Sam Travis clears waivers

When the Red Sox made their last major-league signing by adding Kevin Plawecki to the roster, Sam Travis was the roster casualty. The first baseman was designated for assignment to make room on the 40-man roster. In that linked post I said I could see another team claiming him off waivers. Well, believe it or not, I was wrong. According to Chris Cotillo of Masslive, Travis cleared waivers and will remain in the organization.

For what it’s worth, Travis didn’t actually have a choice as to whether or not to accept an assignment, as he had not been outrighted before and didn’t have the required service time. If and when Travis is called up to the roster again, he will still be out of options — which was the biggest reason he was designated in the first place — and would have the option to decline an assignment if outrighted again.

Travis is not exactly a difference maker for this roster, but it is still always nice to have some depth. That said, he is in an area with quite a bit of overlap as a right-handed first baseman, as the team already has Michael Chavis and Bobby Dalbec there. The one area where Travis could stand out is his ability to play left field, but it seems they will at least get Chavis some time there if not Dalbec as well. Still, neither Chavis nor Dalbec has proven themselves to the point where they’ll be handed anything, and if Travis has a good spring (something he’s known for around these parts) and gets off to a good start in Pawtucket, he could be in a position to grab a spot if there are struggling players ahead of him on the depth chart.

For now, he’s not really a factor, but I wouldn’t be at all surprised to get a major-league stint from Travis in 2020.