With the optioning of Scott Atchison to Pawtucket today, the Red Sox roster seems pretty much set. There are still a few spots whose owners Terry Francona hasn't specifically announced, but as they'd say during an election, they seem safe to call.
Francona essentially guaranteed Tim Wakefield a spot on the team earlier in the spring, and the Sox don't seem to have any inclination to ship off Darnell McDonald at the moment, leaving just two bullpen spots up for grabs. Who are the recipients? Find out after the jump.
With his main competition in Scott Atchison now out of the way, Matt Albers appears to be in line for the first spot on the back of a dominant spring. Alfredo Aceves remains a possibility, but after hitting three batters in a minor league outing Friday, and with the organization planning to use him for minor league starting depth, he can likely be counted out.
The other spot will go to a left-handed pitcher, with the only real candidates being Hideki Okajima and Dennys Reyes. While Okajima has the advantage as the incumbent, the Sox are unlikely to look past his declining numbers and poor spring when compared with Reyes' strong spring and recent performances. While their deadline for the decision was pushed back by Reyes agreeing to delay an opt-out in his contract originally set for Friday, it's hard to see Boston letting him get away.
Assuming there are no sudden injuries or major surprises, then, here are your 2011 Red Sox:
Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C
Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
Kevin Youkilis, 3B
Marco Scutaro, SS
Carl Crawford, LF
Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
J.D. Drew, RF
David Ortiz, DH
Jason Varitek, C
Jed Lowrie, IF
Mike Cameron, OF
Darnell McDonald, OF
Jon Lester, SP
John Lackey, SP
Clay Buchholz, SP
Josh Beckett, SP
Daisuke Matsuzaka, SP
Jonathan Papelbon, RP
Daniel Bard, RP
Bobby Jenks, RP
Dan Wheeler, RP
Matt Albers, RP
Dennys Reyes, RP
Tim Wakefield, RP