The wait is over; the Boston Red Sox have solidified their Opening Day roster.
Manager John Farrell spoke to reporters ahead of Wednesday’s split-squad double-header, and he had a lot of information to offer about who will start the season in the big leagues. It all started with the announcement that Roenis Elias was optioned to Triple-A Pawtucket.
Elias had a rough spring, giving up 12 eared runs (including four home runs) over 10 1/3 innings for a 10.45 ERA. The left-hander’s move to the PawSox meant Matt Barnes and Noe Ramirez earned spots in the bullpen to round out the 25-man roster. Steven Wright, Farrell announced, officially earned the role as Boston’s No. 5 starter.
Here are some more notes about the Red Sox’s finalized squad.
— The Boston Globe’s Pete Abraham provided a full look at the roster on Twitter.
— Abraham also reported left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez, who’s starting the season on the disabled list with a knee injury, is scheduled for two to three live batting practices sessions and won’t return to the active roster until May. It’s a significant blow, but it could translate to Rodriguez missing just a handful of starts.
— It looks as though Chris Young might start the season seeing even more playing time than originally believed. Farrell confirmed Wednesday that Young will play against left-handed batters, but we might end up seeing even more of him than Rusney Castillo.
— It’s unclear what will happen with the Red Sox’s catching situation once Christian Vazquez comes off the DL, we do know one thing about Boston’s backstops. Farrell said Ryan Hanigan will be Joe Kelly’s batterymate to start the season, but so far, there are no other definite pairings.
— Outside of the roster, Abraham provided this fun fact about the Red Sox’s exhibition games against the Toronto Blue Jays in Montreal:
Maybe Major League Baseball should look into bringing the Expos back after all.
— And speaking of the Expos, former Red Sox (and Expos) ace Pedro Martinez will be in Montreal for Boston’s trip and will be honored at Friday night’s game, per The Providence Journal’s Tim Britton.
Thumbnail photo via Kim Klement/USA TODAY Sports Images
