On their way to trimming the Opening Day roster (whenever that may be) down to 26, the Boston Red Sox made 15 cuts in recent days.
Catcher Roldani Baldwin, catcher/infielder Connor Wong, infielder Jeter Downs, first baseman Josh Ockimey, pitcher R.J Alvarez, pitcher Trevor Hildenberger, pitcher Tanner Houck, and pitcher Mike Kickham were all reassigned to minor league camp.
The pair of prospects acquired in the trade with the Los Angeles Dodgers highlight this group. As bright as their futures may be, both are destined to begin the season in Double-A.
The team also optioned five players to AAA Pawtucket: corner infielder Bobby Dalbec, infielder C.J Chatham, pitcher Kyle Hart, pitcher Mike Shawaryn, and pitcher Phillips Valdez. Outfielder Marcus Wilson was optioned to Double-A Portland and pitcher Yoan Aybar was optioned to High-A Salem.
The most surprising cut from this group is infielder Bobby Dalbec, whom many believed had a legitimate chance at cracking the Opening Day roster. His chances took a hit when Boston re-signed Mitch Moreland, but a platoon role at first base seamed feasible for Dalbec. Getting cut this early indicates the Red Sox don’t view him as being ready yet. Dalbec hit a meager .227 with a .775 OPS this spring. The top power threat in the Red Sox farm system should make his major league debut at some point in 2020, but he won’t be with the team on Opening Day.
The Red Sox now have 47 players on the roster as of now, including 33 on the 40-man roster and 14 non-roster invitees left. Jonathan Lucroy, Marco Hernandez, Rusney Castillo, and Jarren Durran currently highlight the best players from the non-roster invitees list that remain in camp.
As we all now know, the coronavirus has put a halt to everything in the sports world. With Major League Baseball temporarily suspending Opening Day for two weeks as of now, how will this affect the roster decisions made by the 30 teams?
While we will not exactly have those answers for sure, rest assured that when baseball returns (if the suspension is pushed back to an even further date) keep it here for news, rumors, and highlights for the Red Sox.
