The Red Sox continue to trim their roster.
The club announced after Friday’s game that catcher Dan Butler and pitcher Alex Wilson have been optioned to Triple-A Pawtucket, which is where both players concluded their 2012 season. This news came just hours after the Red Sox announced that pitchers Rubby De La Rosa and Allen Webster were optioned to Triple-A and catcher Christian Vazquez was optioned to Double-A.
Butler hit .233 with three home runs and 11 RBIs in 22 games with the PawSox last season, after batting .251 with six home runs and 26 RBIs in 73 games with Double-A Portland.
Wilson, who spent his entire 2012 campaign at the Triple-A level, went 5-3 with a 3.72 ERA in 40 appearances (three starts).
Both players performed well this spring, and there’s a chance they could find themselves in the majors this season under certain circumstances.
Butler went 3-for-10 with a double and walk in eight Grapefruit League games. The 26-year-old’s game-calling ability is what caught manager John Farrell‘s attention most, though, as the Sox skipper said earlier in the week that Butler has great awareness and does a nice job of reading hitters’ swings.
Wilson allowed one run in 7 2/3 innings while walking two and striking out nine this spring. The Red Sox’ bullpen appears deep to start the season, so the decision to send him back to Triple-A isn’t all that surprising, but the 2009 second-rounder will likely be one of the first arms considered in the event of an injury.
Both players were added to the Red Sox’ 40-man roster earlier in the offseason in order to protect them from the Rule 5 draft.
With the moves, the Red Sox now have 46 players in big league camp. That includes 32 players from the 40-man roster, one on the 60-day disabled list and 13 non-roster invitees.
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