Spring training is underway for the Boston Red Sox in Fort Myers, Florida. The Red Sox have 40 players on their official roster in camp, as well as an additional 17 non-roster invitees. By the time Opening Day rolls around, Boston will need to trim that number down to just 25.
Most of the cuts will be prospects who still require more time to develop in the minors or players who came to Florida knowing they were long shots to begin with.
However, there are a few established major leaguers that are in serious danger of being left behind when the club travels north next month. All four players listed below could easily fail to make the Red Sox's final 25-man roster.
Rusney Castillo
After signing out of Cuba last summer, Rusney Castillo played 10 games for the Red Sox in 2014. The 27-year-old hit .333 with two home runs and six RBI in 36 at-bats. Boston spent $72.5 million on Castillo with the expectation that he would be the starting center fielder in 2015.
On March 3, Castillo sustained an oblique strain during his last at-bat in an exhibition game against Boston College. Via Gordon Edes of ESPN Boston, Red Sox manager John Farrell had the following to say about the severity of Castillo's injury:
He's going to be down for some time. I don't have a time frame to give you or projected length, but he's going through some treatment to calm down the strain right now, and he'll do rotational exercises and rehab when he's ready for it. ...
There's caution to the progression, there's no doubt. [Pain] tolerance, for one. How aggressive you become to build that back. We just want to be careful of a setback, because everything is rotational in this game.
Edes also states Farrell said it was "too early to tell" if Castillo would be ready to go for the start of the regular season on April 6. Even if Castillo is healthy by that date, the injury clearly puts his roster spot in jeopardy.
Boston has six players—Castillo, Hanley Ramirez, Mookie Betts, Shane Victorino, Daniel Nava and Jackie Bradley Jr.—looking to fill four or five available outfield roles. An extended absence for Castillo could help the Red Sox avoid having to make a difficult decision.
Jackie Bradley Jr.
Regardless of whether or not Castillo makes the team, Bradley may very will find himself back in Triple-A to begin the year. Unless he dramatically outplays Betts in spring training, Bradley is likely the odd man out.
Neither Victorino nor Nava have minor league options available. With Brock Holt serving as the utility infielder, a backup catcher in Ryan Hanigan and a reserve power option in Allen Craig, there probably isn't room on the bench for a fifth outfielder.
The Boston Globe's Peter Abraham notes that Bradley appears to have improved his swing:
Bradley has struck out 152 times in 530 major league plate appearances, an alarming rate for a player who has a .394 on-base percentage in the minors. His swing was a long uppercut, and major league pitchers tortured Bradley with off-speed pitches or fastballs inside.
Now his swing is noticeably more level and compact.
In his first preseason game against major league competition, Bradley went 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI. A successful spring is nothing knew for him, though. In 2013, Bradley was a surprise addition to the big league club after hitting .419 in Grapefruit League play. He's batted .196 in the majors since then.
Robbie Ross Jr.
Boston acquired Robbie Ross Jr. in a trade with the Texas Rangers for Anthony Ranaudo. Ross pitched in 150 games over the last three seasons with the Rangers, posting a career ERA of 3.98 in 205.2 innings. He is slated to join Craig Breslow as a left-handed arm in the bullpen.
But in order to lock down his position, Ross will have to beat out a couple other lefty contenders. Tommy Layne appeared in nine games for the Red Sox in 2014. The 30-year-old owns a 2.03 ERA and a 1.11 WHIP in 44.1 major league innings over the course of his career.
Edwin Escobar is ranked as the No. 13 prospect in the organization according to SoxProspects. Escobar pitched primarily in Triple-A last year but did throw two innings with Boston in a late-season call up.
Ross has the edge with significantly more major league experience than the other two, but his role is far from certain.
Brandon Workman
Brandon Workman started 15 games for the Red Sox last season. But barring an injury, Boston's starting rotation is set with Clay Buchholz, Rick Porcello, Wade Miley, Joe Kelly and Justin Masterson. If Workman is going to earn a place on the Opening Day roster, it'll have to be as a reliever. The Boston Herald's Jason Mastrodonato writes:
The Red Sox went back-and-forth twice in determining a role for the aggressive young right-hander, but they've finally settled on one. If everything goes as planned, they’ll keep Workman in the bullpen for the 2015 season, hoping his low-90s fastball can get a boost and he might avoid the fatigue he experienced in the second half of last year.
Koji Uehara, Junichi Tazawa and Edward Mujica all return as right-handers in Boston's bullpen. For Workman to snag a spot he must outperform one of two newcomers, Alexi Ogando and Anthony Varvaro.
Last season Workman was 1-10 with a 5.17 ERA and a 1.43 WHIP over 87 innings. It's hard to still consider him a prospect—he's 26 years old and his successful 2013 postseason (zero earned runs in seven appearances) is now a distant memory. Workman will need to turn back the clock and regain that form this spring to have hopes of making the team.
Unless otherwise noted, all statistics via RedSox.com and contract information via Spotrac.
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