Red Sox reassign 11 players to minor league camp

The Boston Red Sox announced their latest roster cuts, sending 11 players to minor league camp. Here’s what you need to know about these moves.

The Opening Day roster is starting to take shape as the Boston Red Sox revealed their latest wave of roster cuts this spring.

The team announced on Monday that 11 players have been reassigned to minor league camp. This includes catcher Oscar Hernandez; infielders C.J. Chatham, Bobby Dalbec, Chad De La Guerra; outfielders Bryce Brentz, Tate Matheny, Cole Sturgeon; right-handed pitchers Zach Putnam, Erasmo Ramirez, Josh Smith, and Domingo Tapia.

There aren’t any surprises on this list. None of the pitchers performed well enough to be considered for the 25-man roster to begin the season. Putnam hasn’t pitched while recovering from a hamstring injury while the other three have an ERA north of 5.00 this spring.

Dalbec has enticing power potential that has him on our radar but he needs to work on making better contact. He hit a mere .200 this spring while striking out nearly one-third of the time. He’s never played above Double-A, which is where he’ll likely begin this year.

De La Guerra was one of the team’s hottest hitters this spring with a .345 average and .803 OPS. He struggled following his promotion to Triple-A last year but if his strong camp translates to that level this season, the 26-year old will put himself on the shortlist for a call-up if the team needs a second baseman. The Red Sox could use depth at the position given the uncertainty surrounding Dustin Pedroia.

Brentz smacked a pair of home runs this spring to showcase the power that makes him an appealing backup outfielder. Boston has enough versatility on their roster to fill a short-term need in the outfield but if any of their starters were to miss significant time, Brentz would be an option to be called up.

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The most notable aspect of these roster cuts is arguably who wasn’t included on the list. Darwinzon Hernandez, the top pitching prospect in the Red Sox system, remains in major league camp. The lefty has allowed only one earned run over 10 innings for a sparkling 0.90 ERA to go along with 12 strikeouts. This production has come over two starts and three relief appearances.

Hernandez has the potential to be a high-upside starting pitcher if he can develop a reliable fourth pitch. His shaky command was on display with five walks in his limited sample this spring but he may be able to harness his control in a relief role. His long-term value is greater as a starter but given the team’s current needs in the bullpen, Hernandez could be fast-tracked to the big leagues if he pitches well early this season.

The position players expected to make the Opening Day roster are essentially locked in at this point and there will be no surprises in the starting rotation. Pitchers are still vying for roles in the bullpen hierarchy while the last reliever sport or two may come down to performance over the next week and a half.