The Boston Red Sox are set to open a three-game series against the San Francisco Giants at Fenway Park on Friday night, with first pitch scheduled for 7:10 p.m. Eastern.
In the hours leading up to that matchup, the organization made a series of minor-league roster adjustments, releasing a whopping 10 players across its affiliates.
Most of the moves involved the club’s Dominican Summer League teams. The Red Sox parted ways with several young position players and pitchers who had been competing at the lowest levels of the system.
Outfielders, a catcher, a shortstop, and a handful of right-handed arms were among those let go from the DSL Red Sox Red and Blue squads. The lone exception came from a higher affiliate: right-hander Austin Ehrlicher was released by the High-A Greenville Drive.
These kinds of transactions occur regularly as teams evaluate talent, manage roster limits, and create space for other players as the season progresses. Ehrlicher was the only one of the ten who had been playing above rookie ball when he was cut.
On the major-league side, the Red Sox enter the Giants series after a split with the Arizona Diamondbacks. Boston took the first two games of that set before falling 7-6 in extra innings on Wednesday.
Thursday was a scheduled off day, giving the club a chance to reset before hosting San Francisco. The loss to Arizona came on the heels of a difficult stretch in which the Red Sox dropped seven of nine games.
Even so, their position in the standings remains relatively secure.
Boston currently occupies the second American League Wild Card spot with a 68-59 record and sits five games ahead of the Minnesota Twins.
In the AL East, the Red Sox are in third place, 8½ games behind the first-place Tampa Bay Rays. The New York Yankees, who hold the top Wild Card position, are five games back of the Rays with a 71-55 record.
After wrapping up the weekend series with the Giants, Boston will head out on a seven-game road trip.
The trip starts with three games against the Miami Marlins and finishes with a four-game series against the Yankees. Interim manager Chad Tracy and the rest of the coaching staff will be looking to build momentum through that stretch as the team continues its push toward October.
