So you’re saying there’s a chance?
Anyone on the 40-man roster presumably has a chance when the club can carry 30 active players.
A few pitchers who were on their way to earning a spot with strong springs include Mike Shawaryn, Josh Osich, and Austin Brice. It will be interesting to see how many of those extra roster spots are used on pitching considering Boston’s lack of depth in that area.
If they need more position players, there are a few more to choose from.
Jonathan Arauz: The Red Sox selected Aruaz in the Rule 5 draft. He hasn’t played above Double-A and wasn’t exactly dominating at that level but Boston will need to return him to the Houston Astros if they can’t find room on the active roster for him. Expanded rosters makes it easier to retain him.
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Tzu-Wei Lin: His underwhelming bat struggled to reach the .200 mark in limited time last year and he doesn’t have much pop. Lin brings a solid glove that can field multiple positions though so it wouldn’t hurt to have him around as a defensive replacement.
Marco Hernandez: The versatile infielder was non-tendered last winter but later rejoined the organization on a split contract that allows him to earn more money depending on how much time he spends on the active major league roster.
The problem with Hernandez has always been staying healthy. He’s been derailed by a variety of injuries since his promising debut in 2016. He’s been limited to only 122 career games since then but has been a serviceable backup when called upon. With Brock Holt moving on to Milwaukee, Boston could use another backup infielder capable of handling multiple positions.