Red Sox add 22 non-roster invitees to 2021 Spring Training roster

By | February 12, 2021

BOSTON -- The Boston Red Sox have added 22 non-roster invitees to the team’s 2021 Spring Training roster:

The Red Sox have now invited 30 players to Major League Spring Training camp as non-roster invitees.

Red Sox Chief Baseball Officer Chaim Bloom made the announcement.

Matt Carasiti, RHP – Carasiti, 29, was signed by the Red Sox as a minor league free agent in January 2021. He has made 30 major league appearances (five starts) between the Colorado Rockies (2016) and Seattle Mariners (2019), posting a 7.46 ERA (21 ER/25.1 IP). The right-hander has spent time in the Rockies (2012-17), Chicago Cubs (2017, ’19), Mariners (2019), and San Francisco Giants (2020) organizations since being selected by Colorado in the sixth round of the 2012 June Draft out of St. John’s University. Carasiti also pitched for the Yakult Swallows in Japan in 2018. The Connecticut native will be attending Spring Training as a non-roster invitee for the fifth time, having also done so in 2016, ’17, ’19, and ’20.

Triston Casas, 1B/3B – Casas, 21, is ranked by Baseball America as the Red Sox’ No. 1 prospect for the second consecutive year and the No. 47 prospect in baseball entering 2021. The left-handed hitter is also ranked by the publication as having the best strike-zone discipline among Red Sox prospects, as well as being the system’s best hitter for average. Since being selected in the first round of the 2018 June Draft from American Heritage High School in Plantation, FL, Casas has hit .254 (110-for-433) with 51 extra-base hits, 81 RBI, and an .824 OPS in 122 minor league games. In 2019, he was named a South Atlantic League mid- and post-season All-Star and Red Sox Minor League Offensive Player of the Year. Casas hit each of his 20 career home runs in 2019 at just 19 years old, becoming the first Red Sox minor leaguer to hit at least 20 home runs in a season – all before turning 20 years old – since Xander Bogaerts in 2012.

Kole Cottam, C – Cottam, 23, will be attending his first Major League Spring Training camp. Ranked by Baseball America as the best defensive catcher in the Red Sox system, he has thrown out 22 of 115 (19.1%) runners attempting to steal during his professional career. Selected by Boston in the fourth round of the 2018 June Draft out of the University of Kentucky, the right-handed hitter has batted .249 (106-for-425) with 46 extra-base hits and 68 RBI in 119 minor league games. The Tennessee native was named by MiLB.com a Red Sox Organization All-Star at catcher following the 2019 season, which he split between Single-A Greenville and High-A Salem. He played for Yarmouth-Dennis of the Cape Cod Baseball League in 2017.

Chad De La Guerra, INF – De La Guerra, 28, will be attending his fourth consecutive Major League Spring Training Camp with the Red Sox. Selected by Boston in the 17th round of the 2015 June Draft out of Grand Canyon University, the left-handed hitter has batted .265 (395-for-1,492) with 203 RBI in 397 minor league games. The California native has made 182 starts at second base, 150 at shortstop, and 37 at third base during his career. Despite missing most of the 2019 season on the injured list, De La Guerra set career highs in batting average (.288), slugging percentage (.540), OPS (.901), and at-bats per home run (17.4), also matching his career high in on-base percentage (.361).

Jeter Downs, INF – Downs, 22, is ranked by Baseball America as the Red Sox’ No. 2 prospect entering the 2021 season. After being acquired by Boston in February 2020, the right-handed hitter attended Spring Training as a non-roster invitee and spent the regular season at the club’s Alternate Training Site. Downs spent his first two professional seasons in the Reds organization after signing with Cincinnati as the 32nd overall selection in the 2017 June Draft. Acquired by the Dodgers in December 2018, he split the 2019 season between High-A Rancho Cucamonga (107 games) and Double-A Tulsa (12 games) and hit .276 (127-for-460) with an .888 OPS, 35 doubles, 24 home runs, 24 stolen bases, 86 RBI, and 92 runs scored. In 2019, Downs was one of only 10 minor league players with at least 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases.

Jarren Duran, OF – Duran, 24, is ranked by Baseball America as the Red Sox’ No. 5 prospect entering the 2021 season, as well as the fastest baserunner in the organization. The left-handed hitter spent the entire 2020 regular season at the Alternate Training Site after attending Spring Training as a non-roster invitee. Duran spent the 2019 season with Salem and Portland and was named the organization’s Minor League Base Runner of the Year. Between the two clubs, he hit a combined .303 (157-for-519) with 46 stolen bases. Selected by Boston in the seventh round of the 2018 June Draft, Duran has hit .322 (258-for-802) with 38 doubles, 19 triples, eight home runs, 73 RBI, and 70 steals in 199 minor league games. He helped Caguas win the Puerto Rican Winter League title this off-season and was named a Caribbean Series All-Star.

Durbin Feltman, RHP – Feltman, 23, will be attending his first Major League Spring Training camp. Selected by Boston in the third round of the 2018 June Draft out of Texas Christian University, the right-hander is 3-4 with a 4.22 ERA (35 ER/74.2 IP) and 10.85 strikeouts per nine innings in 65 relief appearances in the Red Sox organization. After entering 2019 ranked by Baseball America as the Red Sox’ No. 11 prospect, the Texas native spent the entire season with Double-A Portland – his most advanced level – and led the Sea Dogs in appearances (43). Feltman made five relief appearances for Falmouth of the Cape Cod Baseball League in 2017.

Frank German, RHP – German, 23, was acquired from the New York Yankees via trade in January. He will be attending his first career Major League Spring Training camp. Selected by the Yankees in the fourth round of the 2018 June Draft out of the University of North Florida, the right-hander is 5-8 with a 3.56 ERA (44 ER/111.1 IP) and 128 strikeouts in 30 career minor league appearances (23 starts). Born in Queens, NY, German appeared primarily in relief for High-A Tampa in 2019, posting a 3.79 ERA (32 ER/76.0 IP) in 16 outings (one start). He was ranked by Baseball America as the Yankees’ No. 23 prospect entering the 2019 season.

Michael Gettys, OF – Gettys, 25, was signed by the Red Sox as a minor league free agent in November 2020. The right-handed hitter spent each of the last seven seasons in the San Diego Padres organization after being selected in the second round of the 2014 June Draft out of Gainesville High School in Georgia. Gettys has hit .260 (679-for-2,607) with 131 doubles, 28 triples, 84 home runs, and 337 RBI in 671 minor league games. He spent the 2019 season with El Paso, his first at the Triple-A Level, batting .256 (130-for-507) with an .822 OPS and leading San Diego minor leaguers in home runs (31), RBI (91), extra-base hits (64), total bases (262), and runs scored (97). Gettys has 78 outfield assists, recording at least 10 in a season four times.

Daniel Gossett, RHP – Gossett, 28, was signed by the Red Sox as a minor league free agent in December 2020. The right-hander spent each of his first seven professional seasons in the Oakland A’s organization after being selected by the club in the second round of the 2014 June Draft. Gossett is 4-14 with a 5.91 ERA (76 ER/115.2 IP) in 23 career major league starts, all from 2017-18. The South Carolina native spent part of the 2020 season at the Athletics’ Alternate Training Site after spending the entire 2019 regular season on the injured list recovering from ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction surgery on his right elbow. He made five starts for Mesa of the Arizona Fall League in 2019, going 3-1 with a 2.57 ERA (4 ER/14.0 IP). Gossett was selected by Boston in the 16th round of the 2011 June Draft but did not sign.

Zac Grotz, RHP – Grotz, 27, was signed by the Red Sox as a minor league free agent in January 2021. The right-hander made his major league debut for the Seattle Mariners in 2019 and his first Opening Day roster in 2020, making 19 relief appearances for the club in those two seasons and posting a 7.30 ERA (20 ER/24.2 IP). Selected by the Houston Astros in the 28th round of the 2015 June Draft out of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (FL), Grotz has spent time in the Astros (2015), Los Angeles Dodgers (2016), New York Mets (2018), and Mariners (2019-20) organizations. In 65 minor league appearances (21 starts), he is 17-14 with a 3.29 ERA (66 ER/180.1 IP). He has also pitched for three independent league teams: the Washington WildThings (2016), Bridgeport Bluefish (2017), and York Revolution (2018).

Matt Hall, LHP – Hall, 27, made his Red Sox debut last season after being acquired from the Detroit Tigers in January 2020. The left-hander made his first career Opening Day roster, appearing in four games (one start) across four stints with Boston. Originally selected by Detroit in the sixth round of the 2015 June Draft, Hall spent each of his first five seasons in the Tigers organizations. He made 21 relief appearances for the Tigers, going 0-1 with a 9.48 ERA (33 ER/31.1 IP). Named Detroit’s Minor League Pitcher of the Year in 2018, Hall was ranked by Baseball America as having the best curveball in the Tigers’ system following that season.

Kyle Hart, LHP – Hart, 28, made his major league debut last season after entering 2020 ranked by Baseball America as the Red Sox’ No. 29 prospect. The left-hander made four appearances (three starts) for Boston last season before being placed on the injured list with a left hip impingement on September 2 and missing the remainder of the season. Selected by the Red Sox in the 19th round of the 2016 June Draft, Hart is 25-29 with a 3.13 ERA (147 ER/423.1 IP) in 77 career minor league outings (71 starts). He has allowed only 0.66 home runs per 9.0 innings in his professional career, including a 0.70 mark at the Double-A and Triple-A levels. A native of Cincinnati, OH, Hart pitched at Indiana University from 2012-16.

Chris Herrmann, C – Hermann, 33, was signed by the Red Sox as a minor league free agent earlier this month. The right-handed hitter attended spring training with the Tampa Bay Rays as a non-roster invitee last year before signing with the San Francisco Giants in July and spending the remainder of the season at the Alternate Training Site. Selected by the Minnesota Twins in the sixth round of the 2009 June Draft, Herrmann has appeared in 370 major league games with the Twins (2012-15), Arizona Diamondbacks (2016-17), Seattle Mariners (2018), and Oakland A’s (2019). The Texas native has thrown out 30 of 111 (27.0%) runners attempting to steal in 198 games (165 starts) at catcher. He has also made 31 starts in left field, 23 in right field, one in center field, and one at first base.

Yairo Muñoz, OF/INF – Muñoz, 26, played 12 games for the Red Sox in 2020, making seven starts in left field, four in right field, and one at designated hitter. The right-handed hitter batted .333 (15-for-45) with five doubles and one home run, hitting safely in nine of his 12 games. Originally signed by the Oakland Athletics as a non-drafted free agent in 2012, Muñoz has spent time with the A’s (2012-17), St. Louis Cardinals (2017-20), and Red Sox (2020) organizations. Since making his major league debut with the Cardinals in 2018, the Dominican native has hit .278 (142-for-510) with 28 doubles, one triple, 11 home runs, and 59 RBI in 208 major league games. He has appeared defensively at shortstop (57 games, 40 starts), third base (45, 17), second base (30, 26), right field (33, 11), left field (22, 11), and center field (10, 7).

Kaleb Ort, RHP – Ort, 29, was selected by the Red Sox in the Triple-A phase of the 2020 Rule 5 Draft. The right-hander made his professional debut in 2016 with Joliet in the independent Frontier League, also pitching for the club in 2017. The Michigan native is 11-2 with a 3.14 ERA (46 ER/131.2 IP) in 90 relief appearances in the New York Yankees organization. Ort has averaged at least 10 strikeouts per nine innings for every minor league team he has played for, including a 12.66 mark between the Double-A and Triple-A levels. He has allowed only three home runs in 131.2 innings pitched in the minors. Ort also spent time in the Arizona Diamondbacks organization (2016-17) but did not pitch.

Andrew Politi, RHP – Politi, 24, will be attending his first career Major League Spring Training camp. The New Jersey native has been ranked by Baseball America as one of the Red Sox’ top 30 prospects entering each of the last two seasons, including No. 27 entering 2021. Selected by Boston in the 15th round of the 2018 June Draft out of Seton Hall University, Politi is 6-3 with a 3.76 ERA (45 ER/107.2 IP) and 11.62 strikeouts per nine innings. He spent the entire 2019 season with High-A Salem and ranked second on the team with 33 appearances. Politi pitched for Winnipesaukee and Ocean State in the New England Collegiate Baseball League during his collegiate career.

Austin Rei, C – Rei, 27, will be attending his third Major League Spring Training camp with the Red Sox as a non-roster invitee, having also done so in 2018 and 2019. Selected by Boston in the third round of the 2015 June Draft out of the University of Washington, the California native has made 302 starts at catcher and thrown out 118 of 342 (34.5%) runners attempting to steal. The right-handed hitter has reached as high as the Double-A level, playing in 107 games for Portland between 2018 and 2019. He has hit .217 (240-for-1,104) with 127 RBI in 336 career games. In 2017, he was named the Red Sox’ Minor League Defensive Player of the Year.

Thad Ward, RHP – Ward, 24, will be attending his first Major League Spring Training camp. Entering the 2021 season, the right-hander is ranked by Baseball America as the Red Sox’ No. 10 prospect, as well as having the best control in the organization. Selected by Boston in the fifth round of the 2018 June Draft out of the University of Central Florida, Ward is 8-8 with a 2.46 ERA (43 ER/157.1 IP) and 10.53 strikeouts per nine innings in 36 starts. He was named Red Sox Minor League Pitcher of the Year and a South Atlantic League mid-season All-Star in 2019. The Fort Myers, FL, native worked as a bat boy at City of Palms Park—the Red Sox’ former Spring Training facility—when he was a child.

Ryan Weber, RHP – Weber, 30, spent the majority of last season with Boston, making his first career Opening Day roster and ranking third on the club with a career-high 43.0 innings pitched. He was 1-3 with a 4.40 ERA (21 ER/43.0 IP) in 17 appearances (5 starts), including a 2.25 ERA (6 ER/24.0 IP) and 1.00 WHIP in his 12 relief outings. Signed by the Red Sox as a minor league free agent in 2018, Weber is 3-7 with a 4.73 ERA (44 ER/83.2 IP) in 35 appearances (eight starts) for the Red Sox. Selected by the Atlanta Braves in the 22nd round of the 2009 June Draft, the Florida native has made 59 appearances (16 starts) for the Braves (2015-16), Seattle Mariners (2017), Tampa Bay Rays (2018), and Red Sox (2019-20), posting a 4.86 ERA (85 ER/157.1 IP).

Josh Winckowski, RHP – Winckowski, 22, was acquired by the Red Sox from the New York Mets as part of a three-team trade earlier this week, and was ranked by Baseball America as the Mets’ No. 20 prospect. This will be the right-hander’s first career Major League Spring Training camp. Selected by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 15th round of the 2016 June Draft, he spent his first five seasons in Toronto’s minor league system before being traded to the Mets in January 2021. In 54 career appearances (50 starts), Winckowski is 18-17 with a 3.35 ERA (98 ER/263.0 IP) and 237 strikeouts, reaching the High-A level in 2019 with Dunedin. A two-time league All-Star (2018, ’19), he was named Northwest League Pitcher of the Year in 2018.

Nick Yorke, INF – Yorke, 18, is ranked by Baseball America as the Red Sox’ No. 9 prospect entering 2021. Selected by Boston in the first round (17th overall) of the 2020 June Draft out of Archbishop Mitty High School in San Jose, CA, the right-handed hitter was added to the Red Sox’ Club Player Pool on September 17 and spent the remainder of the season at the Alternate Training Site. Yorke hit .457 (134-for-293) over four seasons in high school, drawing 53 walks while striking out only 26 times.

BOSTON RED SOX NON-ROSTER INVITEES (30)

PITCHERS (17): Seth Blair, Matt Carasiti, Raynel Espinal, Durbin Feltman, Frank German, Stephen Gonsalves, Daniel Gossett, Zac Grotz, Matt Hall, Kyle Hart, Kevin McCarthy, Kaleb Ort, Andrew Politi, Caleb Simpson, Thad Ward, Ryan Weber, Josh Winckowski

CATCHERS (4): Roldani Baldwin, Kole Cottam, Chris Herrmann, Austin Rei

INFIELDERS (5): Triston Casas, Chad De La Guerra, Jeter Downs, Josh Ockimey, Nick Yorke

OUTFIELDERS (4): Jarren Duran, Michael Gettys, Yairo Muñoz, César Puello

BOSTON RED SOX 40-MAN ROSTER (40)

PITCHERS (23): Matt Andriese, Matt Barnes, Eduard Bazardo, Ryan Brasier, Colten Brewer, Austin Brice, Nathan Eovaldi, Jay Groome, Darwinzon Hernandez, Tanner Houck, Bryan Mata, Adam Ottavino, Martín Pérez, Nick Pivetta, Garrett Richards, Eduardo Rodriguez, Chris Sale, Connor Seabold, Jeffrey Springs, Josh Taylor, Phillips Valdez, Marcus Walden, Garrett Whitlock

CATCHERS (3): Kevin Plawecki, Christian Vázquez, Connor Wong

INFIELDERS (8): Jonathan Araúz, Christian Arroyo, Xander Bogaerts, Michael Chavis, Bobby Dalbec, Rafael Devers, Kiké Hernández, Hudson Potts

OUTFIELDERS (6): Franchy Cordero, J.D. Martinez, Hunter Renfroe, Jeisson Rosario, Alex Verdugo, Marcus Wilson

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