Red Sox Make First Roster Cuts, Reassigning Jake Bennett, 7 Others To Minor-League Camp

The Boston Red Sox have finally started shaving down their major-league roster, optioning or re-assigning eight players to minor-league camp on Monday, March 9.

Jake Bennett is the most notable name on that list as a member of the 40-man roster and one of the team's top prospects. Still, he's got a long way to go before making his MLB debut, as he's still behind Payton Tolle and Connelly Early on the organizational depth chart.

Three of those pitchers (Osvaldo Berrios, Hobie Harris, and Vinny Nitoli) are either hurt or have been delayed in their ramp-up for the regular season. Both catchers (Nate Baez and Ronald Rosario) are projected to open the season in Double-A as depth behind Triple-A options Jason Delay and Mickey Gasper. The other two arms (Devin Sweet and Jeremy Wu-Yelland) are intriguing bullpen options who struggled mightily in their limited spring training action.

Expect more rounds of cuts in the coming weeks, especially as the team's 15 representatives at the World Baseball Classic make their way back to camp.