Sox trim spring roster with eye toward OD

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- The Red Sox made another big round of cuts Sunday, trimming their spring roster by 13 following a 6-3 loss to the Twins at Hammond Stadium.

The most notable among the group were outfielder Jarren Duran, the organization’s No. 4 prospect per MLB Pipeline, and Connor Wong, a catcher and one-third of the young talent Boston received from the Dodgers in return for Mookie Betts in 2020.

The pair, along with catcher Ronaldo Hernández, was optioned to Triple-A Worcester. In addition, 10 players were reassigned to Minor League camp, including catchers Roldani Baldwin and Kole Cottam, infielders Ryan Fitzgerald and Roberto Ramos, and right-handed pitchers Silvino Bracho, Taylor Cole, Michael Feliz, Darin Gillies, Geoff Hartlieb and Zack Kelly.

“It’s just the smaller the group, the better it’s going to be for us. And also for whoever we send down, to get going for their season, because their season starts before we do,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said Sunday morning. “From my understanding, the guys who are driving to Worcester, they leave [March] 30, so we have to get going.

“It’s a combination of both, but I think [these cuts are] more about getting the group together, making it smaller and just everybody getting locked in.”

Duran was considered an outside shot to crack the roster, but Boston eventually decided that it could roll with the incumbents in its already crowded outfield. This will provide Duran -- who played second base in college -- with some extra seasoning, but it’s not impossible that he’ll join the team at some point this season.

The speedster left the Sox with a strong reminder of just how much his baserunning can impact a game, though, scoring from second base Sunday … on a sacrifice fly.

Wong was a cup-of-coffee guy for Boston in 2021, appearing in six games with the Red Sox. He managed to hold his own at the plate, going 4-for-13 despite seven strikeouts.

Still, with Christian Vázquez and Kevin Plawecki expected to team up behind the plate for a third consecutive season, barring injuries, Wong wouldn’t have many opportunities to contribute with the big league club.

Whitlock enjoys starting nod
When Garrett Whitlock started Sunday, it marked the first time the righty reliever had opened a game in years; at least since before he had Tommy John surgery in July 2019.

Cora said pregame that the decision to pitch Whitlock out of the gate was simply to give him a different look as he works through the spring. Still, Whitlock -- Boston’s most reliable reliever last season -- came up through the Yankees’ farm system as a starter, so stretching him out a bit would provide the Red Sox an emergency option should they need it.

“Hey, I do whatever they tell me to do,” Whitlock said with a smile after allowing one hit across three innings against Minnesota. “Like I told all of y’all, I’ll be the janitor on this team if it means I get to stay in the big leagues; I’m just happy to be here.”