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The Red Sox have optioned catcher Daniel Butler and reliever Alex Wilson to Triple-A Pawtucket.
This is bigger news for Wilson than for Butler. The 26-year-old reliever was never a frontrunner for Boston's bullpen, but with injuries to Franklin Morales and Craig Breslow, and a strong performance in spring, it seemed like there might be an outside chance that he would sneak into that last spot.
Dan Butler, on the other hand, didn't really have much chance to make his way onto the roster with Jarrod Saltalamacchia and David Ross staying healthy. He might even be facing some stiff competition for the role of first line of defense given the name Christian Vazquez made for himself behind the plate in limited opportunities.
The cuts leave the Red Sox with a 46-man roster--a number which is going to have to drop by 21 over the next two weeks. Expect the cuts to come fast and furious as we enter this final stretch of spring training.