Red Sox non-roster Spring Training invites: Who has a chance at making Opening Day roster?
Pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training for their first workout next week on the 15th. The full squad’s first scheduled workout is on the 20th. The first Spring Training game for the Red Sox is on the 25th. After that, Opening Day will be here before you know it.
We have watched the past month be filled with a couple signings, a couple trades after DFA’s, and non-roster invites being sent out to players not currently on the 40-man roster.
In total entering today, the Red Sox have invited 23 players to Spring Training who are not currently on the 40-man roster. For a lot of the guys listed above, it’s a chance to get to go to big league camp and work out and train with the established veterans. It’s also a chance to get into game action to get on the team’s radar for a shot for an in-season promotion. For most and maybe all of the list, the shot of making the Opening Day roster is slim, but not impossible. There are a couple guys who are one injury or one very good Spring away from taking the spot on the roster.
Raimel Tapia
The former Blue Jays center fielder made a bit of history last season in Fenway Park when he hit an inside-the-park grand slam. Tapia has been in the league since 2016 and has been a serviceable fourth outfield option. He plays solid defense and can run if needed on the base paths. He has a career .709 OPS with very little power. A perfect option for a bench outfield spot on the MLB roster if needed. He can also be used as a late inning defensive replacement.
Jorge Alfaro
Alfaro spent the 2022 season in San Diego appearing in 82 games. He was behind the plate for 65 of those games and has never really had a full time catching role in his career besides in 2019 for Miami. Neither catcher on the Red Sox roster has played an entire season as the primary catcher. It would not surprise me to the slightest if Alfaro got a look at some point during the 2023 season due to that exact reason. Alfaro is coming off winning the Dominican Winter League Championship and being named the MVP. Look for him to ride his solid Winter League stats into Spring Training.
Ryan Sherriff
It’s a toss-up for me between Sherriff and newly signed Matt Dermody for the mention here. The main reason for the inclusion on the list is that they are both lefties. The Red Sox entered the 2022 season with three lefties in their bullpen with Jake Diekman, Matt Strahm, and Austin Davis. Entering today, they have two on the 2023 roster in Joely Rodriguez and Richard Bleier. If one of the two goes down, you can expect to see Sherriff or Dermody get the call up. I went with Sherriff due to his experience and fairly solid numbers in the MLB. He carries a 3.65 ERA in 44 innings of major league work. He would be worth a shot if a left-handed reliever is needed at the MLB level.
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