The Red Sox made their first round of roster cuts Sunday and there were no surprises.
Shortstop/third base prospect Matthew Lugo was reassigned to minor league camp. He’ll likely begin the season at Double-A Portland. The talented 21-year-old is Carlos Beltran’s nephew and belted 54 extra-base hits between High-A Greenville and Portland last year.
Lugo went 4 for 10 (.400) with a .455 on-base percentage, .800 slugging percentage, one triple, two doubles, one run, five RBI and four strikeouts in seven Grapefruit League games.
Boston also reassigned righties Dan Altavilla and Victor Santos as well as catcher Elih Marrero to minor league camp.
Altavilla likely will begin the season at Triple-A Worcester but he has a chance to eventually help the Red Sox in 2023. He has a 4.03 ERA in 119 major league relief appearances.
Boston signed him to a rare two-year minor league contract in March 2022 while he was recovering from Tommy John surgery.
• Corey Kluber pitched 2 2/3 innings, allowing two hits, while walking two and striking out four as the Red Sox beat the Marlins 4-1 in a spring training game in Fort Myers, Florida.
Kutter Crawford pitched three scoreless innings of relief to earn the win, striking out three. Ceddanne Rafaela and David Hamilton, who played for the Sea Dogs last season, each had two hits, including a two-run double by Hamilton.
PHILLIES: Slugger Bryce Harper says he will report to spring training on Wednesday as he continues recovering from elbow surgery and then determine when he can return full time.
The two-time National League MVP was injured in April and last played right field on April 16 in Miami. He underwent reconstructive right elbow surgery in November, causing him to miss the beginning of spring training.
The 30-year-old will have some catching up to do when he arrives in Clearwater, Florida. His teammates have been adjusting to new pitch-clock rules, part of Major League Baseball’s efforts to speed up the game.
“It’s going to be a different game, of course, especially with myself and a lot of guys that have been playing for a long time,” Harper said Sunday. “It’s going to be different to see baseball on a time clock, but it’s something we’re going to have to adapt to. We’ll see what happens going forward. I look forward to kind of progressing in that how and when I can.”
Harper was at Las Vegas Motor Speedway to serve as grand marshal for the NASCAR Cup Series’ Pennzoil 400 race. He is a Las Vegas native who makes his offseason home here.
WHITE SOX: Major League Baseball said it will not discipline Chicago White Sox right-hander Mike Clevinger after completing its investigation of domestic abuse allegations.
In a statement, the commissioner’s office said its investigation included interviews of more than 15 people, including Clevinger and a woman who said she is the mother of Clevinger’s child, as well as thousands of electronic communications and other documents.
Clevinger has voluntarily agreed to submit to evaluations by the joint treatment boards under the CBA and to follow any recommendations, according to the statement.
“I had nothing to hide and cooperated fully with MLB,” Clevinger said in a statement released by the players’ union. “This situation has been stressful for my family, and I thank them for their strength and support. I asked everyone not to rush to judgment until MLB’s investigation was concluded, and I appreciate everyone who had faith in me, including the White Sox organization and my teammates.”
In an Instagram post on Jan. 24, Olivia Finestead said she is the mother of Clevinger’s child and alleged he fathered two other children who were not hers. She posted a photo of marks on her body with accompanying words that alleged the injuries were “from when he threw an iPad at me pregnant” and “finally left when he strangled me.”
“Mike Clevinger,” she added, “you really deserve hell I’ve kept quiet now for almost a year and you continue to covertly abuse your infant.” She said Clevinger ”threw chew spit on our baby.”
The Associated Press typically does not identify victims of domestic violence or sexual assault unless they agree to be named or come forward publicly with their allegations, as Finestead had.
RAYS: Tampa Bay mourned the Sunday of Dave Wills, 58, who was the team’s radio announcer for the past 18 years. There was no radio broadcast of the team’s game against Baltimore.
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