4 percent), eighth in line-drive rate (18.4 percent), 11th in WHIP (1.
12), and 19th in strikeouts per nine innings (10.29) and strikeout rate (27.6 percent).
On the flip side, however, he ranked 35th in ERA, 40th in FIP, xFIP (4.32), and walks per nine innings (4.29), and 41st in walk rate (11.
5 percent), per FanGraphs. In the process of putting up those numbers, Bonnin peaked as the No. 48 prospect in Boston’s farm system, per SoxProspects.
com’s rankings . The 6-foot-2, 190-pound hurler sat in the mid-90s and reached 98-99 mph with his fastball while also mixing in a slider and changeup. He elected minor-league free agency earlier this month and was once again not on the open market for very long.
Bonnin becomes the latest Red Sox minor-league free agent to switch organizations this winter, joining the likes of fellow righties Jason Alexander (who signed a minors pact with the Athletics) and Justin Hagenman (who signed a one-year major-league deal with the Mets). It seems likely that Bonnin will start the 2025 season with the Rangers’ Double-A affiliate in Frisco, Texas. This article first appeared on Blogging the Red Sox and was syndicated with permission.
.
