Stephen Drew going to Greenville, Red Sox call up Alex Wilson

Red Sox shortstop Stephen Drew cleared the 48-hour period of optional waivers according to the Boston Globe and will begin his rehab assignment with the Class-A Greenville Drive.

Stephen Drew cleared optional waivers. Alex Wilson added to 25 man roster tonight.

— Nick Cafardo (@nickcafardo) May 23, 2014

Drew is playing for Greenville tonight

— Nick Cafardo (@nickcafardo) May 23, 2014

Drew signed with the Red Sox on Wednesday, but had to wait 48-hours before he officially cleared waivers. Although any team could have put a claim in on Drew, forcing the Red Sox to revoke Drew and keep him on the active roster, the rest of the teams in baseball appear to have not put a dent into Boston's plans. There is widely believed to be a "gentleman's agreement" between teams not to interfere when optional assignment waivers need to be used in situations like this.

Manager John Farrell said earlier in the week that Drew would need about nine or ten days or about 25 at-bats to get ready for major league action. Drew said earlier in the week that he has been working out near his home in Georgia and in Miami to stay as in-shape as possible.

"The biggest thing is if they needed me, I’m there," Drew said. "I’ve done all the baseball activity that I can do with the circumstances that I had so the assignment, I haven’t even sat down right now and talked to them about that yet. I think that there will be a time to sit down and figure out when and where and how long. If circumstances come up and they need me, I’m going to be there."

To fill Drew's spot on the roster, the Red Sox recalled reliever Alex Wilson from Pawtucket. Wilson was called up for a short one-day stint earlier in the season, but did not make a in-game appearance. Wilson has been very good in Pawtucket this season, posting a 1.42 ERA with a .182 batting average against in 18 appearances. Wilson will likely be sent back down to Pawtucket when the team needs a starter to replace Felix Doubront, who was placed on the 15-day disabled list with left shoulder fatigue. Farrell identified Allen Webster and Brandon Workman as the two candidates to replace Doubront during the lefty's stint on the disabled list.