Donald Lutz became the first “German developed” player to play in the bigs last night

By Craig CalcaterraApr 30, 2013, 5:43 PM EST
5 Comments

The quotes and odd phraseology are required because Lutz, who pinch hit in last night’s Reds game, was born in New York. But he moved to Germany when he was a baby and came up playing baseball over there. Past players who grew up in Germany were kids of U.S. military members stationed there. Lutz wasn’t.

Lutz eventually became a product of the Major League Baseball International European Academy, out of which the Reds signed him in 2006.  Before last night he hadn’t played above Double-A. Now he’s best known for, maybe, being the first of many ballplayers to come from Germany. At least in a sense.

Steven Wright undergoes procedures on left knee

Greg Fiume/Getty Images
By Bill BaerNov 12, 2018, 9:32 PM EST
Leave a comment

The Red Sox announced that starter Steven Wright underwent a left knee arthroscopy and debridement on Monday in New York. There is no timetable yet for his recovery, so it is still not known if he will be ready for spring training.

Wright, 34, was bothered by left knee issues throughout the 2018 season. He made four starts and 16 relief appearances totaling 53 2/3 innings, posting a 2.68 ERA with 42 strikeouts and 26 walks. Wright was on the ALDS roster but was removed due to the knee issue and did not appear in the postseason.

Wright is entering his second of three years of arbitration eligibility. He is due a raise on his $1.1 million salary. The Red Sox could non-tender him, but that seems unlikely.