Stephen Drew will get some minor league at-bats before rejoining the Boston Red Sox.
The veteran shortstop, who signed a pro-rated one-year contract with the Red Sox on Wednesday, was optioned to the Single-A Greenville Drive on Friday. Red Sox manager John Farrell told reporters in Tampa Bay that Drew would play four days in Greenville, then go either to Double-A Portland or Triple-A Pawtucket for a minimum of 10 days and 25 at-bats total.
Right-handed pitcher Alex Wilson was promoted from Pawtucket to fill Drew’s spot on the Red Sox’s 25-man roster.
Wilson, 28, will look to make his first major-league appearance of the season after spending only one day with the big club in April. He was 1-0 with five saves and a 1.42 earned-run average in Pawtucket.
Drew becomes the eighth big leaguer to play for the Drive after appearing in the majors, following Jon Lester, John Smoltz, Andrew Miller, Rich Hill, Chris Carpenter, Franklin Morales and Jason Repko.
