Smith (shoulder) was released by the Red Sox on Wednesday, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.
Smith has been out of commission all season while working his way back from shoulder surgery he underwent last June. The injury-prone reliever will need to prove his health before getting a shot with another team.
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Red Sox's Carson Smith: Shifts to minor-league camp
Rotowire
The Red Sox assigned Smith (shoulder) to minor-league camp Tuesday, Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reports.
Smith didn't see any action in Grapefruit League play while he continues to recover from the shoulder surgery he required last June. Once viewed as a cornerstone piece for the Boston bullpen, Smith was dumped from the 40-man roster during the offseason and will need to prove his health in the high minors before getting another look from the big club. He'll likely open the season on the injured list at Triple-A Pawtucket.
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Red Sox's Carson Smith: Limited to simulated throws
Rotowire
Smith (shoulder) was limited to simulating a throwing motion with a towel Tuesday as Red Sox pitchers and catchers reported to spring training this week, the Boston Herald reports.
Smith is targeting a day next week to resume throwing a baseball, but it could be months before he is game-ready again after he suffered a subluxation of his pitching shoulder upon throwing his glove at the dugout wall following his removal from a game in May. With a minor-league deal and no 40-man roster spot, Smith could wind up pitching at Triple-A once he's ready to pitch this season before earning an opportunity in the Boston bullpen.
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Red Sox's Carson Smith: Set to miss beginning of season
Rotowire
President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said "it'll be awhile" before Smith (shoulder) will be able to pitch in games, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.
Smith is recovering from shoulder surgery that he underwent in June and isn't expected to be ready for the early part of the 2019 season. The hope is that the right-hander will be able to pick up a throwing program sometime during spring training, after which a more concrete timetable for his return could emerge. Smith posted a 3.77 ERA with 18 strikeouts across 14.1 frames in 2018 before getting hurt.
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Red Sox's Carson Smith: Inks minor-league deal with Boston
Rotowire
Smith (shoulder) signed a minor-league contract with the Red Sox on Sunday, Brandon Warne of ZoneCoverage.com reports.
Smith elected to become a free agent at the beginning of November, although he'll return to Boston on this farm deal. He posted a 3.77 ERA and 1.40 WHIP with 18 strikeouts across 14.1 frames as a reliever in 2018 and could make his way back to the big leagues if he performs well in spring training.
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Carson Smith: Elects free agency
Rotowire
Smith (shoulder) was reinstated from the 60-day disabled list Thursday and elected to become a free agent.
Smith missed the majority of the 2018 campaign after undergoing shoulder surgery in June. While he's shown promise when healthy, posting a career 2.21 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 11.4 K/9 across parts of five major-league seasons (102 innings), injuries have limited the right-hander to just 23.2 innings with the Red Sox since the start of 2015.
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Red Sox's Carson Smith: Transferred to 60-day DL
Rotowire
Smith (shoulder) was moved to the 60-day disabled list Monday, Evan Drellich of NBC Sports Boston reports.
The move opens up a spot on the 40-man roster for the addition of William Cuevas. It has no effect on Smith's timeline, as he's already been ruled out for the season after undergoing shoulder surgery.
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Red Sox's Carson Smith: Undergoes successful surgery Wednesday
Rotowire
Smith underwent successful shoulder surgery Wednesday, Jason Mastrodonato of the Boston Herald reports.
Smith suffered the injury in mid-May after throwing his glove in the dugout, and he'll be sidelined for the remainder of the season after undergoing the procedure. The right-hander, who has been limited to just 23.2 major-league innings over the past three seasons due to injuries, will now look to get healthy before the start of spring training next year.
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Red Sox's Carson Smith: Set for season-ending surgery
Rotowire
Smith will undergo season-ending shoulder surgery Wednesday, Rob Bradford of WEEI.com reports.
Smith has been sidelined since May 15 with a shoulder injury, and he recently received a third opinion that determined the issue would require surgery to heal. It's another tough break for the 28-year-old, who has pitched just 23.2 innings over the past three seasons due to injuries. He'll look to get back to full health before the start of spring training next year.
Red Sox's Carson Smith: Seeking third opinion on shoulder
Rotowire
Smith (shoulder) received a second opinion Monday and is now seeking a third opinion on his injured shoulder, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.
The specifics of the injury remain a bit murky, but the fact Smith is again pursuing an additional opinion doesn't seem to bode well for his current situation. The 28-year-old should still be considered out indefinitely.
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Red Sox's Carson Smith: Placed on DL with shoulder injury
Rotowire
Smith was placed on the 10-day disabled list Tuesday with a right shoulder subluxation, Rob Bradford of WEEI.com reports.
According to Evan Drellich of NBC Sports Boston, Smith injured his arm after throwing his glove in the dugout following his outing against the Athletics on Monday. He remains without a timetable for his return, but it sounds like the Red Sox are gearing up for an extended absence, as President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski said "its got the potential of being a major injury." Smith is headed for a second opinion on the injury and should be considered out indefinitely for the time being. Bobby Poyner was recalled from Triple-A Pawtucket in a corresponding move and will take his spot in the bullpen.
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Red Sox's Carson Smith: Getting better, per manager
Rotowire
Manager Alex Cora feels Smith's stuff has gotten better since the start of the season, Jason Mastrodonato of the Boston Herald reports.
Smith was expected to be a trusted setup man out of the pen but has a 5.87 ERA through 7.2 innings (10 games). Some of that high ERA is skewed by early results, when Smith gave up two runs each in a pair of outings during the first week of the season. Since then, the right-hander had five scoreless outings before allowing a run Thursday. "You can see it. The slider is a lot better," said Cora. "It's just a matter of putting guys away has been difficult for him throughout the first few weeks, but we do feel that he's turning a corner." Despite the positive words from the manager, Cora's actions suggest he's still not ready to call on Smith in high-leverage situations.
Smith (0-1) walked the first batter faced and allowed two runs on two hits while striking out one in Thursday's 6-4 loss to the Rays.
The game was in good hands over the first seven innings -- thanks to Chris Sale and Matt Barnes -- but manager Alex Cora's eighth-inning decisions blew up. Smith was brought in to squelch a dumpster fire created by Joe Kelly (three walks), but he was no fireman. Cora never once thought of using closer Craig Kimbrel as the wheels came off, nor was lefty Bobby Poyner considered to face left-handed batter Denard Span, who turned on a Smith fastball for a bases-clearing triple. Cora will not overreact to one game -- both Smith and Kelly should be in the setup mix -- but command his paramount in these situations.
Smith will be used in any spot during the final third of games this season, Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald reports.
Red Sox manager Alex Cora envisions a variety of roles for Smith, who had a nice September run for Boston in 2017, posting a 1.35 ERA over 6.2 innings. With his trademark slider, Smith is a nice change-of-pace out of a bullpen that features several power arms. He could work his way into a few save opportunities along the way, if Cora sticks with his plan to use closer Craig Kimbrel in high-leverage situations outside of traditional closing opportunities.
Red Sox's Carson Smith: Avoids arbitration, re-ups with Red Sox
Rotowire
Smith signed a one-year, $850,000 contract with the Red Sox on Monday, Evan Drellich of NBC Sports Boston reports.
It turns out Smith and the Red Sox will avoid arbitration after settling on a one-year deal to bring the reliever back. The 28-year-old righty missed most of the 2017 season while working his way back from Tommy John surgery, though he was able to make his season debut in September and finished the year with a 1.35 ERA and seven strikeouts across 6.2 innings of work. Smith has pitched just 9.1 innings over the past two seasons due to injuries, but if he's able to return to his pre-surgery form, he should easily work his way back into a setup role for the Red Sox in 2018.
