Red Sox acquire righty reliever Mauricio Llovera in trade with Giants

BOSTON -- The trade deadline is still a few days away, but the Red Sox have already made a move to help their bullpen. After finishing off a two-game sweep of the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday, Boston acquired right-handed reliever Mauricio Llovera in a late-night swap with the San Francisco Giants.

Llovera has spent the bulk of his 2023 season in Triple-A, but allowed only one run in his 5.1 innings pitched for the Giants. The 27-year-old was called up by San Francisco earlier this month, and had four scoreless appearances for the Giants to go with one blown save. He's given up four hits and issued two walks while striking out five at the Major League level.

With Triple-A Sacramento, Llovera held opponents to a .211 batting average and had a 3.92 ERA and 1.06 WHIP over 17 appearances this season. He fanned 24 batters while walking just six in the minors. Originally signed by the Phillies as a non-drafted free agent in 2014, Llovera owns a 6.14 ERA over his 29 Major League appearances with Philadelphia and San Francisco.

Now he'll be another righty for Alex Cora to use out of the Boston bullpen. 

In exchange for Llovera, the Red Sox sent righty Marques Johnson to San Francisco. Johnson made 28 appearances for Single-A Salem this season. 

To make room for Llovera on the 40-man roster, the Red Sox transferred pitcher Kaleb Ort to the 60-day IL.