Getty

The Red Sox face a roster crunch concerning Tommy Kahnle, who has a June 1 opt-out date.

The Boston Red Sox signed right-hander Tommy Kahnle to a minor league deal. The deal includes a June 1 opt-out date, which Kahnle intends to trigger, reports MassLive’s Chris Cotillo.

“I know there are dates coming up,” interim manager Chad Tracy told Cotillo. “Our front office, they’re always aware of that. We’re well-aware of who he is, what he’s done and his performance down there.”

With a looming opt-out date hitting soon, that will force some tough conversations with the Red Sox bullpen. Should they choose not to add the 36-year-old to their active and 40-man roster by then, he’ll elect free agency and seek a better opportunity to get to the big leagues elsewhere.

The Red Sox’s recent moves don’t seem to suggest as such. The club’s most recent addition to the 40-man roster was right-hander Tayron Guerrero. However, losing Garrett Whitlock to the injured list and Greg Weissert’s struggles with inherited runners this season could change the picture.

Tommy Kahnle’s Performance in Triple-A Ahead of Opt-Out Date

What makes the right-hander willing to test free agency once again is his performance with Triple-A Worcester. He’s pitched to a 1.40 ERA with 21 strikeouts and 11 walks over 19.1 innings.

Kahnle has not surrendered a run in his last 14 appearances with the Woo Sox. Over that stretch, he’s struck out 18 and walked eight. He’s holding opposing hitters to a .160/.276/.200 slash and struck out 31.0% of hitters.

The right-hander is averaging 93.0 MPH on his four-seamer in Worcester, about half a tick lower than his 2025 velocity. The changeup remains his primary offering, at a 63.4% usage rate. While not as high as his 86% rate with the Detroit Tigers in 2025, it’s still his primary weapon for missing bats. Kahnle’s changeup has the highest whiff rate of his pitches, with 34.3% of swings coming up empty.

One area of concern would be Kahnle’s 13.3% walk rate. While he’s never shown great control in his career, as evidenced by an 11.2% walk rate at the major league level, it’s still a metric the Red Sox might be wary of.

Chances the Red Sox Add Tommy Kahnle

For the Red Sox to add Kahnle to the roster, they will need to make a move to clear room on both the active and 40-man roster. The latter will be the trickier one. Boston could free up a 40-man spot by moving Trevor Story, who’s recovering from sports hernia surgery, to the 60-day injured list.

Of the Red Sox relievers, only Greg Weissert, Tyler Samaniego, and Justin Slaten can be optioned to the minors. Slaten isn’t a realistic option of the three, as he’s a key cog in their bullpen. Samaniego had been optioned to Worcester before Garrett Whitlock’s injury brought him back up.

That could leave Greg Weissert as the active roster possibility. The right-hander surrendered a grand slam to Ronald Acuna Jr. in his last outing. Home runs have been a problem for Weissert, who’s surrendering 2.0 per nine innings, and likely contributing to his allowing 12 of 21 inherited runners to score.

However, it’s unlikely that they’ll consider a move until after their series against the Guardians. How the bullpen looks at that point could factor in. If the bullpen is spent in the series finale against Cleveland, that could open an opportunity.