Red Sox Notes: Steve Selsky invited to spring training, Jake Romanski suspended

Steve Selsky is back and invited to spring training

Who says this offseason isn’t thrilling as heck? The Red Sox made an honest-to-god signing on Thursday, though it’s not really the outfielder many have been waiting for. Instead, they are bringing back someone from last year’s team in Steve Selsky.

As you may recall, Selsky was added to Boston’s roster last January when the team claimed him off waivers from Cincinnati. He was expected to serve as the first or second line of outfield depth, but things didn’t really go as planned. He did see some time in the majors — including at third base in case you needed reminding of how much of a dumpster fire that spot was before July — but most of the season was spent in Pawtucket. Over 79 games and 322 plate appearances in Triple-A, the righty hit .215/.270/.360. Selsky would eventually be designated for assignment in August when the Red Sox acquired Rajai Davis. He was then declared a minor-league free agent at the start of the offseason.

Now, Selsky is back though things are different this year. He’ll be in major-league camp but it’s hard to see him making the roster out of spring training. Right now he’s just fighting to be a part of the depth chart, or at the very least impressing another club if there’s no room for him in Boston’s organization to start the year. As of now, Pawtucket has a likely outfield of Aneury Tavarez, Rusney Castillo and Jeremy Barfield, so Selsky should be able to fit into some rotation between those three and the DH spot.

Jake Romanski suspended for 100 games

For the second straight season, minor-league catcher Jake Romanski is going to begin his year with a suspension. It came out on Thursday that the backstop has received a 100-game suspension from the league for his second failed test for Amphetamines. He was suspended for 50 games to start the 2017 season.

Romanski was expected to compete with a host of names to serve as emergency catching depth for the Red Sox, but clearly that is going to change now. The 27-year-old is not a great player by any means, but he is solid behind the plate at least. Now, the team is left with Oscar Hernandez, Dan Butler and Jordan Procyshen to fight for that third or fourth catching gig, depending on how many backstops the team keeps on the major-league roster.