What would The Walking Dead have been without Rick Grimes? It’s almost impossible to imagine. He’s the driving force behind everything that makes the show unforgettable, and the reason the story felt alive, intense, and impossibly gripping.
From his cautious first steps into a world overrun by walkers to his bold acts of heroism and moral dilemmas, Rick’s journey is packed with iconic moments that have remained with fans to this day. Now, as we approach the three-year anniversary of
Honestly, the entire pilot episode was amazing. However, if we had to pick one scene in the episode that just really stuck out, it would have to be Rick cautiously stepping out of the hospital into the deserted streets after being in a coma. Inside the hospital, he encountered his first glimpses of what horrors awaited. But nothing could have prepared him for the complete emptiness and silence of the world outside.
Rick walked out the hospital doors to see a bunch of dead bodies lying on the ground before actually seeing a walker with half of its body gone, crawling towards him. At that moment, the full scale of the apocalypse hit him, and the sheer terror of this new reality set in.
Who remembers this episode? It’s the season 4 finale, so it was expected that a lot would go down. However, the scene that most fans remember from this episode is the scene when Rick goes full-blown savage mode against Joe and his Claimers crew. It showed Rick’s primal survival instincts and how far he will go to protect his family and friends. In a previous episode of the season, Rick had killed one of the Claimers’ members so Joe wanted revenge.
After tracking Rick, Michonne, and Carl down to a spot in the woods, Joe and his gang ambushed them. Daryl then suddenly appeared and tried to negotiate and offer himself as a replacement, claiming Rick, Michonne, and Carl are good people. But Joe rejected his offer and threatened the group with death and sexual violence. As one of the Claimers attempted to sexually assault Carl, that’s when Rick made his move by head-butting Joe, who was holding him at gunpoint.
A physical fight then broke out between the two before Rick got the upper hand and bit Joe’s neck. He ripped out his carotid artery, causing him to bleed out. Rick then took things even further and began repeatedly stabbing the Claimers member who was trying to harm Carl to death.
This episode is iconic because it marks Rick’s farewell episode in the beloved zombie series. The scene that stands out is when Rick detonates the bridge to stop the massive walker herd, putting himself directly in harm’s way to save Alexandria and the other communities.
It was the ultimate culmination of everything Rick has ever been: a fearless leader, a protector, and a man willing to risk everything for the people he loves. In that moment, Rick embodied the very essence of heroism. And for a short moment, we were led to believe that he might be dead. But then we found out he survived, badly injured but alive, rescued by a mysterious helicopter and taken to the Civic Republic of Philadelphia.
Nathaniel Lowe is expected to be cut loose by the Red Sox this week. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)AP
The Red Sox have some roster cleanup due this week, with Tuesday marking the date by which teams need to add eligible prospects to their 40-man rosters to protect them from the Rule 5 draft and Friday representing the annual non-tender deadline for arbitration-eligible players. Don’t expect Boston to clear a roster spot by cutting bait with a homegrown former All-Star starter, though.
At this point, Boston is unlikely to non-tender injured righty Tanner Houck, multiple sources said Monday. With a 40-man roster crunch coming, there was some thought that cutting bait with Houck was possible due to his current situation. Houck, who took home $3.95 million in 2025, is projected (by MLBTradeRumors’ widely used model) to take home the same salary in 2026, but is expected to miss most if not all of the season after undergoing Tommy John surgery in August. Considering the 2027 season is in jeopardy due to labor tensions and Houck is set to hit free agency after that year, the possibility existed that the Red Sox could non-tender (release) Houck into free agency to save a bit of money knowing he won’t be ready to pitch for most of 2026. But sources indicate the Red Sox plan to tender him a contract.
It’s unclear if the sides have talked about a creative long-term deal. Tendering Houck a contract would keep him under club control ahead of negotiations to avoid arbitration and set a 2026 salary later in the winter.
By Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET, teams must add eligible prospects to their 40-man rosters to protect them from being poached in next month’s Rule 5 draft. The Red Sox, who have a full 40-man roster, don’t have a long list of candidates but are expected to make at least a move or two. Right-handed prospect David Sandlin is a virtual lock to be added, requiring at least one 40-man roster spot to be cleared. Lefties Shane Drohan and Hayden Mullins, righties Yordanny Monegro (injured) and Jedixson Paez and outfielder Miguel Bleis are among the other potential Rule 5 candidates in the organization. If the Red Sox want to make sure any of those players aren’t taken in the Rule 5 draft, they can add them. Doing so would require spots to be cleared.
Any roster spots that need to be cleared for prospect additions need to be opened simultaneously Tuesday, which is a day when small trades are usually made throughout baseball. Therefore, the Red Sox could get a jump on the Friday non-tender deadline (set for 8 p.m. ET) by moving on from players four days early. The non-tender date represents an opportunity for teams to cut bait with arbitration-eligible and pre-arbitration-eligible players and send them into free agency. The Red Sox, unlike in previous years, could be busy on non-tender day.
The most obvious non-tender candidate on the roster is first baseman Nathaniel Lowe, who is projected to earn $13.5 million in 2026. That mark represents much more than what he’d get on the open market after a down season that included him being cut by the Nationals. Lowe will almost certainly be lopped off the roster but could re-sign at a lower rate as he tests the open market. Boston is anticipating the healthy return of Triston Casas next season and is looking to upgrade the first base position via free agency or trade.
The Red Sox have seven other arbitration-eligible players and are certain to retain Kutter Crawford, Romy Gonzalez, Triston Casas and Brennan Bernardino at their low projected numbers. Connor Wong, who is projected to make $1.6 million in 2026, is expected to be tendered after Craig Breslow gave him a vote of confidence last week. Cooper Criswell already agreed to a one-year, $800,000 deal for 2026, removing him from non-tender consideration.
In addition to Lowe, the Red Sox could cut bait with some younger players on the roster. Righty Josh Winckowski (projected to make $800,000) is a candidate to be cut from the roster, as is lefty Jovani Morán. Tough roster decisions might be made with the utility group of Vaughn Grissom, David Hamilton, Nate Eaton and Nick Sogard later in the winter but for now, those players are projected to be safe.