The Red Sox are adding veteran reliever John Brebbia on a minor league agreement, reports Tom Caron of NESN. The right-hander was released by the Rockies’ Triple-A affiliate on Tuesday, according to his MLB.com transaction tracker.

It’s a return to Boston for Brebbia in multiple ways. He was born in the city and grew up in the area. The veteran also finished last season in the organization, though he didn’t reach the big leagues. Brebbia joined the club on a minor league deal last September but wasn’t healthy enough to pitch for Triple-A Worcester.

The 36-year-old Brebbia opened the season with Colorado. He was released shortly before the regular season and latched on with the Twins. Brebbia opted out of his agreement with Minnesota in mid-May after failing to be promoted to the big-league squad. He rejoined the Rockies and received a brief look in the majors. Brebbia navigated three scoreless innings in his first two games with the team. He was crushed for five earned runs in his final appearance and was soon designated for assignment.

Brebbia was not pitching well for Triple-A St. Paul, but he got back on track with Albuquerque. The righty delivered 16 2/3 innings of a 1.62 ERA and a 30.2% strikeout rate in the minors with Colorado. His heater is down a few ticks from his prime years with the Cardinals and Giants, but he’s still missing bats. Brebbia also issued just one free pass in 13 games with the Isotopes. Walks have been an issue in recent seasons, though he’s been dialed in with the control this year.

Boston has the best bullpen ERA in the league by a decent margin. The team added lefty Erik Miller at the trade deadline. There isn’t a clear opening for Brebbia, but it doesn’t hurt to have veteran depth waiting in the minors.

Photo courtesy of Isaiah J. Downing, Imagn Images