The Red Sox continue to get their roster down to size in preparation for the start of the regular season next Monday against the Pirates. Their latest move is optioning Steve Selsky to minor-league camp after yesterday’s Grapefruit League game against the Orioles.
Following today’s game against the Orioles, the #RedSox optioned outfielder Steve Selsky to Triple-A Pawtucket.
— Boston Red Sox (@RedSox) March 27, 2017
Selsky, of course, was claimed off waivers from the Reds in January, and his demotion doesn’t come as a huge surprise. He’s on the 40-man roster, but he was always brought in to serve as depth in case of an injury to one of the primary outfielders. With that being said, he is coming off a strong spring in which he .356/.431/.689 in 50 plate appearances. He also tacked on four home runs. Beyond the straight numbers, Selsky impressed manager John Farrell and made a strong first impression that is always crucial for fringe players like himself. Things have taken a turn for the worse if Selsky is playing on an everyday basis, but one could do a lot worse with a depth piece picked up at the end of the offseason for virtually no cost.
As a result of this move, the Red Sox find themselves with 29 players on their active roster if you take out David Price and Tyler Thornburg, who will almost certainly start the year on the disabled list. On the position player side of things, the players who remain who are not likely to stay in the majors are Bryce Brentz and Marco Hernandez. The former will stay on the roster until waivers start getting clogged, as that’s the team’s best chance to keep him after inevitably designating the longtime organization member for assignment. Hernandez still has an outside shot at making the roster. As for Selsky, he’s always been destined for Pawtucket but he showed he’s capable of filling in for the big club if needed.