When spring training starts for the Red Sox next week, three of the club’s most promising young stars will be in camp.
Boston has invited top prospects Triston Casas, Jarren Duran and Jeter Downs to be part of its 75-man player pool for spring training, according to major-league sources. Left-hander Kyle Hart, who made his major-league debut last season, will also be in camp as a non-roster invitee.
Casas, who was ranked by Baseball America as the organization’s top prospect in November, has never before been invited to major-league camp but impressed at the alternate site in Pawtucket last summer. Downs (No. 2) and Duran (No. 5) were in big-league camp last year and are seen as candidates to make their major-league debuts in 2021. The other two prospects ranked in the top five, Bryan Mata and Bobby Dalbec, are on the 40-man roster and will be in major-league camp as well.
On Tuesday, Major League Baseball announced that by Friday afternoon, teams must submit a list of “no more than 75 total players” who are invited to major-league spring training. In an effort to combat the spread of COVID-19, teams will not host minor-league spring training until after major-league camp concludes at the end of March. Boston’s first full-squad workout is scheduled for Feb. 22.
Boston’s 75-man player pool is expected to include most (if not all) members of the club’s 40-man roster and a list of non-roster invitees made up of players who signed minor-league deals, upper-level depth options and top prospects. Previously, the Red Sox announced 12 non-roster invitees, so there are still more than up to 15 open slots to be filled. Teams are not required to add 75 players to their spring pools by Friday but must never exceed 75 players at any time during camp.
The Red Sox still need to make some roster moves before camp, as pitchers Martin Perez (who agreed to re-sign) and Hirokazu Sawamura (who is close to signing) still need to be added to the 40-man roster. Additional potential non-roster invitees include pitchers Ryan Weber, Matt Hall, Joel Payamps (if he clears waivers), Thad Ward, Frank German, Jacob Wallace, Durbin Feltman and Andrew Politi and position players Chad De La Guerra, Yairo Munoz and Gilberto Jimenez, among others.
Here’s a preliminary look at the players who the Red Sox are expected to have in spring training. Note that non-roster invitees are in italics, pending deals are denoted with an asterisk (*) and that the list is subject to change.
PITCHERS (34): Matt Andriese, Matt Barnes, Eduard Bazardo, Seth Blair, Ryan Brasier, Colten Brewer, Austin Brice, Matt Carasiti, Nathan Eovaldi, Raynel Espinal, Stephen Gonsalves, Daniel Gossett, Jay Groome, Zac Grotz, Kyle Hart, Darwinzon Hernandez, Tanner Houck, Bryan Mata, Chris Mazza, Kevin McCarthy, Adam Ottavino, Martin Perez*, Nick Pivetta, Garrett Richards, Eduardo Rodriguez, Chris Sale, Hirokazu Sawamura (*), Connor Seabold, Caleb Simpson, Jeffrey Springs, Josh Taylor, Phillips Valdez, Marcus Walden, Garrett Whitlock
CATCHERS (5): Roldani Baldwin, Jhonny Pereda, Kevin Plawecki, Christian Vázquez, Connor Wong
INFIELDERS (11): Jonathan Araúz, Christian Arroyo, Xander Bogaerts, Triston Casas, Michael Chavis, Bobby Dalbec, Rafael Devers, Jeter Downs, Kiké Hernández, Josh Ockimey, Hudson Potts
OUTFIELDERS (8): Andrew Benintendi, Jarren Duran, J.D. Martinez, Cesar Puello, Hunter Renfroe, Jeisson Rosario, Alex Verdugo, Marcus Wilson
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