Red Sox announce first wave of spring training roster cuts

The Boston Red Sox announced their first wave of roster cuts this spring, optioning five players and re-assigning six more to minor league camp.

The Boston Red Sox moved a step closer toward revealing their Opening Day roster by making their first batch of roster cuts this spring.

The club announced ahead of Tuesday’s game against the Detroit Tigers that they have removed a total of 11 players from major league camp.

Infielder Michael Chavis, left-handed pitcher Josh Taylor, and right-handed pitchers Travis Lakins and Chandler Shepherd were optioned to Triple-A Pawtucket. Each is expected to begin the 2019 season at that level but since they are all on the 40-man roster, we may be seeing some of them in the big leagues later this year.

Chavis, the top-ranked prospect in the Red Sox system, seems ready for a call-up after hitting .273 with a 1.152 OPS, four home runs and 11 RBI this spring. There’s no clear path to playing time on the Red Sox roster at the moment but Chavis may force his way to Boston if he continues to rake in the minors.

Lakins isn’t rated quite as high on the prospect list but he’s thrived since moving to the bullpen last year. A Red Sox bullpen with plenty of question marks may need a mid-season upgrade and Lakins has the talent to provide it without requiring a trade. He impressed this spring, allowing only two runs over seven innings of relief.

Right-handed pitcher Denyi Reyes was optioned to Double-A Portland. He had a tough spring, getting tagged for five runs over five innings. Reyes dominated Single-A last year and will be tested by moving up a level to begin this season.

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Catcher Austin Rei, outfielder Rusney Castillo, infielder Tony Renda, first baseman Josh Ockimey, and right-handed pitchers Mike Shawaryn and Carson Smith were reassigned to minor league camp. Most of them are on the 40-man roster and could potentially get a call-up this season but they aren’t in the mix for the Opening Day roster.

Castillo is one exception who isn’t on the 40-man roster and never will be. Not while he’s anchored to an overpriced contract that would count against the payroll for luxury tax purposes if he were added back to the roster. Castillo has proven that he’s too good to toil away in the minors but not quite good enough to be an everyday player in Boston. It’s not worth the tax hit to use him as a fourth outfielder. Barring a trade, he’s stuck in Triple-A until his contract runs out.

Smith has the potential to be added back to the roster based on his track record. Unfortunately, the highlights of his career were back when he was the closer for the Seattle Mariners. He’s been a disaster since being traded to Boston, with injuries and inconsistency spoiling a once promising career. Smith didn’t exactly leave on the best of terms the last time we saw him so it was a bit surprising to see the Red Sox re-sign him, even if it was on a low-risk minor league deal.

More moves will come before Opening Day but a trimmed-down roster means we’ll start seeing the regulars in the lineup more often and the starting rotation will be eased into their normal routine.