Red Sox Release Catcher to Make Room for Tommy Kahnle

The Boston Red Sox watched Tommy Kahnle head to free agency, only to turn around and re-sign with the organization.

That left a different roster spot in danger, though: The Red Sox officially released Matt Thaiss on Saturday.

Thaiss had a chance during the spring to make the MLB club, but that didn’t happen, and he’ll now head to free agency in the middle of the season, hoping to latch on somewhere else.

He has a long ago connection to the Red Sox. They picked him in the 32nd round of the 2013 MLB Draft, but they clearly expected him to head to college, which is what he did.

Thaiss starred at the University of Virginia, turning himself into the No. 16 overall pick in the 2016 MLB Draft by the Los Angeles Angels.

While he was a solidly ranked prospect for a while, Thaiss never lived up to his potential.

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In 819 MLB at bats, he’s a .210 hitter with 23 home runs.

He also didn’t last as well defensively at catcher as was hoped. He moved back to the position in recent years, but there was a time it seemed he’d have to move out from behind the plate, putting even more pressure on his bat.

Thaiss has played in the majors for the Angels, White Sox and Rays.

This season has been spent entirely at Triple-A Worcester, where he has a .201 average with three home runs in 44 games.

Thaiss is 31 years old, and since catching always can use more depth for organizations, he’ll likely get another contract somewhere.

This is getting closer to the end for him, though. He never quite found a way to live up to the first-round hype.

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