The Boston Red Sox have agreed to a one-year Major League contract with left-handed reliever Danny Coulombe for the 2026 season. The team announced the deal on Thursday, placing infielder Romy Gonzalez on the 60-day injured list to clear roster space. Coulombe brings a strong track record as an effective bullpen arm despite injury challenges.
Boston continues to strengthen its pitching staff after offseason moves to its rotation. The Red Sox signed 36-year-old Danny Coulombe, who posted a 2.30 ERA over 43 innings in 55 appearances during the 2025 season split between the Minnesota Twins and Texas Rangers. With the Twins, he excelled with a 1.16 ERA in 40 games before the trade deadline, though he struggled with a 5.25 ERA in 15 games with Texas.
Coulombe's performance highlights his reliability against both left- and right-handed batters. In 2025, he limited right-handed hitters to a .188 batting average and .614 OPS, while lefties hit .225 with a .527 OPS. His arsenal includes a cutter used 40.3% of the time, along with a sweeper effective against righties. Despite an average fastball velocity of 90.3 mph—ranking in the sixth percentile—he strikes out more than one batter per inning and avoids hard contact.
Since 2022, Coulombe's 2.38 ERA ranks as the lowest among left-handed pitchers with at least 100 innings pitched. Originally drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 25th round of 2012, he has a career 3.35 ERA in 343 Major League games across teams including the Dodgers, Athletics, Twins, Orioles, and Rangers. Injuries have limited him, with six injured list stints since 2022, but he remains a valuable lefty option.
The signing bolsters Boston's bullpen, which features Aroldis Chapman, Garrett Whitlock, and Justin Slaten. Prior to the deal, Chapman and Jovani Morán were the projected left-handed relievers for Opening Day. To accommodate Coulombe on the 40-man roster, the Red Sox placed Romy Gonzalez on the 60-day injured list following a successful left shoulder arthroscopic debridement. Gonzalez hit .305 with nine home runs and 53 RBIs in 96 games for Boston in 2025.