May 17, 2022; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Houston Astros left fielder Yordan Alvarez (44) is congratulated after hitting a home run against the Boston Red Sox in the second inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
Ex-Red Sox player shocked to be cut over obscure MLB rule, re-signed 2 days later
Kevin Pillar had a wild 48 hours with the Chicago White Sox — mostly due to “Article XX(B).”
The 35-year-old Pillar, who spent the 2020 MLB season with the Boston Red Sox before being traded at the deadline, was cut on Friday, but then re-signed two days later. Why? I was due to his unique status as a veteran MLB player who was signed as an “Article XX(B) free agent.” That means Pillar has at least six years of MLB experience, but was signed to a minor-league deal.
Due to his status as a veteran signed to a minor-league deal, Pillar had the option of opting out of his deal with Chicago heading into Opening Day. He told reporters over the weekend that he’d been committed to the team — and was surprised when he was cut out of nowhere.
“You feel like you’ve been in this game a long time, you feel like you’ve experienced everything that can be thrown at you in this game — and I was wrong. It was a bit shocking,” Pillar said Sunday.
So what happened? According to the Chicago Tribune, general manager Chris Getz wasn’t ready to commit to Pillar making the team. Since the outfielder has Article XX(B) status (which would let him walk if he wanted), Getz said he thought it would be best for everyone to keep their options open.
“So, what I did is I encouraged him to see what else is out there and left the door open to come back, but also let him know that we’ve got a lot of things up in the air. Couldn’t guarantee anything,” Getz said, via the Chicago Tribune.
