The Boston Red Sox roster is beginning to take shape.
The Red Sox announced seven roster moves Saturday, highlighted by infielder Tzu-Wei Lin and left-handed reliever Robby Scott being optioned to Triple-A. Outfielder Rusney Castillo was among those reassigned to minor league camp.
Here’s the full list of moves:
With these moves, the Sox now have 36 players in camp. The roster must be trimmed to 25 by Thursday, when Boston plays the Tampa Bay Rays in the regular-season opener.
So, what about the bigger picture?
Now that Lin has been optioned and Deven Marrero has been traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks, Brock Holt and Blake Swihart presumably will be the two utility bench players. That would change, however, should Boston elects to carry an extra reliever in lieu of both players. Of those two players, Holt is the only one with minor-league options.
As for Scott, his optioning likely means that Bobby Poyner will be the only lefty the Red Sox carry in the bullpen — if they carry one at all.
Saturday was a busy day in Fort Myers, Fla., for the Red Sox. In addition to the aforementioned roster moves, the team announced the signing of catcher Christian Vazquez to a three-year extension, and manager Alex Cora announced that pitchers Drew Pomeranz and Eduardo Rodriguez will start the season on the disabled list.
