Report: Red Sox Could Lose 11-Year Veteran After Contract Clause Exercised

Boston Red Sox pitcher Tommy Kahnle

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The Boston Red Sox signed veteran pitcher Tommy Kahnle to a minor league deal with an upward mobility clause before the season, and May 1 was the first deadline for the Red Sox to put him on the big league roster.

Kahnle's clause stipulated that if he is not on the big league roster by May 1, he can exercise the clause, allowing another big league team to sign him. According to 7News Boston WHDH's Ari Alexander, he exercised his clause and is now waiting for a big league team to put a claim in for him.

"Teams have until Sunday to put in a claim for him," Alexander wrote on X. "The Red Sox have until Wednesday to either add him to their roster or trade him to a team that puts in a claim for him."

If he is not claimed and is not in the big leagues by June 1, he has an opt-out that would make him a free agent. He has pitched in eight games in Triple-A this season and has a 2.89 ERA. He could be a solid addition to the Red Sox's bullpen and has over 400 innings of work in the big leagues.

He pitched in 66 games for the Detroit Tigers last season and had a 4.43 ERA. In the previous two seasons, for the New York Yankees, he posted a 2.38 ERA in 92 games.