BOSTON, MA – The Boston Red Sox have added eight non-roster invitees to the team’s 2020 Spring Training roster: catcher Jett Bandy, outfielder John Andreoli, first baseman/outfielder Nick Longhi, third baseman/first baseman Jantzen Witte, left-handed pitcher Mike Kickham, and right-handed pitchers R.J. Alvarez, Robinson Leyer, and Domingo Tapia.

Red Sox Chief Baseball Officer Chaim Bloom made the announcement.

R.J. Alvarez, RHP – Alvarez, 28, has appeared in 31 major league games with the Padres (2014) and A’s (2015). The right-hander spent the entire 2019 season with Triple-A New Orleans in the Miami Marlins organization and pitched in a career-high 50 games, all in relief, posting a 4.70 ERA (28 ER/53.2 IP) with 15 saves and 65 strikeouts. Last season, right-handed batters were 26-for-121 (.215) against Alvarez, while left-handers hit .267 (20-for-75). Selected by the Angels in the third round of the 2012 June Draft out of Florida Atlantic University, Alvarez is 18-23 with a 3.81 ERA (137 ER/323.2 IP), 420 strikeouts, and a .232 opponent batting average in 292 career minor league games (two starts).

John Andreoli, OF – Andreoli, 29, spent the 2019 season at the Triple-A level with Rochester (Twins) and Tacoma (Mariners). In 116 games, the right-handed hitter batted .255 (104-for-408) with 16 home runs and 47 RBI while making 43 starts in left field, 33 in center field, and 26 in right field. He made his major league debut in 2018, batting .230 (14-for-61) in 26 games between the Orioles and Mariners. Andreoli was selected by the Cubs in the 17th round of the 2011 June Draft and has hit .268 (849-for-3,171) in 889 career minor league games. Born in Worcester, MA, he graduated from Saint John’s High School in Shrewsbury, MA before attending the University of Connecticut. His father, John, played football in the New England Patriots organization, and his cousin, Daniel Bard, pitched for the Red Sox from 2009-13.

Jett Bandy, C – Bandy, 29, has appeared in 156 major league games between the Angels (2015-16) and Brewers (2017-18), batting .218 (97-for-444) with 16 home runs. The right-handed hitter spent the entire 2019 season with Triple-A Nashville in the Rangers organization and hit .231 (56-for-242) with 13 home runs and a .733 OPS in 71 games. He made 53 starts at catcher and threw out 18 of 68 (26.5%) attempted base stealers, also making three starts at first base and three appearances as a pitcher, the first of his professional career. Selected by the Angels in the 31st round of the 2011 June Draft out of the University of Arizona, Bandy has appeared in 141 games (123 starts) at catcher in his major league career, throwing out 31.6% (31 of 98) of base stealers.

Mike Kickham, LHP – Kickham, 31, attended spring training in 2019 as a non-roster invitee with the Miami Marlins but spent the entire season with their Triple-A New Orleans affiliate. The left-hander went 4-1 with a 3.86 ERA (14 ER/32.2 IP) in 18 relief appearances, compared to 1-4 with a 4.53 ERA (27 ER/53.2 IP) in 13 starts. Selected by San Francisco in the sixth round of the 2010 June Draft, Kickham has made 14 major league appearances (three starts), all with the Giants from 2013-14. In his minor league career he has made 141 starts and 54 relief appearances, going 46-54 with a 4.06 ERA (377 ER/835.1 IP) in the Giants (2010-14, ’16), Mariners (2015), Rangers (2015), and Marlins (2017-19) organizations.

Robinson Leyer, RHP – Leyer, 26, split the 2019 season between the Red Sox and Mariners organizations, posting a 5.24 ERA (33 ER/56.2 IP) over 40 appearances (one start). The right-hander was signed by the Red Sox in June, and in his final 14 outings of the season—all with Double-A Portland—he recorded a 1.99 ERA (5 ER/22.2 IP) while limiting opponents to a .133 batting average (10-for-75) with zero home runs allowed. Signed by the White Sox as a minor league free agent in 2012, Leyer is 28-43 with a 4.24 ERA (294 ER/623.1 IP) in 236 career minor league appearances (84 starts) between the White Sox (2012-17), Reds (2018), Mariners (2019), and Red Sox (2019) organizations.

Nick Longhi, 1B/OF – Longhi, 24, was selected by Boston in the 30th round of the 2013 June Draft and began his career with the Red Sox before being traded to the Reds on July 2, 2017, in exchange for international amateur signing bonus pool space. The right-handed batter has split his career between the Red Sox (2013-17) and Reds (2017-19) minor league systems, batting .275 (544-for-1,978) with 31 home runs in 555 games. He spent the entire 2019 season with Triple-A Louisville and hit .283 (110-for-389) with 12 home runs and a .798 OPS in 111 games, and against left-handed pitchers he went 39-for-115 (.339) with a 1.060 OPS. Born in Springfield, MA, Longhi has made 290 career starts at first base, 88 in left field, and 71 in right field.

Domingo Tapia, RHP – Tapia, 28, was a non-roster invitee to Red Sox Major League Spring Training camp in 2019 and spent the entire season with Triple-A Pawtucket. The right-hander appeared in 44 games (one start) with the PawSox, going 5-4 with a 5.18 ERA (38 ER/66.0 IP). He pitched at least 2.0 innings in 13 of his outings and recorded a 2.25 ERA in those games (8 ER/32.0 IP), allowing zero runs and one hit in a season-high 4.0 innings on May 25 at Rochester. Signed as an international free agent by the Mets in 2009, the Dominican native is 38-50 with a 4.14 ERA (315 ER/685.0 IP) in 242 career minor league games (102 starts) in the Mets (2010-16), Reds (2017-18), and Red Sox (2019) organizations.

Jantzen Witte, 3B/1B – Witte, 29, will be making his first appearance in Major League Spring Training camp. Selected by Boston in the 24th round of the 2013 June Draft, the right-handed hitter has spent his entire career in the Red Sox minor league system, batting .273 (640-for-2,345) with 44 home runs and a .348 on-base percentage in 661 games, including .261 (286-for-1,097) with 15 home runs in 321 games with Triple-A Pawtucket. In 2019 he played six games with Double-A Portland and 112 with the PawSox, batting .271 (112-for-413) with 22 doubles and nine home runs. In his career, Witte has made 341 starts at third base, 221 at first base, 34 at second base, and 12 in left field. He also made the first pitching appearance of his career in 2019.

BOSTON RED SOX NON-ROSTER INVITEES (8)

PITCHERS (4): R.J. Alvarez, Mike Kickham, Robinson Leyer, Domingo Tapia

CATCHERS (1): Jett Bandy

INFIELDERS (2): Nick Longhi, Jantzen Witte

OUTFIELDERS (1): John Andreoli

BOSTON RED SOX 40-MAN ROSTER (39)

PITCHERS (22): Yoan Aybar, Matt Barnes, Ryan Brasier, Colten Brewer, Nathan Eovaldi, Kyle Hart, Heath Hembree, Darwinzon Hernandez, Travis Lakins, Josh Osich, Martín Pérez, Bobby Poyner, David Price, Denyi Reyes, Eduardo Rodriguez, Chris Sale, Mike Shawaryn, Josh Taylor, Hector Velázquez, Marcus Walden, Ryan Weber, Brandon Workman

CATCHERS (1): Christian Vázquez

INFIELDERS (11): Jonathan Arauz, Xander Bogaerts, C.J. Chatham, Michael Chavis, Bobby Dalbec, Rafael Devers, Marco Hernández, Tzu-Wei Lin, Dustin Pedroia, José Peraza, Sam Travis

OUTFIELDERS (5): Andrew Benintendi, Mookie Betts, Jackie Bradley Jr., J.D. Martinez, Marcus Wilson