BOSTON — It is the start of roster maneuvering season in MLB, and the Red Sox got the process going by designating veteran first baseman Nathaniel Lowe for assignment on Tuesday, hours before the deadline for teams to finalize their 40-man rosters in preparation for next month’s Rule 5 Draft.
The transaction to take Lowe off the roster was made at the same time the Sox made a minor swap with the Rays, sending righty reliever Luis Guerrero to Tampa Bay for utility infielder Tristan Gray. Boston had designated Guerrero for assignment on Nov. 6, and needed Lowe’s roster spot to add Gray.
TRADE DETAILS
Red Sox get: INF Tristan Gray
Rays get: RHP Luis Guerrero
MLB’s non-tender deadline is on Friday, and Lowe was Boston’s top candidate to be non-tendered, but the team needed his roster spot sooner.
Lowe served a short-term purpose for the Red Sox down the stretch in 2025 when the team signed him after he was released by the Nationals.
First base had been a big void for Boston after Triston Casas suffered a left patellar tendon rupture on May 2 that kept him out for the rest of the season.
In 34 games for the Red Sox, Lowe slashed .280/.370/.420 in 100 at-bats, adding six doubles, a triple, two homers and 16 RBIs.
With Casas expected back in 2026 and the Red Sox perhaps going after additional power bats who can DH or play first base, Lowe didn’t have a fit on the club anymore.
The 29-year-old Gray, a left-handed hitter, played in 30 games for the Rays in ‘25, hitting .231 with five doubles, three homers and nine RBIs. He split time between second base, shortstop, third base and first base. A 13th-round pick in the 2017 MLB Draft, the Texas native has played in 47 career Major League games with the Rays (2023, ‘25), Marlins (2024), and Athletics (2024).
Guerrero had been with Boston since he was selected in the 17th round of the 2021 Draft. He broke into the Majors down the stretch in ‘24 and didn’t allow an earned run in nine outings after his September callup.
But the hard-thrower struggled to maintain the same type of consistency in ‘25, notching a 4.15 ERA in 13 games and missing a large chunk of the season with right elbow issues.
