Following the afternoon win over the Twins, Boston general manager Ben Cherington announced that the Red Sox have released outfielder Ryan Sweeney and assigned outfielder Mitch Maier to Triple-A Pawtucket.
The 28-year-old Sweeney was signed as a minor-league free agent in January, and the right fielder hit .217 this spring, adding one double and two RBIs. Maier appeared in 16 games during spring training and hit .346.