Red Sox Release Steven Wright; Was Projected to Make $1.5M in Arbitration

The Boston Red Sox announced the release of starting pitcher Steven Wright on Friday.

Wright, who received an 80-game suspension under the performance-enhancing substance policy in March and a 15-game ban under the domestic violence policy in 2018, was projected to receive $1.5 million for 2020 in his final year of arbitration, per Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe.

Jason Mastrodonato of the Boston Herald provided further details:

Wright enjoyed a breakout season with the Red Sox in 2016. The knuckleballer earned his only All-Star appearance while posting a 3.33 ERA with 127 strikeouts in 156.2 innings across 24 starts.

The 35-year-old California native could never match that success, though. He was limited to 31 games over the past three years because of injuries and suspensions.

He worked solely out of the bullpen upon his return from suspension this year. He allowed six earned runs in 6.1 innings (8.53 ERA) in six games between June and July before landing on the injured list with what turned into a season-ending toe injury.

In all, the University of Hawaii product has posted a 3.86 ERA in 81 career games (44 starts).

Wright is now a free agent who can sign with any team without having to wait for the free-agent market to officially open six days after the World Series.