Red Sox Make Decisions On Opt-Out Candidates Before Opener

Joely Rodríguez and C.J. Cron both triggered opt-out clauses in their respective contracts Friday, which forced the Red Sox to make a decision on each player by Sunday.

One player was added to Boston’s roster, while the other will continue his baseball journey elsewhere.

Rodríguez will join the Red Sox bullpen, per The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier. Chris Murphy’s elbow injury left Brennan Bernadino as Boston’s only healthy left-handed reliever, so Rodríguez was an obvious choice to slide in and add depth. The 32-year-old appeared in 11 games for the Red Sox last season and logged a 6.55 ERA across 11 total innings.

Cron, meanwhile, was released Sunday, the club announced. The 11th-year pro faced an uphill battle to make Boston’s Opening Day roster when he signed a minor league contract with the organization March 1. Cron’s release indicates Bobby Dalbec, who only played 21 games with the Red Sox last season, will open the campaign as Boston’s backup first baseman behind Triston Casas.

In other roster news, the Red Sox officially added right-hander Chase Anderson four days before Opening Day in Seattle. Lucas Giolito was moved to the 60-day injured list in order to make room for Anderson on the roster.