While things haven't been great for the Boston Red Sox so far this season, there are pieces fans around the team should be excited about, both in the majors and down in the minors right now.
One positive so far this season has been the overall play of the bullpen. Right now, the Red Sox are seventh in the league in bullpen ERA at 3.67. While this is solid, the Red Sox have another weapon that can help this bullpen reach another level down in Triple-A right now in Tommy Kahnle.
He signed late and has been with Triple-A Worcester to kick off the season and has a 3.24 ERA in seven appearances so far this season. On top of this, he has an upward mobility clause in his contract that kicks in on Friday, per MassLive.com's Christopher Smith.
"A roster decision involving reliever Tommy Kahnle could be coming in the next couple of days," Smith wrote. "The 36-year-old, who has pitched in 456 big league games and signed a minor league contract with the Red Sox in March, has a contract clause that kicks in May 1 (Friday). It is an upward mobility clause, which allows another major league club to sign him to its major league roster if the Red Sox don’t match."
Because of this, the Red Sox are going to have to think about promoting him and they absolutely should. This is a guy who is an 11-year veteran with a 3.61 career ERA in 456 total appearances. Plus, Boston has wanted him for years. Now, the Red Sox could easily promote him and add more firepower to an already good bullpen. That's a plus and is something not every team has.