dp11:17 am CT: The Red Sox have officially announced the trade.
10:34 am CT: The Red Sox are sending left-hander Eduardo Rivera to the Cardinals, reports Andrew Parker of SoxProspects.com. Boston will receive right-hander Juan Garcia in return.
Rivera was designated for assignment on Monday as part of Boston’s 40-man roster adjustments. He’s had multiple solid seasons in the minors, but struggled in his first taste of the big leagues this past year. The Red Sox ultimately ran out of space for him on the roster. Rivera will get a shot with a Cardinals squad that has less certainty in the bullpen, particularly from the left side.
Boston took Rivera in the 11th round of the 2021 draft. He operated as both a starter and reliever as he worked his way through the Red Sox system. The 23-year-old opened the 2026 campaign at Double-A. He allowed a run over two starts and earned the bump to Triple-A. Rivera compiled a 2.96 ERA across 45 2/3 frames at Worcester, with most of that work coming out of the bullpen.
Rivera was called upon in late April to eat some innings against the Yankees. He tossed 3 1/3 scoreless frames in his MLB debut. It wasn’t enough to keep him on the roster. Rivera wouldn’t get his next big-league chance until July. He fired 3 2/3 scoreless innings in his first start, a matchup against the Mets shortly before the All-Star break. Rivera was tagged for seven earned runs over three innings in his final two appearances. A lumbar strain ended his season in mid-August.
St. Louis signed Garcia as an international free agent out of Mexico in 2025. He’s pitched in the Dominican Summer League for the past two seasons. The 18-year-old Garcia pitched to a 4.40 ERA over 11 starts in 2026. He didn’t post big strikeout numbers, but walked just 10 over 43 frames.
Photo courtesy of Brian Fluharty, Imagn Images
