Red Sox notebook: Varitek added to coaching staff; 40-man roster moves announced

After serving the team in a variety of roles in recent seasons, Jason Varitek will be an official member of the Red Sox coaching staff in 2021.

In finalizing their staff for next season, the Red Sox announced Friday that Varitek was appointed as game-planning coordinator. According to an industry source, Varitek was also considered for the role of bullpen coach, but that job went to Kevin Walker, who last year was the team's assistant pitching coach.

Walker replaces Craig Bjornson, who was one of two coaches from the 2020 staff not invited back. The other was bench coach Jerry Narron. The Sox earlier in the week hired former Chicago Cubs coach Will Venable to serve as Boston's bench coach. Venable's hiring was confirmed by the team's press release.

The one other slight change to the staff was shifting Ramon Vazquez from major league coach to quality control coach/interpreter. Vazquez had joined the staff in 2018 and spent the last three seasons helping out with infielders and serving as a liaison between the team's analytics department and advance scouting and the players.



Varitek had been a special assistant and catching coach for the Sox since 2012, a year after his final season as a player for the Sox. Until recently, he had been reluctant to take on the full-time duties of a coach, preferring to spend at least part of the season at home with his young children.

The rest of the coaching staff -- pitching coach Dave Bush, hitting coach Tim Hyers, assistant hitting coach Pete Fatse, first base coach Tom Goodwin and third base coach Carlos Febles -- had already been re-hired for 2021.

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As anticipated, the Red Sox added seven players to their 40-man roster: catcher Connor Wong, infielder Hudson Potts, outfielder Jeisson Rosario and pitchers Connor Seabold, Jay Groome, Bryan Mata and Eduard Bazardo.

Those seven had to be added by Friday's deadline or would have been eligible for the Dec. 10 Rule 5 draft.

To make room on the roster, the Red Sox designated pitchers Matt Hall and Ryan Weber for assignment while outrighting Kyle Hart to Pawtucket.

Designating Weber is something of a surprise. Weber was 1-3 with a 4.40 ERA in 178 appearances. Weber was shelled in a few starts early in the season, but pitched effectively in relief, posting a 2.25 ERA in 12 bullpen outings.

It may be that the Sox believe, as teams are busy creating room on their own rosters, Weber will go unclaimed and can remain under team control.