Aug. 16—Travis Shaw was once one of the feel-good stories of the decade for the Red Sox. Now he could become one again.
The former Red Sox draft pick saw his career come full circle on Sunday after he was claimed off waivers by Boston from the Milwaukee Brewers. The corner infielder returns to the place where he first broke into the majors and has a chance to resuscitate his career while helping Boston’s playoff push down the stretch.
A ninth-round pick out of Kent State in 2011, Shaw came up through the Red Sox system and initially looked like a future building block in the infield. He batted .251 with 29 home runs and 107 RBI in two seasons with the Red Sox between 2015 and 2016.
But prior to the 2017 season he was famously dealt to the Milwaukee Brewers for reliever Tyler Thornburg in what would turn out to be one of the worst trades in recent Red Sox history.
Thornburg’s tenure with the Red Sox was a disaster. Weeks after his acquisition he was diagnosed with thoracic outlet syndrome in his shoulder and missed the entire 2017 season. He was ineffective upon his return and wound up pitching only 42.2 innings with a 6.54 ERA with the Red Sox in 2018-19.
Shaw, meanwhile, broke out as one of the Brewers’ best hitters. He hit 31 home runs with 101 RBI in 2017, 32 home runs with 86 RBI in 2018 and posted an OPS above .800 in both years.
In retrospect the Red Sox decision to trade Shaw was justified. The team had just signed Mitch Moreland to play first base and Rafael Devers has since emerged as one of the game’s top third basemen. Shaw’s production has fallen off significantly since 2019 and this year he was batting .191 with six home runs and 28 RBI with the Brewers before dislocating his left shoulder on June 10.
When Shaw joins the Red Sox he’ll face stiff competition for playing time. Bobby Dalbec has caught fire since the start of August, Christian Arroyo is soon set to return from injury and Kyle Schwarber is still expected to see time at first base once he’s fully integrated into the lineup.
But if Shaw can get back to his old form, he could be the depth piece at first base the Red Sox badly need.
Email: mcerullo@northofboston.com. Twitter: @MacCerullo.
Taylor to COVID-19
Prior to Sunday’s game against Baltimore, the Red Sox announced that left-handed reliever Josh Taylor has been added to the COVID-19 injury list. Taylor has posted a 3.23 ERA in 39.0 innings for the Red Sox this season, and his absence leaves the Red Sox with only two lefties in the bullpen, those being Martin Perez and Austin Davis.
Travis Shaw, who the Red Sox claimed off waivers Sunday, will take his place on the 40-man roster.