Sports

Red Sox sign RP Heath Hembree to 1-year deal

FILE - In this Sept. 9, 2018 file photo Boston Red Sox's Heath Hembree holds the ball during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Houston Astros in Boston. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer, file)

BOSTON — The Boston Red Sox on Friday agreed to terms with relief pitcher Heath Hembree. The one-year deal means salary arbitration is avoided.

Dave Dombrowski, Red Sox President of Baseball Operations, made the announcement.

Hembree, 29, is a right-hander who was especially tough on left-handed hitters last season, holding them to a career-low .186 batting average.

Also in 2018, Hembree averaged 11.4 strikeouts per 9 innings.

He's made more than 60 appearances in each of the last two seasons.

Originally signed by San Francisco in 2010, Hembree was traded to the Red Sox in July 2014.

He has a career 3.46 ERA with 226 strikeouts in 204 Major League Baseball appearances.

The Hembree signing leaves 10 remaining unsigned Sox players eligible for arbitration. They are: Matt Barnes, Mookie Betts, Xander Bogaerts, Jackie Bradley Jr., Brock Holt, Sandy Leon, Eduardo Rodriguez, Blake Swihart, Brandon Workman and Steven Wright.