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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Mar 30, 2021 8:43:23 GMT -5
Pete Abraham @peteabe · 30m Brasier strained his left calf yesterday. So another setback for him. He's on crutches.
"Pretty good chance" Rodriguez starts on the IL. Sox want to tread carefully with him given the events of last season.
No rotation for sure beyond Eovaldi right now.
But Houck or Pivetta for Saturday or Sunday and Richards for Sunday or Monday. Perez on Tuesday.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Mar 30, 2021 8:45:02 GMT -5
Bill Koch @billkoch25 · 33m Alex Cora said all #RedSox players will be in camp today.
Cora said Hernandez and Taylor are likely pushed into higher leverage roles with Brasier unavailable. Barnes and Ottavino at the back end. Still no closer decision. #RedSox
Cora on the AL East -- 'Everybody knows about three teams.'
He's pairing the #RedSox with the Orioles and away from the expected contenders for motivation.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Mar 30, 2021 8:45:28 GMT -5
Bill Koch @billkoch25 · 14m Cora on a COVID-19 vaccine -- 'Whenever I get the chance, I'll do it.' #RedSox
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Mar 30, 2021 10:41:29 GMT -5
Red Sox Designate John Schreiber For Assignment, Option Michael Chavis
By Steve Adams | March 30, 2021 at 9:38am CDT
The Red Sox announced a series of roster moves Tuesday as they get closer to solidifying their Opening Day squad. Boston reinstated outfielder Franchy Cordero from the Covid-19 injured list and designated right-hander John Schreiber for assignment to open a spot on the 40-man roster. The Sox also optioned infielder Michael Chavis and right-hander Colten Brewer to their alternate training site in Worcester.
Schreiber, 27, was claimed off waivers out of the Tigers organization back in February. He didn’t get a long look this spring, allowing a pair of runs on five hits and a walk in 1 1/3 innings through two appearances before being optioned two weeks ago. He’s spent time with the Tigers over the past two seasons as well, logging a 6.28 ERA in 28 2/3 frames at the big league level.
Obviously, those results aren’t much to look at, but Schreiber has a career 1.99 ERA in the minors — including a 2.28 mark in 59 1/3 innings of work at Triple-A. The sidearmer punched out 25.6 percent of opponents in the Majors against a tidy 6.2 percent walk rate, and right-handed batters managed only a lowly .192/.270/.311 output against him during the 2019 season. The Sox surely hope he’ll clear waivers and give them a depth candidate.
The 25-year-old Chavis is a former first-round pick who opened some eyes early in his debut campaign with the Sox but has struggled since. He hit .212/.259/.377 in 158 trips to the plate last year, and while he did belt six long balls this spring, his overall offensive game wasn’t without red flags. Chavis batted .250/.292/.600 in 65 plate appearances, striking out 20 times (30.7 percent) against just two walks (3.1 percent). High strikeout and marginal walk rates have persisted throughout Chavis’ career to date, so the Sox will send him down to continue to work on his approach.
With Chavis being sent down to begin the season, that likely means fellow infielder Christian Arroyo will make the club. The former top prospect is out of minor league options, which may have given him a leg up in the race, but he’s turned in a respectable .269/.309/.462 batting line with a trio of homers himself in 55 plate appearances.
The 28-year-old Brewer, meanwhile, has tallied 80 1/3 innings of relief for the Sox over the past two seasons, but he struggled in 2020 and saw his troubles continue in Spring Training. Brewer notched a respectable 4.12 ERA in 54 1/3 innings back in 2019, but he was tagged for 16 earned runs in 25 2/3 frames last year (5.61 ERA) and served up seven runs in 6 1/3 innings this spring.
The Sox also received some concerning news on righty Ryan Braiser, who is headed for an MRI after straining his left calf while working in a “B” game yesterday (via Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com). Brasier has been slowed in camp by a fractured pinkie but looked to be trending toward a return early in the season. The MRI will tell how substantial a setback this will be, but Brasier was on crutches this morning, and manager Alex Cora told reporters that the situation “doesn’t look too promising.”
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Mar 30, 2021 10:54:13 GMT -5
Boston Red Sox moves: Michael Chavis sent down to Worcester, Phillips Valdez makes Opening Day roster over Colten Brewer Updated 11:43 AM; Today 11:06 AM
By Chris Cotillo | ccotillo@MassLive.com
The Red Sox took some steps toward finalizing their Opening Day roster Tuesday morning, announcing some moves before departing for Boston this evening.
Boston activated outfielder Franchy Cordero from the COVID-19 injured list, designated reliever John Schreiber for assignment and optioned infielder Michael Chavis and Colten Brewer to the club’s alternate training site in Worcester. Barring a surprise, both infielder Christian Arroyo and reliever Phillips Valdez will make the Opening Day roster.
Here’s what all the moves mean:
Chavis goes down
The Chavis move is the most notable of these, as the former first-round pick has played his last 137 games in the majors after being called up in April 2019. He had a great spring (.892 OPS, six homers in 25 games) but was always facing an uphill battle against Arroyo, who is out of options and therefore can’t be freely optioned to the minors.
Despite Chavis looking strong in camp, the Red Sox clearly believe additional time in the minors will be good for his progression as he looks to close a couple swing holes and improve defensively at second base and the corner spots. After a miserable 2020 (.212 average, .636 OPS in 42 games), Chavis fell down the depth chart and will now -- along with infielder/outfielder Danny Santana (once healthy) -- will be Boston’s top two positional depth options at the alternate site.
Arroyo will claim a bench spot alongside backup catcher Kevin Plawecki and whichever outfielder is not starting on a given night.
Valdez in, Brewer out
Valdez, one of Boston’s most consistent relievers last year (3.26 ERA in 30 ⅓ innings), won the final bullpen spot over Brewer, who has been with the team since 2019. Neither Brewer (9.95 ERA in 6 ⅓ innings) nor Valdez (9.35 ERA in 8 ⅔ innings) had a good spring training, but the Red Sox needed an an extra arm with Ryan Brasier (right pinkie fracture and left calf strain) beginning the year on the IL.
In this spot, Valdez and Brewer will be easily interchangeable, as both can be optioned to and from Worcester as the Red Sox choose. Brewer (4.59 ERA in 80 ⅓ innings in two seasons with Boston) will likely be one of the first relievers called up if Boston needs a relief arm. Eduard Bazardo and non-roster pitchers Kevin McCarthy and Marcus Walden will be in Worcester as depth.
Cordero activated, Schreiber DFA
Cordero was a late arrival to spring training after testing positive for COVID-19, and new league rules stipulate that teams can keep players on the COVID-19 IL until they’re back at full strength. Because Cordero was deemed ready to make the Opening Day roster, he needed to be activated by Thursday.
Players on the COVID-19 IL don’t count against a club’s 40-man roster, so the Red Sox needed to clear a spot to activate Cordero. The casualty was Schreiber, a 27-year-old reliever Boston claimed off waivers from Detroit on Feb. 18. The Red Sox will now have seven days to trade, release or waive the righty.
What’s next?
The Red Sox will likely make a couple more moves before Thursday’s opener. First, Brasier will be placed on the injured list. The club also seems exceedingly likely to place Eduardo Rodriguez (arm fatigue) on the IL and call up Tanner Houck, who was optioned to the alternate site earlier in the month. Barring a last-minute surprise, those will be the final moves before the roster is set.
Projected roster
STARTERS (5): RHP Nathan Eovaldi, RHP Tanner Houck, LHP Martín Pérez, RHP Nick Pivetta, RHP Garrett Richards
RELIEVERS (9): RHP Matt Andriese, RHP Matt Barnes, RHP Austin Brice, LHP Darwinzon Hernandez, RHP Adam Ottavino, RHP Hirokazu Sawamura, LHP Josh Taylor, RHP Phillips Valdez, RHP Garrett Whitlock
CATCHERS (2): C Kevin Plawecki, C Christian Vázquez
INFIELDERS (4): INF Christian Arroyo, SS Xander Bogaerts, 1B Bobby Dalbec, 3B Rafael Devers
UTILITY PLAYERS (2): UTIL Kiké Herńandez, UTIL Marwin Gonzalez
OUTFIELDERS (4): OF Franchy Cordero, OF/DH J.D. Martinez, OF Hunter Renfroe, OF Alex Verdugo
***
INJURED LIST (3): RHP Ryan Brasier, LHP Eduardo Rodriguez, LHP Chris Sale
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Mar 30, 2021 10:55:37 GMT -5
Boston Red Sox likely to place Eduardo Rodriguez on injured list to start season: ‘We have to be very careful with him’ Updated 10:35 AM; Today 10:31 AM
By Chris Cotillo | ccotillo@MassLive.com
Red Sox starter Eduardo Rodriguez is likely to start the season on the injured list, manager Alex Cora said Tuesday morning. Rodriguez was scratched from his scheduled Opening Day start after battling arm fatigue in a start against the Rays last Monday.
“There’s a pretty good chance,” Cora said when asked if Rodriguez would be sidelined to start the year. “We’re just running out of time and you’ve got to go through the progression with him. We’re not going to cut a few things just to have him. He might say all the right things, but there’s other stuff he has to do to prove to us that he feels great. It’s not that we don’t trust him but we have to be very careful with him.”
The Red Sox pulled Rodriguez after just two innings last Monday against Tampa Bay after the left-hander complained of “dead arm” and had him finish his outing in the bullpen at Charlotte Sports Park. He hasn’t faced hitters since, instead throwing bullpen sessions in Fort Myers on both Saturday and Monday.
Both of those bullpens went well, but the Red Sox were always going to be cautious with Rodriguez, who missed the entire 2020 season after contracting myocarditis following a bout with COVID-19. Assuming his IL stint is backdated the league-maximum three days, Rodriguez could be activated as early as April 8, the date of Boston’s first road game of the season in Baltimore.
“He threw the bullpen (Monday),” Cora said. “He just showed up. Let’s see where we’re at. But like I said, it seems like he’s running out of time to be with us early. I’m not talking about that we’re going to lose him for a while, but we have to be careful with him. We’ll talk about it today and see where we’ll go with that.”
With Rodriguez sidelined, it appears the Red Sox will turn to rookie righty Tanner Houck for a spot start Saturday afternoon against the Orioles. Houck’s stay in the majors is expected to be a short one, as Rodriguez could rejoin the rotation the second time through.
“If we make a decision with Eddie, it’s something that’s a short-term thing,” Cora said.
Other than Rodriguez, the Red Sox are expected to be at full strength in the rotation as the season begins. Garrett Richards, who had to quarantine for a couple of days after being deemed a close contact to Matt Barnes, is expected to be ready by the weekend. Nathan Eovaldi will start Opening Day and both Nick Pivetta Martín Pérez will be ready to go for the start of the year.
Barnes, Richards and at least two other pitchers (Matt Andriese and Garrett Whitlock) were cleared to rejoin the team Monday afternoon after it was deemed Barnes’ positive test was either a false or “non-infectious” positive. Cora expects the Red Sox to have all of those pitchers back by Thursday.
“We’re getting all the boys back today,” he said. “One thing for sure, we’ve got to know where they’re at. I think the relievers, just a few days off, quote-unquote, that’s not going to bother them. They’re going to be ready for Thursday. As far as the rotation, we’ve got to see where they’re at as far as work. Yesterday, after everything went down, some of them came in and threw. We’ll wait on them to come in and we’ll make decisions.”
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Mar 30, 2021 11:01:41 GMT -5
Bill Koch @billkoch25 · 1h Matt Barnes said he's 'very relieved.'
Will he be ready Thursday? 'Yes.' #RedSox
Barnes asked about his alma mater, UConn, reaching a 13th straight women's Final Four -- 'It's no surprise.'
On Paige Bueckers -- 'She's a stud.' #RedSox
Barnes said he came up COVID positive once. Has taken the protocols seriously as the #RedSox MLBPA representative.
Barnes said he doesn't venture out much in a normal spring training, let alone during a pandemic. Felt terrible for close contacts like Garrett Whitlock, who's in line to make his first Opening Day roster. #RedSox
'Imagine if he missed it because I was an idiot?'
Barnes finishes offering best wishes to former UConn teammate Scott Oberg. Colorado reliever is battling blood clots. #RedSox
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Mar 30, 2021 11:07:34 GMT -5
Jen McCaffrey @jcmccaffrey · 2h Cora says he can't wait to get to Fenway to see the new clubhouse setup. Red Sox will be back in the clubhouse this year (albeit with some alterations) - no more player suites
16 pitchers left in camp: Andriese, Barnes, Brasier, Brice, Ottavino, Sawamura, Whitlock, Hernandez, Taylor, Valdez, Eovaldi, Pivetta, Richards, Perez, Rodriguez, Sale
Sale and Brasier out indefinitely Rodriguez needs more time
Houck had been optioned the to alt site, but could get the call to replace Rodriguez's spot for at least the first turn through the rotation
The roster isn't due until Thursday at noon, but the 14 pitchers above may be how it shakes out
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Mar 30, 2021 13:14:22 GMT -5
Pete Abraham @peteabe · 59m Something to file away: when Marwin Gonzalez plays second base and is shifted behind the bag or a few steps toward short, he's nearly bumped into Bogaerts a few times.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Mar 30, 2021 13:19:30 GMT -5
Boston Red Sox rotation: Tanner Houck might make spot start Saturday, Garrett Richards appears good to go after quarantining Updated 12:36 PM; Today 12:36 PM
By Chris Cotillo | ccotillo@MassLive.com
With Garrett Richards having rejoined the team after clearing COVID-19 contact tracing protocols and Eduardo Rodriguez likely to be placed on the injured list, it’s becoming clear how the Red Sox will line up their rotation for the opening homestand of the 2021 season.
Officially, righty Nathan Eovaldi is the only starter who has been penciled in, as he will start Thursday’s Opening Day matchup against the Orioles in place of Rodriguez. Beyond that, Boston has had to re-shuffle its starting five and has not named any pitchers for the remaining five games against Baltimore and Tampa Bay.
Though manager Alex Cora said Saturday’s starter is still “to be determined,” righty Tanner Houck is lined up to pitch that day, which would come five days after his 4-⅓ inning spring outing Monday. Cora said Nick Pivetta will pitch either Saturday or Sunday, Richards will start Sunday or Monday and lefty Martin Pérez -- who is starting Tuesday’s spring finale -- will most likely debut Tuesday night against the Rays.
Reading between the lines, it looks like Houck will start Saturday against Baltimore with Pivetta making his season debut Sunday. When the Rays come into town, they’ll likely see Richards on Monday, Pérez on Tuesday and Eovaldi on Wednesday afternoon. If Rodriguez is ready, he can be activated on April 8 -- the date of Boston’s road opener in Baltimore -- and take Houck’s spot in the rotation. Of course, with so much in flux, everything is subject to change.
Eovaldi, Pivetta, Pérez and Houck have stayed built up in recent days, with Richards serving as the wild card of the group. Richards was deemed to be a close contact of Matt Barnes, who had either a false or “non-infectious” positive test for COVID-19, and had to stay away from the Red Sox for a few days before working out at Fenway South on Tuesday afternoon.
“We’ll talk to him today,” Cora said. “He did an up-and-down yesterday late. It was actually three up-and-down innings. We’ll talk to him today. There’s a chance he’ll pitch Sunday or Monday. We’ll decide how he feels. We’re not going to push him. He’ll let us know how he feels and we’ll go from here.”
The Red Sox are not planning on having any bullpen games early in the season, Cora said, and they view Matt Andriese as a reliever. Garrett Whitlock, who like Andriese and Richards was in contact tracing, is a candidate for spot starts later in the year but will begin his major-league career as a reliever.
PROJECTED ROTATION (subject to change):
Thursday -- vs. Orioles -- RHP Nathan Eovaldi
Friday -- OFF
Saturday -- vs. Orioles -- RHP Tanner Houck
Sunday -- vs. Orioles -- RHP Nick Pivetta
Monday -- vs. Rays -- RHP Garrett Richards
Tuesday -- vs. Rays -- LHP Martín Pérez
Wednesday -- vs. Rays -- RHP Nathan Eovaldi
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Mar 30, 2021 13:39:47 GMT -5
Pete Abraham @peteabe · 17m You know it's Getaway Day when the first walk is in the 5th inning.
Jarren Duran with his latest rocket to CF.
9 XBHs in 46 at-bats.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Mar 30, 2021 13:46:45 GMT -5
game is on line and is a pain in the butt anyway Braves up 4-2 bottom 5
Perez 5ip/ 4/4/4/2bb/5k/ 1 home run to Albiers that may be over Idaho by now
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Mar 30, 2021 14:44:58 GMT -5
Pete Abraham @peteabe · 17m That's your ballgame. Braves 5-2 in a tidy 2:17.
Sox finish 16-11-1 in the Grapefruit League.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Mar 30, 2021 14:47:58 GMT -5
Red Sox 3, Braves 5: Let the real baseball begin
Also, Jarren Duran hit a mammoth home run. By Matt_Collins@MattRyCollins Mar 30, 2021, 3:38pm EDT
The Red Sox lost on Tuesday by a score of 5-3 to the Braves, but we don’t really care that much about that. Spring is over. There are some slightly mailed-in notes from the day if you’re into that sort of thing, though: Martín Pérez up and down in his final tuneup
The Red Sox sent Martín Pérez out to the mound for their final game of the spring, and he was a bit up and down, with Ozzie Albies in particular posing a problem for him. To be fair, the Braves second baseman poses a problem for many pitchers, particularly when he’s facing a lefty and hits from the right side of the plate. Albies got a double off of the Red Sox southpaw in the first inning of this game, and then in the fifth he had the big swing of the afternoon in which he obliterated a three-run shot out to left field.
The Albies at bats were the toughest moments of the game for Pérez, but he wasn’t exactly perfect beyond that either. The second was when Atlanta got their other run off of him, when they plated one on a Cristian Pache double. Overall Pérez allowed the four runs over five innings of work on four hits — the two doubles and homer plus a single — along with two walks and five strikeouts.
The up and down day was a fitting way to fit a spring that has largely been up and down for Pérez. In total, he has pitched to a 4.05 ERA, but that doesn’t really tell the full picture. He was outstanding early on, then had a really bad outing, then had an outing that was not great but was also greatly exacerbated by poor defense and luck, and then today’s outing. I think that trajectory is generally what to expect this year. He’ll look good, and bad, and everything in between, and hopefully he’ll settle in somewhere in the general vicinity of league-average. In the back of the rotation, that’ll do fine.
Other Notes
We’re mailing in this recap a little bit, but I would be remiss not to do a quick highlight of Jarren Duran, who has done nothing but excite since the Alternate Site opened up last summer. He put an exclamation point on the run, which has also included winter ball and this spring, in this final preseason game. He didn’t get the start, but he did get a pair of at bats. In the first, he smacked a double. In the second, he absolutely destroyed a baseball over everything in right field for his third homer of the spring. Duran finishes spring with a 1.069 OPS, and now we wait to see how long they delay his call up. I’m going to become a prisoner of the moment (I’m typing this minutes after his home run) and say it’ll be Memorial Day. Getting hits in today’s game were: Hunter Renfroe, who finished off a solid spring with a multi-hit game, going 2-2 with a pair of singles while starting in right field; J.D. Martinez, who finishes spring on a major hot streak including another two-hit day today with a pair of singles and a pair of RBI; Alex Verdugo, who got the start in left field and went 1-2 with a double; and Michael Gettys, who had a quietly hot spring and came in off the bench for this one and hit a single in his only plate appearance. Also pitching in this game who have not been mentioned were: Raynel Espinal, who will be organizational depth this year, and he tossed a scoreless inning on a double; and Seth Blair, who will also be organizational depth, and he allowed one run on a double, a walk, a hit batter and two strikeouts.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Mar 30, 2021 14:50:48 GMT -5
red sox notebook After Nate Eovaldi, Alex Cora has not set the Red Sox rotation By Peter Abraham Globe Staff,Updated March 30, 2021, 2 hours ago
FORT MYERS, Fla. — The Red Sox aren’t yet sure who will follow Nate Eovaldi in the rotation to open the season.
They have four options; it’s just a matter of figuring out where Tanner Houck, Martín Pérez, Nick Pivetta, and Garrett Richards fit best.
Manager Alex Cora made it clear that Eduardo Rodriguez would open the season on the injured list.
“It seems like he’s running out of time to be with us early,” Cora said Tuesday. “I’m not talking about that we’re going to lose him for a while. But we have to be careful with him.”
Cora later said there was a “pretty good chance” Rodriguez would be on the injured list.
Rodriguez could be backdated on the IL and pitch as soon as the sixth or seventh game of the season. He missed his last spring training start with arm fatigue.
Rodriguez has thrown in the bullpen twice since then and felt fine but will likely face hitters at some point before he gets back into the rotation.
Houck, who worked 4⅓ shutout innings Monday, could slot into the second or third game.
Richards pitched three innings in the bullpen Monday after learning he had been released from COVID-19 protocols. He could start Sunday or Monday.
Pivetta could work Saturday or Sunday. Pérez is lined up for the fifth game after starting the spring training finale Tuesday. Cordero ready to go
Franchy Cordero was activated off the COVID-19 injured list and will be on the roster Thursday. The left fielder was late to camp after testing positive for COVID-19 in the Dominican Republic but was able to catch up.
Cordero appeared in only seven Grapefruit League games but picked up at-bats in B games, simulated games, and live batting practice.
The Red Sox also optioned infielder Michael Chavis and righthanded reliever Colton Brewer to the alternate site in Worcester.
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Chavis had an .892 OPS in 25 Grapefruit League games, but the Sox elected to keep infielder Christian Arroyo, a more versatile defender who had a .771 OPS in 22 games.
That Chavis had minor league options and Arroyo does not was a factor. Chavis also struck out in 20 of his 65 plate appearances and drew only two walks.
On the pitching side, the Sox optioned righthanded reliever Colten Brewer and kept righthander Phillips Valdez. Setback for Brasier
Righthanded reliever Ryan Brasier strained his left calf fielding a ball in Monday’s B game against the Twins. He is on crutches and had an MRI Tuesday. “It doesn’t look too promising,” Cora said. “He thought it was a cramp early on and at night he felt worse.” Brasier broke a bone in his right hand in December, then was delayed arriving at camp by a personal matter. He had progressed to facing hitters but did not get in any Grapefruit League games. Brasier has appeared in 121 games since 2018, fourth-most among Red Sox pitchers, with a 3.70 earned run average. With Brasier out, the Sox will need Darwinzon Hernandez and Josh Taylor to take on higher-leverage roles. Sale on board
Chris Sale, who turned 32 Tuesday, was on the flight to Boston and will be with the team for now as he continues his Tommy John rehabilitation. “For him to go with the team and be up there, he’s a leader,” Cora said. “He’s been in meetings; he’s been in bullpens; he’s going through his progression. He feels great about where he’s at. For him to be around us, it means a lot and I know it means a lot to him.” … Righthanded reliever John Schreiber was designated for assignment to make room for Cordero on the 40-man roster … The Sox signed 31-year-old righthanded reliever Tyler Olson to a minor league contract. He will take part in minor league camp at Fenway South. Olson has a 3.83 ERA in 124 major league games from 2015-19.
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