The Boston Red Sox began trimming down their Opening Day roster candidates on Monday morning.
Boston started the week by announcing its first string of spring training roster cuts. The Red Sox optioned pitcher Jake Bennett to their minor league camp. They also reassigned catchers Nate Baez and Ronald Rosario, and pitchers Osvaldo Berrios, Hobie Harris, Vinny Nittoli, Devin Sweet and Jeremy Wu-Yelland to minor league camp.
Bennett is the most notable name of the bunch. Boston recently acquired the left-handed pitcher from the Washington Nationals for hard-throwing pitching prospect Luis Perales, whom the Nationals optioned to Triple-A on Sunday.
The 6-foot-6 Bennett posted a 2.39 ERA in Washington’s farm system last season, collecting 64 strikeouts over 75 1/3 innings. He started for the Red Sox in Sunday’s 9-7 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates, allowing two hits and two runs in 1 2/3 innings.
Red Sox manager Alex Cora said the organization is “intrigued” by Bennett, but the 25-year-old never had much of a chance to make a rotation that may have no room for top rookies Connelly Early and Payton Early.
Acquired from the Minnesota Twins in January, Baez went 2-for-4 with a walk and a triple in two spring games. Rosario batted .201/.278/.321 with 11 home runs in Double-A Portland last season and struck out in his lone spring plate appearance.
Wu-Yelland has pitched 1 2/3 scoreless frames for China in the World Baseball Classic after posting a 3.15 ERA in 25 minor league appearances last year. Berrios, who signed with Boston in November, has a 5.44 career ERA over seven minor league seasons.
Harris allowed 12 runs, 21 hits and 13 walks in 19 1/3 innings for the Nationals in 2023, his only big league experience. Sweet briefly pitched for the Seattle Mariners and Oakland Athletics the same year, relinquishing 10 runs in seven relief appearances.
Nittoli made his MLB debut at age 30 and pitched for five different teams (Mariners, Phillies, Mets, A’s, Orioles) from 2021 to 2024. Yet the right-hander has worked just 18 2/3 innings despite his 2.41 ERA.
More MLB: Marcelo Mayer Embraces Challenge Of Earning Red Sox Opening Day Roster Spot