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Red Sox roster cuts include camp standout; bullpen picture close to finalized
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- Red Sox roster cuts include camp standout; bullpen picture close to finalized
FORT MYERS, Fla. — After a series of notable roster cuts Saturday morning, the Red Sox' Opening Day roster — and especially the bullpen — is coming into clearer focus.
Boston optioned outfielder Kristian Campbell to the minors, as expected, and also re-assigned pitchers Kyle Keller , Tayron Guerrero and Alec Gamboa, catcher Jason Delay , infielder Vinny Capra and outfielder Braiden Ward. Those players will remain in major league camp but are no longer in the mix to make the team.
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*** READ MORE ABOUT CAMPBELL'S DEMOTION HERE ***
Keller and Guerrero were thought to be in the mix for the bullpen but will instead begin the year in Triple-A. With the moves, the Red Sox are getting close to finalizing the eight-man relief group that will go to Cincinnati on Thursday.
Closer Aroldis Chapman , setup man Garrett Whitlock and righties Justin Slaten and Greg Weissert are all locks, and Saturday's cuts mean left-hander Jovani Morán and righty Zack Kelly are exceedingly likely to make the team as well. Veteran lefty Danny Coulombe is expected to be on the roster, too, but he was sent home from the ballpark Saturday with an illness, leaving some doubt about his status after arriving late in camp. One spot remains open, and there are a variety of directions in which the Red Sox could go.
The two traditional candidates for the job are Rule 5 pick Ryan Watson and recent signee Tommy Kahnle, who will make his spring debut Saturday against Atlanta . The Red Sox must soon decide if they want to keep Watson, who has looked better recently after a rocky start to camp, or cut him loose by offering him back to the Giants (or exposing him to waivers). The experienced Kahnle fits the roster well but it's unclear if he'll be ready for Opening Day after arriving just a week before the start of the season. He can be sent to Triple-A freely and the Red Sox have time on their side because Kahnle doesn't have an opt-out clause in his deal until May 1. Tyler Samaniego , a left-hander who has impressed this spring, remains in camp as an option in case Coulombe isn't deemed ready.
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A more creative way for the Red Sox to finalize their bullpen would be taking a pitcher who can provide some length, which is a priority due to concerns about the workloads of starters Brayan Bello and Ranger Suárez , who both pitched in the World Baseball Classic. Manager Alex Cora hinted Saturday that the club could carry a young starter like Connelly Early or Payton Tolle at the start of the season along with projected No. 5 starter Johan Oviedo so that the team was covered innings-wise. Starter Tyler Uberstine also remains in camp as an option to be the long man and the Sox are surely scouring the market for players who opt out of deals in other camps and hit free agency.
Keller, a minor league signee who chose the Red Sox over eight other clubs because of the opportunity to make the team, will be a name to watch in Worcester over the first few weeks of the season . His contract calls for an upward mobility clause on April 15 where another team can poach him if he's not in the majors. Guerrero and Gamboa also may factor into the big league bullpen mix at some point this year.
On the position player side, Campbell found himself on the outside looking in because of an overcrowded outfield at the major league level. Ward, a camp standout who has gone 18-for-20 on stolen base attempts in exhibition play, will provide depth in Worcester along with Capra and Delay, two veteran minor league free agents with big league experience.
With the cuts, the Red Sox have 41 players remaining in camp, including seven injured players. They'll make further cuts in the coming days.
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