MLB News: Red Sox Acquire Puerto Rican Standout To Address Pitching Woes

The Boston Red Sox know they have to make some moves to make sure that their pitching does not take a hit.

It appears Yacksel Rios will try to address that need following a reported deal with the Seattle Mariners.

The Red Sox announced on Monday that they have acquired Rios from the Mariners in exchange for cash considerations.

His coming means that Boston will have to re-adjust their rotation.

For now, the Red Sox have turned to Ryan Weber and Michael Chavis to fill in the team’s 40-man roster.

The 25-year-old Chavis is likely to be sent back down once Rios is ready to join the bullpen.

But as far as addressing Boston’s struggling starting rotation, it remains to be seen if the Puerto Rican will be able to blend in and perform well.

Before the Rios deal, Boston has been trying to search for a good arm from Triple-A Worcester.

This came after injuries befell their regulars in Tanner Houck, Bryan Mata and Thaddeus Ward.

“Coming into the season that was a strong suit of our pitching staff, having five guys here plus the other three capable guys and obviously thinking about Chris (Sale) later on. There are big-league teams that got hit at the big league level. We got hit at the minor league level. You saw what we did early on with Xander. That was very important to what we were trying to do. But we haven’t had the luxury,” team manager Alex Cora stated ahead of their game against the Toronto Blue Jays.

Rios was designated for assignment in three of Seattle’s games.

After three outings, the pitcher allowed three earned runs on five hits with two strikeouts. He holds a career ERA of 6.47 in 71 1/3 innings pitched.

Chris Sale’s return remains unknown although he has been spotted at Fenway Park during home games throwing off the mound.

But it appears Houck will be the first one returning to action, with Cora saying that he has the one who has made progress thus far.

“I’m not saying he’s closer but where he’s actually, as far as his progress, the next step is pitching to hitters,” Cora said of Houck. “He’s getting closer. But we’re not talking about seven days. Not this week.”