Last year the Red Sox plucked Garrett Whitlock from the Yankees in the Rule 5 Draft. That worked out pretty well for Chaim Bloom and Co.
Friday, the Sox went back to the same source for their latest 40-man roster addition, claiming speedy outfielder Tim Locastro off waivers from the Yanks.
The addition puts the Red Sox' 40-man roster at 35 players.
The former Ithaca College standout has played in 209 major league games, spending time with the Diamondbacks, Dodgers and Yankees. In 2021, the 29-year-old Locastro played in 55 games with Arizona before going to New York in a July 1 trade. With the Yankees he appeared in nine games.
Locastro is known primarily for his speed. After leading the majors in 2019 with a sprint speed of 30.8 feet per second, he once again led MLB in 2020 (30.7) and tied for the lead in 2021 (30.7), according to Statcast. He was successful in each of his first 29 stolen base attempts, the longest known streak to begin a career in major league history.
In 503 big-league plate appearances, the right-handed hitter has totaled five home runs, a .231 batting average and .662 OPS.