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Former Yankees reliever Tommy Kahnle has triggered an opt-out clause in his Red Sox contract, giving Boston 48 hours to promote the veteran right-hander or risk losing him to free agency.

The Boston Red Sox are on the clock after veteran reliever Tommy Kahnle exercised his opt-out clause, forcing the club to decide within 48 hours whether to add him to the major league roster.

With Kahnle dominating at Triple-A Worcester and rival clubs monitoring the situation, Boston must now determine whether a roster move is worth keeping the veteran right-hander.

Kahnle, 36, first reached the majors in 2014 with the Colorado Rockies and spent six seasons in the New York Yankees bullpen before injuries, a Los Angeles Dodgers stint, and a rough 2025 campaign with the Detroit Tigers brought him to Boston this winter on a minor league deal. Over 11 major league seasons, he has compiled a 3.61 ERA across 456 total appearances.

In his time at Triple-A Worcester this year, Kahnle was dominant — a 1.40 ERA across 19 1/3 innings, 21 strikeouts against 11 walks, and no runs allowed after April 17. He triggered an earlier upward mobility clause on May 1 but chose to stay in the Red Sox organization despite not receiving a promotion. Tuesday’s opt-out is his second and final exit ramp of the season.

Kahnle Has Thrived at Triple-A Worcester

Chad Tracy, who managed Kahnle in Worcester before becoming Boston’s interim major league skipper, had a direct line on what the veteran was showing on the mound.

“I know who he is, what he’s capable of, what he’s done, and I know he’s been throwing the ball well,” Tracy said, as quoted by The Boston Globe reporter Alex Speier. “So all I can say is, at this point, like, we haven’t talked about any changes.”

That answer landed while the clock ticked. Boston had 48 hours from the moment Kahnle exercised the clause to add him to the 40-man roster. If the Red Sox stand pat, Kahnle walks.

Boston Bullpen Has Puzzle With Kahnle

The case for promotion is not hard to make. Kahnle was a pitcher Boston pursued for a full year before landing him ahead of 2026, according to Boston Red Sox on SI. His major league resume includes six New York seasons with a 3.31 ERA and postseason experience that includes a win in Game 1 of the 2019 American League Division Series against the Minnesota Twins. More than half his career pitches have been changeups. That weapon made him nearly unhittable during his peak Yankees years.

Ryan Watson, acquired from the Oakland Athletics as a Rule 5 Draft pick, has posted a 5.35 ERA and a 1.46 WHIP across 33.2 innings this season. Rule 5 rules require Boston to offer Watson back to the San Francisco Giants before any demotion, a move that would almost certainly cost the club a right-handed reliever from a bullpen that already has Garrett Whitlock on the injured list.

The alternative is optioning Greg Weissert, who has struggled in his own right this year. Either path carries a real cost. The Red Sox are weighing, with the 48-hour window open, whether that price is acceptable or whether to let Kahnle walk to a rival.

The decision could have ripple effects throughout the Red Sox bullpen as Boston weighs short-term roster flexibility against adding a veteran arm with extensive postseason experience.

Jonathan Vankin JONATHAN VANKIN is an award-winning journalist who covers MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL, boxing, golf, and Olympic sports for Heavy.com. He twice won New England Newspaper and Press Association awards for sports feature writing. He was a sports editor and writer at The Daily Yomiuri in Tokyo, Japan, covering the Olympics, pro baseball, boxing, sumo and other sports. More about Jonathan Vankin