Category: Sports

Red Sox option Bobby Dalbec to Triple-A Worcester, clearing way for Yu Chang to make team

The Red Sox have optioned infielder Bobby Dalbec to Triple-A Worcester, the club announced earlier Monday morning.

Dalbec, 27, appeared in 18 Grapefruit League games for Boston this spring, batting .235/.304/.510 with four doubles, two triples, two home runs, six RBIs, 11 runs scored, five walks, and 21 strikeouts over 56 plate appearances.

After breaking camp the last two years as the Sox’ primary first baseman, Dalbec found himself in a much different spot this spring. With Triston Casas taking over those responsibilities moving forward, Dalbec’s path to making Boston’s Opening Day roster came in the form of undertaking a utility role.

While he has mainly played first and third base throughout his big-league career, Dalbec logged 33 innings at shortstop in Grapefruit League play. Red Sox manager Alex Cora told reporters (including MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo) on Monday that Dalbec will play a lot of third base and continue to move around the infield in Worcester.

“It’s not easy, but one thing for sure, he’s not gonna stop working,” Cora said of Dalbec. “And that’s something we told him. From the get-go, he knew the situation.

“He’s going to be part of it at one point,” added Cora. “For us to accomplish the things that we are set to do, it’s more than 26 guys. Bobby’s still a good player. I think the at-bats are gonna help him. He’s just got to be ready, and whenever we call his name, if we need it, just be ready to come here and contribute.”

This marks the second time in the last seven months that Dalbec has been sent down to the minors. He was also optioned in early September, when Casas was called up, and slashed .250/.302/.563 with five home runs and eight RBIs in 13 games (53 plate appearances) with the WooSox.

By optioning Dalbec, the Red Sox have ensured fellow infielder Yu Chang that he will be making the team. The two were essentially competing for the same roster spot off the bench this spring and, unlike Dalbec, Chang is out of minor-league options, meaning Boston could not send him down to the minors without first exposing him to waivers.

Chang appeared in 11 games for the Red Sox in September and re-signed with the club on a one-year, $850,000 contract last month. The 27-year-old did not report to camp in Fort Myers until last Thursday after playing for Chinese Taipei in the World Baseball Classic and being delayed by visa issues. He was named MVP of Pool A after going 7-for-16 (.438) at the plate with two doubles, two home runs, eight RBIs, five runs scored, two walks, and two strikeouts in four games.

A native of Taiwan, Chang made his Grapefruit League debut for Boston on Monday, going 1-for-3 with a sixth-inning double off Braves reliever Joe Jimenez. Despite the lack of time he has been in camp, the Red Sox have full confidence in Chang.

“Physically, he’s in a good spot,” Cora said. “Obviously, at-bats have been limited, but he did enough in between the the tournament and camp to stay in shape. It’s hard because of the optics of, ‘Man, Bobby was here the whole time,’ but we knew that this was a possibility. The fact that [Chang] has experience at shortstop helps. We just have to make sure he goes through the whole process and he stays healthy.”

Chang, who turns 28 in August, has prior big-league experience at all four infield positions and is considered to be a plus defender. The versatile 6-foot-1, 187-pounder will round out a Red Sox infield mix to begin the year that includes Casas, Justin Turner, Christian Arroyo, Enrique Hernandez, and Rafael Devers.

(Picture of Bobby Dalbec: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Zack Kelly makes Red Sox’ Opening Day roster

The Red Sox have informed reliever Zack Kelly that he has made the club’s Opening Day roster, manager Alex Cora announced earlier Sunday morning.

Kelly, 28, made his major-league debut for Boston last August after posting a 2.72 ERA in 44 appearances (49 2/3 innings) for Triple-A Worcester to begin the 2022 season. With the Red Sox, the right-hander pitched to a 3.95 ERA and 4.28 FIP with 11 strikeouts to four walks over 13 outings spanning 13 2/3 innings of relief.

So far this spring, Kelly has allowed three earned runs on 10 hits, four walks, and seven strikeouts across eight appearances (10 innings). He struck out a pair over two scoreless frames in Saturday’s 4-2 loss to the Rays at Tropicana Field.

“You saw yesterday, [he] throws strikes on three different pitches,” Cora told reporters (including MassLive.com’s Christopher Smith). “And we feel very confident with that.”

Listed at 6-foot-3 and 205 pounds, Kelly’s three-pitch arsenal consists of a mid-80s slider, a mid-90s four-seam fastball, and a low-80s changeup, per Baseball Savant. He held opponents to a .174 batting average against with his four-seamer last year.

As for how the Red Sox plan on using him this coming season, Cora indicated that Kelly will be paired with fellow righty Josh Winckowski in a multi-inning role out of the bullpen.

“We’ll use him probably [for] multiple innings,” said Cora. “He’ll be kind of one of those guys with Wink that can go two innings. We feel very confident with him.”

This marks the first time in which Kelly has made an Opening Day roster as a big-leaguer. The Virginia native has come a long way since going undrafted out of Division II Newberry College (Newberry, S.C.) and signing with the Athletics for a mere $500 in January 2017.

With Kelly now in the fold, the Red Sox have just one more vacancy in their bullpen to fill before Opening Day against the Orioles on Thursday. It will likely either go to Kaleb Ort, who is already on the 40-man roster but has struggled this spring, Oddanier Mosqueda, or Ryan Sherriff.

(Picture of Zack Kelly: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox’ Kiké Hernández leaves game with right wrist contusion but is not expected to miss any time

Red Sox shortstop Enrique Hernandez was removed from Sunday’s Grapefruit League game against the Twins after getting hit in the wrist by a pitch.

In the bottom of the third inning, Hernandez began to swing his bat and was hit on the right wrist by a pitch from Twins starter Sonny Gray. The 31-year-old took his base after being checked out by Red Sox manager Alex Cora and a member of the team’s training staff. He then played the field for one more inning before being replaced by Bobby Dalbec in the top of the fifth.

Shortly thereafter, Hernandez was officially diagnosed with a “right wrist contusion.” When speaking with reporters (including MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo) following Boston’s 7-2 loss to Minnesota at JetBlue Park, Cora indicated that Hernandez was taken out for precautionary reasons and is likely to be back in the starting lineup on Monday.

“He’s OK,” Cora said. “Got hit, got a little ding there but he should be OK.”

Hernandez is expected to play a key role for the Red Sox this season after Trevor Story underwent right elbow surgery in January. They will also be without offseason acquisition Adalberto Mondesi (ACL recovery) to begin the year, so outside of Bobby Dalbec and Yu Chang, Boston is particularly thin when it comes to middle infield depth.

With Sunday’s contest in the books, the Red Sox have just two exhibition games remaining (both against the Braves). They will then fly to Boston ahead of their Opening Day matchup against the Orioles at Fenway Park this coming Thursday.

(Picture of Enrique Hernandez: Megan Briggs/Getty Images)

Red Sox spring training: Chris Sale goes 5 innings, Rafael Devers homers in 7-2 loss to Twins

The Red Sox will not be taking home the Chairman’s Cup after being bested by the Twins in Sunday’s series finale. Boston fell to Minnesota by a final score of 7-2 at JetBlue Park to drop to 14-12-4 in Grapefruit League play.

Chris Sale, making his fourth and final start of the spring for the Red Sox, allowed two earned runs on five hits, two walks, and one hit batsman to go along with five strikeouts over five solid innings of work.

Both of the runs Sale gave up came on one swing of the bat. After taking a shutout bid into the fourth inning, the veteran left-hander yielded a leadoff single to Kyle Farmer. Two batters later, he served up a two-run home run to Ryan Jeffers that barely cleared the fence in right-center field.

Sale evaded any further damage in the top of the fourth. In the bottom half, Cole Sands took over for Twins starter Sonny Gray, who struck out four over three scoreless, no-hit innings. Rafael Devers promptly greeted the new reliever by crushing a leadoff home run to right field. Devers’ first homer of the spring cut Boston’s deficit in half at 2-1.

Justin Turner followed by drawing a walk and moving up to third base on a one-out double from Adam Duvall. Triston Casas then took ball four himself to load the bases, but Christian Arroyo extinguished the threat by grounding into an inning-ending, 4-6-3 double play.

Still trailing by one going into the fifth, Sale put runners on the corners with only one out. But he got out of the jam thanks to Reese McGuire gunning down the pinch-running Ernie Yake at second base and Farmer lining out to Bobby Dalbec to end the inning. The 33-year-old southpaw finished with 79 pitches. He will make his next start against the Orioles at Fenway Park on April 1.

Shortly after Sale’s day had come to an end, the Red Sox got the lefty off the hook. With one out in the bottom of the fifth, Bobby Dalbec scored the then-tying-run on back-to-back singles from Devers and Turner. A two-out walk drawn by Masataka Yoshida then loaded the bases, but Duvall ended the rally by going down swinging against new Twins reliever Jose Bravo.

Though Boston had fought back to pull even with Minnesota at two runs apiece, that stalemate did not last too long. Kaleb Ort took over for Sale out of the Red Sox bullpen in the sixth and recorded two quick outs before running into some trouble. Ort issued a two-out walk to Michael A. Taylor and followed that up by surrendering a go-ahead, two-run home run to Willi Castro to give the Twins a 4-2 lead.

Richard Bleier had difficulty with the long ball himself as he served up a two-run shot to Hernan Perez with two outs in the seventh. In the eighth, John Schreiber gave up a one-out double to Mark Contreras, who scored from second on an RBI single off the bat of Andrew Betchold. Jordan DiValerio faced the minimum in the ninth by recording one strikeout, issuing one walk, and inducing another 4-6-3 twin killing.

Down to their final three outs, the Red Sox went down quietly in their half of the ninth. Jorge Alfaro popped out while Dalbec and Raimel Tapia both lined out against Connor Sadzeck to put the finishing touches on a 7-2 loss.

By defeating the Red Sox on Sunday, the Twins won the five-game series, 3-2. As such, they will be taking the 2023 Chairman’s Cup trophy back with them to their own complex in Fort Myers.

Other worthwhile observations:

After allowing two runs in the sixth inning of Sunday’s loss, Kaleb Ort now owns a 9.64 ERA (10 earned runs in 9 1/3 innings of relief) through eight appearances this spring. The hard-throwing righty is currently competing for the final spot in Boston’s Opening Day bullpen.

In his four starts this spring, Chris Sale pitched to a 4.80 ERA with 12 strikeouts to just three walks over 15 innings. Opponents hit .288 off him.

Enrique Hernandez was struck in the right wrist by a Sonny Gray pitch in the bottom of the third inning. He remained in the game for two more innings before being replaced at shortstop by Bobby Dalbec. According to the Red Sox, the decision to take Hernandez (who was later diagnosed with a right wrist contusion) out was purely precautionary, meaning he is not expected to miss any time.

Next up: Houck starts

The Red Sox will travel to North Port to take on the Braves in their penultimate game of the spring on Monday afternoon. Tanner Houck will be getting the start for Boston opposite fellow right-hander Jesse Chavez for Atlanta.

First pitch from CoolToday Park is scheduled for 1:05 p.m. eastern time. The game will be televised, but only on Bally Sports Southeast.

(Picture of Chris Sale: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox closer Kenley Jansen on the mend after leaving Friday’s game with dizziness

After leaving Friday’s Grapefruit League game against the Braves with lightheadedness, Red Sox closer Kenley Jansen appears to be doing better.

Jansen left in the ninth inning of Friday night’s 9-8 win over Atlanta at JetBlue Park after feeling dizzy on the mound. The right-hander told reporters (including MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo) that the feeling was unlike anything he had ever experienced while pitching before.

“I’m a little bit better,” Jansen said Saturday. “I still, a little bit, feel something. I was just out of it. It’s not smart to keep pitching in spring training games when you’re kind of blacking out, out there, a little bit.”

Jansen was back at the Fenway South complex in Fort Myers on Saturday morning, but the Red Sox sent him back home to rest shortly thereafter. According to Cotillo, the 35-year-old “complained of dizziness and nausea and wondered aloud if he had contracted a virus.”

In a separate conversation, Red Sox manager Alex Cora was optimistic that Jansen would be able to return to camp later Saturday afternoon and make his scheduled appearance in Sunday’s home game against the Twins.

“He doesn’t feel great today so we sent him home,” said Cora. “Hopefully, he can come back around 1:30 (p.m.) and do his workouts. We still have him for tomorrow. Let’s see how he feels.”

When asked about the possible cause of Jansen’s ailment, Cora said: “Maybe something he ate. I gave him some rice and beans after the game last night, some pork chops. He probably didn’t feel good about that.”

Before departing on Friday, Jansen had already given up a then-game-tying, two-run home run to minor-league catcher to Adam Zebrowski. He surrendered three runs altogether and now owns a 7.71 ERA in five appearances (4 2/3 innings pitched) this spring.

The Red Sox signed Jansen to a two-year, $32 million contract in December. The three-time All-Star was brought in to anchor a bullpen that was among the worst in the American League last season.

Over the course of establishing himself as one of the top closers in baseball, though, Jansen has dealt with heart issues throughout his career. In 2011, he was diagnosed with an irregular heartbeat, which has caused him to miss time in the past. He has also undergone two cardiac ablation procedures (in 2012 and 2018) to combat the issue.

Despite Friday’s scare, the Red Sox and Jansen are both confident that this latest incident was not related to the righty’s heart. As such, Jansen — as of now — is expected to be ready for Opening Day on March 30.

“There’s no concerns about the other stuff that happened in the past,” Cora said.

(Picture of Kenley Jansen: Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Corey Kluber tosses 4 innings in final tune-up before Opening Day as Red Sox fall to Rays, 4-2

The Red Sox were held to just four hits in a loss to the Rays on Saturday afternoon. Boston fell to Tampa Bay by a final score of 4-2 at Tropicana Field to drop to 14-11-4 in Grapefruit League play.

More important than the offensive numbers was Corey Kluber making his final start of the spring for the Sox. The veteran right-hander allowed three earned runs on four hits and two walks to go along with one strikeout over four innings of work.

The Rays got to Kluber right away in the top of the first, with Tristan Gray belting a one-out solo shot 379 feet down the right field line to give Tampa Bay an early 1-0 lead.

Three innings later, the Red Sox responded with a big fly of their own. After Ceddanne Rafaela led off the top of the fourth with an infield single, Enmanuel Valdez followed by crushing a 396-foot two-run home run to right field off Rays starter Yonny Chirinos. Valdez’s second homer of the spring had an exit velocity of 101.1 mph and put Boston up, 2-1.

Kluber had settled down to that point but ran into more trouble in the latter half of the fourth. There, he allowed two of the first four batters he faced to reach base, which put runners at second and third with two outs for Taylor Walls. Walls, in turn, came through with a two-run double that landed in front of right fielder Wilyer Abreu and scored both Harold Ramirez and Christian Bethancourt.

With the Rays retaking the lead at 3-2, Kluber stranded Walls at second base by getting the final batter he would face in Jose Siri to line out to left field. All told, the 36-year-old hurler finished with a final pitch count of 62 (38 strikes). He induced nine total swings-and-misses and averaged 85.6 mph with his cutter (his most-frequently used pitch), per Baseball Savant.

Kluber finishes the spring having posted a 3.24 ERA with 15 strikeouts to seven walks over five starts (16 2/3 innings). The two-time Cy Young Award winner will next take the mound when the Red Sox host the Orioles on Opening Day (March 30) at Fenway Park.

In relief of Kluber, Zack Kelly received the first call out of the Boston bullpen in the middle of the fifth. The righty fanned a pair over two scoreless frames before making way for Durbin Feltman, who issued a leadoff walk to Siri to begin things in the seventh.

The quick-footed Siri put his speed on full display by stealing second base and moving up to third on a wild pitch while Feltman was busy recording the first two outs of the inning. With runners on the corners and the pinch-hitting Daniel Robertson at the plate, Feltman was caught napping as Siri took off for home and scored rather easily thanks to a poor throw back to the plate.

Siri’s successful steal of home extended the Rays’ lead to two runs at 4-2. After Feltman worked a 1-2-3 eighth inning, the Red Sox were suddenly down to their final three outs. With Pete Fairbanks on the mound for Tampa Bay, Stephen Scott, Ryan Fitzgerald, and Narciso Crook all went down quietly to end it.

Other worthwhile observations:

Top prospect Marcelo Mayer replaced David Hamilton at shortstop in the sixth inning. The 20-year-old made his only trip to the plate in the eighth and ripped a single off old friend Heath Hembree before stealing his first base of the spring.

Niko Kavadas, another prospect who made the trip to St. Petersburg, accounted for Boston’s only double in the top of the fifth inning. Enmanuel Valdez was the only other member of the starting lineup to register an extra-base hit in Saturday’s contest, which took all of two hours and six minutes to complete.

Next up: Chairman’s Cup finale

The Red Sox will wrap up the final weekend of the Grapefruit League campaign by hosting the Twins in Fort Myers on Sunday afternoon. Since the two sides split the first four games of the series, Sunday’s bout will determine who takes home the 2023 Chairman’s Cup.

Boston will be sending left-hander Chris Sale to the hill while Minnesota will roll with right-hander Sonny Gray. First pitch from Fenway Park is scheduled for 1:05 p.m. eastern time on NESN.

(Picture of Corey Kluber: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox closer Kenley Jansen leaves game due to lightheadedness

Red Sox closer Kenley Jansen was taken out of Friday’s Grapefruit League game against the Braves at JetBlue Park earlier than expected, but it was not due to injury.

Instead, Jansen felt lightheaded on the mound, according to manager Alex Cora. The right-hander had come out for the ninth inning of Friday’s contest in search of his first save of the spring.

With a 7-5 lead to protect, Jansen gave up a one-out single to Hoy Park, which brought the tying run to the plate in the form of catcher Adam Zebrowski. Zebrowski, who has yet to play past High-A, promptly crushed a game-tying two-run home run to knot things up at seven runs apiece.

Jansen then walked the next batter he faced in Joe Dunand before receiving a visit from Cora and assistant athletic trainer Masai Takahashi. After a brief conversation on the mound, Jansen exited the field with Takahashi and the two made their way towards the Red Sox clubhouse.

After Triston Casas belted a two-run, walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth to lift Boston to a 9-8 win over Atlanta, Cora spoke with reporters. He did not seem too concerned about Jansen’s status, per MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo.

“They’re checking on him,” Cora said, “but he should be fine.”

Considering the fact that Opening Day is less than a week away, Jansen’s early exit on Friday was likely a scary site for the Red Sox. That being the case because Boston is already expected to open the 2023 season with five pitchers — starters Brayan Bello, James Paxton, and Garrett Whitlock as well as relievers Wyatt Mills and Joely Rodriguez — on the injured list.

As noted by Cotillo, it does not appear as though Jansen will be joining them at the moment. But what happened on Friday night is certainly noteworthy since the 35-year-old has dealt with heart issues throughout his career. Last summer, for instance, he spent more than two weeks on the injured list due to an irregular heartbeat. He has had two cardiac ablation procedures (2012 and 2018) to combat that issue.

Jansen, who signed a two-year, $32 million contract with the Red Sox in December, was brought in to serve as Boston’s closer. Following Friday’s outing, the three-time All-Star now owns a 7.71 ERA (four earned runs in 4 2/3 innings) in five spring appearances.

(Picture of Kenley Jansen: Brace Hemmelgarn/Minnesota Twins/Getty Images)

Triston Casas crushes two-run walk-off home run to lift Red Sox to 9-8 win over Braves

A walk-off home run from Triston Casas lifted the Red Sox to a come-from behind win over the Braves on Friday night. Boston defeated Atlanta by a final score of 9-8 at JetBlue Park to improve to 14-10-4 in Grapefruit League play.

Nick Pivetta, making his fifth and final start of the spring for the Red Sox, allowed two earned runs on 10 hits and two walks to go along with five strikeouts over six quality innings of work.

The Braves first got to Pivetta in the top half of the third. Matt Olson, who reached base on a one-out single, had moved up to third on an Austin Riley walk and Marcell Ozuna groundout. He was then driven in on an RBI single off the bat of Sam Hilliard that also ended the inning since Austin Riley was tagged out at third moments after Olson crossed the plate.

While Atlanta jumped out to an early 1-0 lead, it did not last long. That being the case because in the bottom of the third, Rafael Devers drew a two-out walk off Braves starter Dylan Dodd. That brought up Justin Turner, who promptly crushed a two-run shot into the Red Sox bullpen in right-center field for his first home run of the spring.

Turner’s blast put the Red Sox up, 2-1. But the Braves got to Pivetta again in the fourth when Ozzie Albies led off with a deep fly of his own to knot things back up at two runs apiece. From there, though, the 30-year-old hurler was at least able to settle down a bit as he put up a zero in the fifth and then worked his way around a jam by punching out Ronald Acuna Jr. to do the same in the sixth. He finished with exactly 100 pitches.

Shortly after Pivetta’s night came to a close, the Red Sox jumped on the Braves for three more runs in the latter half of the sixth. Following a leadoff double from Adam Duvall, Christian Arroyo greeted new reliever Ian Mejia with a two-base hit of his own that scored Duvall from second. After Reese McGuire was plunked by Mejia, both he and Arroyo moved up an additional 90 feet on a wild pitch before Rob Refsnynder brought both of them in with a two-run double off the faux Green Monster in left field.

Taking a 5-2 lead into the seventh, Oddanier Mosqueda received the first call out of the Boston bullpen from manager Alex Cora. The left-hander experienced some control issues and walked four of the six batters he faced. He issued a bases-loaded, two-out free pass to Sean Murphy before making way for Skylar Arias, who retired the lone batter he faced to get out of the jam.

In the eighth, Chris Martin quickly recorded the first two outs of the frame before encountering some difficulties of his own. After getting the first two outs, Martin yielded back-to-back hits to Joe Dunand and Cade Bunnell, which put runners at second and third for Andrew Moritz. Moritz, in turn, plated Dunand on an infield single before Kevin Kilpatrick Jr. drove in Bunnell on a game-tying RBI single to right field.

Though the Braves had mounted a late rally, the Red Sox wasted no time in responding in their half of the eighth. Back-to-back singles from Arroyo and McGuire put runners on the corners for Enrique Hernandez, who brought in Arroyo with a sacrifice fly off Mejia. Refsnyder then doubled in McGuire to give Boston a brand-new 7-5 lead going into the ninth.

Kenley Jansen had the chance to pick up his first save of the spring. But the veteran closer instead issued a one-out single to Hoy Park before serving up a game-tying two-run home run to Adam Zebrowski moments later. Jansen walked the next batter he faced and then received a visit from Cora and a member of Boston’s training staff.

After a brief discussion, Jansen was taken out of the game and immediately made for the Red Sox clubhouse. He was relieved by Cam Booser, who gave up a single and a walk to fill the bases with one out. Kilpatrick Jr. then brought in the runner from third — Dunand — to five the Braves an 8-7 edge.

Down to their final three outs and trailing by a run, Jarren Duran led things off by ripping an opposite-field double off new reliever Joe Harvey. After Duvall grounded out, Casas took things into his own hands by obliterating a game-winning, two-run homer deep into the Fort Myers night.

Casas’ third home run of the spring ended it while Booser was credited with the winning decision.

Jansen’s departure due to lightheadedness

According to Red Sox manager Alex Cora, Kenley Jansen was feeling lightheaded on the mound , which is why he came out of the game in the ninth inning. Cora added that he believes the 35-year-old “should be fine.”

Next up: Kluber makes final start of spring

The Red Sox will travel to St. Petersburg to take on the Rays on Saturday afternoon. Opening Day starter Corey Kluber will get the ball for Boston while fellow righty Yonny Chirinos will do the same for Tampa Bay.

First pitch from Tropicana Field is scheduled for 1:05 p.m. eastern time on NESN+.

(Picture of Triston Casas: Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox spring roster cuts: Daniel Palka, Caleb Hamilton, and Ronaldo Hernández all reassigned to minor-league camp

The Red Sox subtracted from from their major-league spring training roster on Friday by reassigning three non-roster invitees — first baseman/outfielder Daniel Palka and catchers Caleb Hamilton and Ronaldo Hernandez — to minor-league camp in Fort Myers.

Palka, 31, signed a minor-league deal with the Red Sox last month that came with an invite to major-league camp. The left-handed power hitter has gotten into 19 Grapefruit League games this spring and has batted .263/.356/.395 with two doubles, one home run, seven RBIs, four runs scored, five walks, and nine strikeouts over 45 plate appearances.

Hamilton, 28, was claimed off waivers from the Twins in October and was subsequently outrighted off Boston’s 40-man roster a month later. The right-handed hitter has gone 6-for-17 (.353) at the plate with two doubles, one home run, two RBIs, five runs scored, five walks, and four strikeouts in 15 Grapefruit League games this spring. He has also thrown out one of three possible base stealers from behind the plate.

Hernandez, like Hamilton, was taken off the Red Sox’ 40-man roster over the winter. The 25-year-old backstop, who has been with the organization, since February 2021, has gone just 3-for-20 (.150) with one homer, four RBIs, two runs scored, three walks, and three strikeouts in 12 appearances this spring. From behind the plate, he has thrown out one of five possible base stealers.

All three of Palka, Hamilton, and Hernandez are ticketed to open the 2023 campaign with Triple-A Worcester, where they can provide experienced depth at their respective positions. Palka, for instance, clubbed 26 home runs in 109 games for the Mets’ Triple-A affiliate in Syracuse last year while seeing playing time at first base and both corner outfield spots.

With Friday’s subtractions, the Red Sox now have 38 players remaining at big-league camp. Of those 38 players, four (Jorge Alfaro, Raimel Tapia, Greg Allen, and Niko Goodrum) are in camp as non-roster invitees.

Since there is less than a week to go until Opening Day, the Red Sox have only a few days to get their roster down to 26 players before taking on the Orioles at Fenway Park on March 30.

(Picture of Ronaldo Hernandez: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

David Hamilton identified by MLB Pipeline as fastest prospect in Red Sox farm system

Infielder David Hamilton has unsurprisingly been identified by MLB Pipeline as the fastest prospect in the Red Sox’ farm system heading into the 2023 season.

Hamilton, 25, is currently regarded by MLB Pipeline as the No. 29 prospect in Boston’s farm system. The Red Sox originally acquired the speedster from the Brewers with infield prospect Alex Binelas and outfielder Jackie Bradley Jr. in the December 2021 trade that sent outfielder Hunter Renfroe to Milwaukee.

After receiving his first invite to big-league spring training last year, Hamilton spent the entirety of the 2022 campaign with Double-A Portland. To go along with a franchise-record 70 stolen bases, the left-handed hitter batted .251/.338/.402 with 16 doubles, nine triples, 12 home runs, 42 RBIs, 81 runs scored, 56 walks, and 119 strikeouts in 119 games (531 plate appearances) for the Sea Dogs.

Hamilton ended his season on a strong note by posting a 1.029 OPS in the month of September. Shortly after being named the 2022 Red Sox Minor League Baserunner of the Year, the Texas product was somewhat surprisingly added to Boston’s 40-man roster in November in order to receive protection from the upcoming Rule 5 Draft.

With bigger bases, pitch clocks, shift restrictions, and pickoff limits on the horizon, the Red Sox prioritized speed and elected to protect Hamilton as opposed to one of their talented pitching prospects (such as Thad Ward, A.J. Politi, and Noah Song), who were later scooped up by the Nationals, Orioles, and Phillies, respectively.

Hamilton was in major-league camp again this spring and went 7-for-24 (.292) with one double, four RBIs, three runs scored, five stolen bases, three walks, and nine strikeouts in 13 Grapefruit League games before being optioned to Triple-A Worcester on March 13.

Right around that same time, Hamilton sat down for a one-on-one interview with MLB.com’s Ian Browne in which he discussed his speed, the new rules coming to Major League Baseball, and what he wants to improve on, among other things.

When asked if the size of the bases increasing is a good thing for players such as himself, Hamilton said: “The bases by themselves, no. But I think the pitch clock, the disengagements, the bases, all that plays into it.”

When asked about what type of things he is working on to maximize his offensive potential, Hamilton said: “I’m just trying to hit more line drives, trying to stay inside the ball a little bit more and put the ball in play. I’m a fast guy, so I put pressure on the defense as soon as I’m on base.”

As a follow-up to that question, Hamilton was also asked about what a good season would look like for him this year.

“If I can just hit line drives, put more pressure on the defense, play good defense, take away runs and score runs,” said Hamilton, “that’s my game right there.”

Speaking of defense, Hamilton saw playing time at three different positions with the Sea Dogs last year. The 5-foot-10, 175-pounder logged 543 2/3 innings at second base, 460 1/3 innings at shortstop, and 18 innings in center field for the first time in his professional career.

“I’ve always played short growing up, so I’m comfortable there,” Hamilton told Browne when asked about his versatility. “I like second [base]. I’ve played center. Wherever they put me, I can play.”

Hamilton, who does not turn 26 until September, is expected to open the 2023 season with the WooSox. Given the fact that he possesses 70-grade speed (using the 20-80 scouting scale) and is already on the 40-man roster, he is in position to make his major-league debut, potentially as a speed threat off the bench, at some point this year.

(Picture of David Hamilton: Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)