Butler, Haley, Martin invited to Sox camp

bmcgair@pawtuckettimes.com

PAWTUCKET – A pretty significant clue regarding the 2018 Opening Day roster for the Pawtucket Red Sox was revealed Tuesday, as the Red Sox announced 16 non-roster invitees to spring training.

Of the group, the following players appeared in games for the PawSox last season: catchers Dan Butler and Jake Romanski, outfielders Jeremy Barfield, Rusney Castillo, and Aneury Tavárez, and right-handed pitchers Justin Haley, Kyle Martin, and Marcus Walden. In addition, top infield prospect Michael Chavis will also be on hand when Boston stages its first full squad workout of the spring on Feb. 19 in Fort Myers, Fla.

Of note, Butler is slated to begin his sixth season with the PawSox while Haley and Martin spent time on the 40-man last season with Minnesota and Boston, respectively. Walden emerged as a valuable swing option between the rotation and the bullpen for Pawtucket, going 10-6 with a 3.92 ERA in 29 appearances (15 starts).

Castillo earned 2017 International League All-Star midseason and postseason honors, batting .314 (109-for347) with 22 doubles, 15 home runs, and 14 stolen bases in 87 games with Pawtucket. Barfield joined the PawSox for the final three games of the 2017 season, combining between Portland and his brief Triple-A stint to hit .293 (104-for-355) with 21 doubles, 28 home runs, 76 RBI, and a .957 OPS in 95 games.

Also Tuesday, the PawSox announced that 2018 single-game tickets will go on sale in conjunction with the club’s “Winter Wonderland” on Saturday, Jan. 27. From 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. that day, fans can flock to McCoy and not only purchase tickets, but mingle with Red Sox alums, take pictures with the Red Sox World Series trophies and PBS’ “Clifford The Big Red Dog.”