The Boston Red Sox are seemingly behind on making spring training roster cuts, as 15 of their players, mostly from the starting lineup, are absent to participate in the World Baseball Classic. Manager Alex Cora on March 8 announced that their first round of cuts would come the following day and the list of moves doesn't contain many surprises.
The Red Sox optioned Jake Bennett to minor league camp and reassigned Nate Baez, Ronald Rosario, Osvaldo Berrios, Hobie Harris, Vinny Nittoli, Devin Sweet and Jeremy Wu-Yelland (first reported by Christopher Smith of MassLive).
Bennett's option is the story of this group. Boston acquired the 25-year-old pitching prospect in a one-for-one trade with the Washington Nationals over the winter. Bennett approached 98 miles per hour on his fastball early in spring, which caught plenty of Sox fans' eye.
The lefty pitcher allowed three runs on five hits over three innings of work with three strikeouts and two hit batters. He threw 72 pitches over his two outings and 65% of them went for strikes.
Red Sox's first round of spring training roster cuts include former Nationals pitching prospect Jake Bennett
Bennett worked as a starting pitcher in the minor leagues of the Nationals organization and he'll be optioned to continue his work as a starter in the upper minor leagues. The Red Sox's rotation seems largely set with Johan Oviedo being the frontrunner for the fifth spot behind Garrett Crochet, Ranger Suárez, Sonny Gray and Brayan Bello.
Many Red Sox reporters and insiders expect Connelly Early and Payton Tolle to be optioned to the minor leagues as well to continue their development as starting pitchers rather than in Boston's bullpen.
Catchers Baez, Rosario and lefty pitching prospect Wu-Yelland finished last season in Double-A and they'll be optioned to the upper minors to start the year. The Red Sox signed 26-year-old Berrios to a minor league deal over the winter and he'll resume his work in Triple-A, where he last played with the St. Louis Cardinals organization. Harris, a 32-year-old minor league veteran who last pitched in the big leagues in 2024, will join him, alongside fellow righty pitcher Sweet.
Nittoli, another minor league pitcher, was shut down the week before his reassignment due to elbow pain. The righty on March 3 underwent an MRI to find the source of his discomfort but no formal diagnosis has been announced. Elbow pain is often a sign of some devastating injuries in pitchers, but if Nittoli's elbow doesn't show any damage, he could be a capable depth option for Boston this season.