Eaton signed a minor-league contract with the Red Sox on Wednesday and received an invitation to spring training, Jon Morosi of MLB Network reports.
Eaton spent the entirety of last season with the Royals' Triple-A affiliate, where he slashed .252/.299/.439 with 16 homers and 59 RBI across 460 plate appearances. A career .201 hitter in the majors, Eaton is unlikely to break camp with the big-league squad and will presumably spend most of the year at Triple-A Worcester.
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Red Sox's Seby Zavala: Latches on with Boston
Rotowire
The Red Sox signed Zavala to a minor-league contract on Monday.
Zavala, 31, is a career .205/.271/.342 hitter over parts of five major-league seasons. He will give the Red Sox some veteran catching depth at Triple-A Worcester.
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Red Sox's Bryan Mata: Cast off 40-man
Rotowire
The Red Sox designated Mata (elbow/lat) for assignment Tuesday, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.
Mata missed the start of the season with a hamstring injury and missed the final three months due to shoulder and elbow soreness and never got surgery, which likely contributed to him getting squeezed off the 40-man roster. He is 25 and hasn't thrown more than 30 innings in a season since he threw 83 innings in 2022. Mata has a career 4.87 ERA, 1.75 WHIP and 70 strikeouts in 61 innings at Triple-A, and his best path forward is likely as a reliever who can just let it rip with his fastball and slider in short bursts.
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Red Sox's Isaiah Campbell: Loses 40-man roster spot
Rotowire
The Red Sox designated Campbell (elbow) for assignment Tuesday, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.
Campbell missed the second half of 2024 with elbow inflammation and never got surgery, so the injury may have played a role in him losing his spot on the 40-man roster as Boston looked to protect some prospects from the Rule 5 draft. Campbell had a 2.20 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and a 19:5 K:BB in 14 appearances at Triple-A, but he gave up 12 earned runs in 6.2 MLB innings and his fastball velocity was down to 93.8 mph from the 95.0 mph he averaged in 2023 with Seattle.
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Red Sox's Jhostynxon Garcia: Protected from Rule 5 Draft
Rotowire
The Red Sox selected Garcia's contract from Double-A Portland on Tuesday, Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reports.
Garcia spent time at three different levels this season, slashing .286/.356/.536 with 23 home runs and 17 stolen bases. Slated to turn 22 in December, Garcia has experience at all three outfield spots and is now protected from the Rule 5 Draft.
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Red Sox's Hunter Dobbins: Added to 40-man roster
Rotowire
The Red Sox selected Dobbins' contract from Triple-A Worcester on Tuesday, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports.
Dobbins made 25 starts between Double-A Portland and Worcester in 2024, finishing with a 3.08 ERA and 120:48 K:BB over 125.2 innings. The 25-year-old is now on the 40-man roster and shielded from the Rule 5 Draft.
Red Sox's Justin Wilson: Agrees to deal with Boston
Rotowire
The Red Sox signed Wilson to a one-year, $2.25 million contract Thursday, Rob Bradford of WEEI.com reports.
He will have the ability to earn an additional $750,000 in incentives. After missing the 2023 season following Tommy John surgery, Wilson held a 5.59 ERA but a 51:13 K:BB across 46.2 frames for the Reds in 2024. The 37-year-old will give the Red Sox another lefty in the bullpen alongside Brennan Bernardino.
Red Sox's Tanner Houck: Open to contract extension
Rotowire
Houck is "always open" to discussing a contract extension with the Red Sox, Gabrielle Starr of the Boston Herald reports.
Houck is eligible for salary arbitration for the first time this offseason and is under team control through 2027, so it's not clear how much of a priority he is for the team to lock up on a long-term deal. The 28-year-old is coming off a terrific 2024 campaign, having collected a 3.12 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 154:48 K:BB over 178.2 frames covering 30 starts.
