Red Sox bolster bullpen with addition of lefty reliever Coulombe

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- The newest addition, and a needed one, to the Red Sox bullpen arrived Friday morning.

Boston agreed to a one-year Major League deal with left-handed reliever Danny Coulombe, the team announced on Thursday. In a move to clear space on the 40-man roster, the Red Sox placed Romy Gonzalez on the 60-day injured list.

Coulombe, 36, has rather quietly been one of the more effective lefty relievers in the Majors for several years running. The veteran southpaw enters 2026 with a 2.64 ERA in 188 games over the past five seasons, striking out more than one batter per inning during that span.

Coulombe said he’s been in contact with the Red Sox all offseason, even as far back as November.

“We knew it was a great fit even early on in the offseason. I’m just glad we could make it happen,” Coulombe said on Friday following the first bullpen with his new team.

Coulombe was excellent with the Twins in 2025, posting a 1.16 ERA in 40 appearances, before being dealt to the Rangers at the Trade Deadline. He struggled in limited action with Texas, posting a 5.25 ERA in 15 games, but he finished the season with a 2.30 ERA and 43 K’s in 43 innings pitched.

Despite a “long” offseason, Coulombe said he enjoyed spending quality time with his family, including his two young boys -- one of which he got to see score a goal in a recent soccer match.

Coulombe knows what it takes to be prepared for a grueling season. At home in Dallas, he threw on the spikes in the snow, which he said garnered some strange looks from neighbors.

“We had a little snow storm and I was running in cleats in the street in the snow, and they were like, ‘What are you doing?’ It was a good time,” Coulombe said.

When asked what his regimen will look like in Fort Myers, Coulombe said it’s a day-by-day process.

“I don’t want to give a number exactly, but I think that as long as we stay on track, we should be good to go,” Coulombe said.

With a five-pitch arsenal highlighted by his cutter (40.3% usage rate), Coulombe held lefty batters to a .526 OPS in 2025. Right-handed hitters actually hit for a lower batting average against Coulombe (.188) than lefties (.225), thanks to a sweeper primarily deployed against righties with impressive vertical drop. Coulombe doesn’t throw hard -- his average fastball velocity of 90.3 mph ranked in the sixth percentile of MLB hurlers in 2025 -- but he misses bats effectively, getting hitters to chase and avoiding hard contact.

“Good job by the front office trying to add and make us better,” manager Alex Cora said Friday morning. “Something that we recognized over the course of the offseason and here in camp. He had a great season last year. He’s able to spin the ball. Avoids damage from the left side. Been there done that. Happy with the way we went about it, and happy that he’s here with us.”

Prior to Coulombe’s arrival, the Red Sox were slated to break camp with just two lefty relievers: closer Aroldis Chapman and Jovani Morán, who is representing Team Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic.

As for Coulombe’s role and how he will use the newly acquired journeyman with Morán, Cora said,“[They are] different lefties. Four-seamer, changeup, and the kitchen sink. A lefty that can spin the ball is very important.

“Having Danny here makes us better. Not sure what we’re going to decide as far as the roster. I know we’re happy with the way Morán has thrown the ball during the [WBC]. I think we’re better today than what we were yesterday.”

While a lefty relief specialist still plays in the big leagues, many have had to fine-tune their craft with the installation of the three-batter rule.

“You have to have weapons against right-handers now, especially because there’s so many pinch-hitters,” Coulombe said. “I think I faced double the amount of righties than I did lefties last year. I feel like throughout the years, I’ve learned what makes me good, and part of it is I can get righties out and be tough on righties. I think that’s where a lot of value is.”

While injuries have been an issue (Coulombe has had six injured list stints since the start of 2022), the lefty reliever has carved out a role in the bullpen for 11 seasons. He pitched for the Dodgers, A’s, Twins and Orioles before returning to Minnesota on a one-year, $3 million deal to begin 2025, before he was traded to Texas.

Getting to put on a Red Sox uniform every day is something Coulombe said he’s looking forward to, and is familiar with current Sox players who are once again teammates in Sonny Gray and Garrett Whitlock.

“I’ve always loved to pitch at Fenway,” Coulombe said. “There’s so much history there. I mean, it’s Fenway Park. When this was an option, it was a no-brainer.

“I’ve heard great things about this clubhouse and A.C. as manager, so I’m just excited to get going.”