PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. -- Over the next couple of days, the Rays will look to trim their Spring Training squad. On Saturday, the club announced the first batch of reassignments, reducing the roster from 67 to 57 players.

Christian Arroyo, Ian Gibaut, Brent Honeywell Jr., Joe McCarthy and Jesus Sanchez, who are all on the team’s 40-man roster, were all optioned to the Minor Leagues. Non-roster invitees Lucius Fox, Matt Krook, Dalton Moats, David Rodriguez and Curtis Taylor were reassigned to Minor League camp.

Honeywell, the team’s No. 2 prospect per MLB Pipeline, has been sidelined since last February after undergoing Tommy John surgery, but is expected to make an impact with the big league club at some point during the 2019 season. The right-handed pitcher threw a bullpen session before the game Saturday.

The tentative plan is for Honeywell to return to game action sometime around May. If all goes well, he could be at the big league level around June or July.

Arroyo, who was acquired from San Francisco in the deal for Evan Longoria, is expected to begin the year in Triple-A Durham. McCarthy (back) and Gibaut (lat) have each been sidelined by injury -- both are expected to start the season in Durham. Sanchez, the team’s No. 4 prospect, will go to Double-A Montgomery.

“Given what he went through last year with his injury, it’s time to get him down [to Triple-A] and get him some consistent reps,” Rays' manager Kevin Cash said about optioning Arroyo. “Christian handled the conversation really, really well. We still think highly of him.”

The Rays' spring roster now includes 31 pitchers, five catchers, 14 infielders and seven outfielders.

Brandon’s big blast

Brandon Lowe continued his strong spring, going 2-for-3 in Saturday's 17-15 loss to the Orioles, including a monster 448-foot home run off Orioles pitcher Dylan Bundy in the second inning. The home run matches the distance of the one hit by Nate Lowe -- who shares the same last name but with a different pronunciation than Brandon -- during the February 27 game against the Red Sox.

“That was the first thing I asked when I got into the dugout,” Brandon said. “I found [Nate] and I asked who’s went further. He laughed and of course said his, so I had to believe him.”

With his two-hit day against the Orioles. Brandon is now hitting .462 with two home runs this spring.

Scary moment

There was a scary moment in the fifth inning of Saturday’s game when a slider from Orioles pitcher Omar Bencomo hit Rays shortstop Willy Adames in the side of the helmet. Adames’ helmet came flying off and he was on the ground for a second before jogging to first base.

“Any time you get a pitch to the helmet and close to the face, it’s always scary,” Adames said. “I’m lucky it wasn’t a fastball and I could get out of the way a little bit.”

Up next

The Rays will host the defending champion Red Sox on Sunday at 1:05 p.m. ET in Port Charlotte, Fla. Right-hander Casey Sadler is scheduled to make his first Grapefruit League start of the spring. Emilio Pagan, Jose Alvarado, Diego Castillo, Ryne Stanek, Ryan Yarbrough and Tyler Cloyd are also set to pitch for Tampa Bay.