Red Sox First Cut Down Day Claims Casey Kelly And 11 Others

Depending upon which prospect list you happen to read, RHP Casey Kelly is either the Red Sox No. 1 or No. 2 prospect.

But today, he’s just another young man in the Red Sox minor league camp.

Yesterday, Kelly’s first stint in big league camp ended as he and 11 other minor leaguers were demoted from major league camp. He made three appearances, of sorts, during his month with the major league club: A March 3rd outing against Northeastern University (1 IP), another against the Baltimore Orioles on March 7 (two scoreless innings), and the last during an intrasquad game on Saturday (3 IP).

It seems likely that his next outing will come in a Portland Sea Dogs (Double-A) uniform sometime early next month, though the organization has not officially optioned him to Portland yet.

As he packed his gear for the short trip down the road, Kelly said, “It was a tremendous experience. I got a lot out of it. I have a lot I can draw on. I hope I stick around a lot longer next year.’’

Meanwhile, the club made shortstop Jose Iglesias’ destination official: He was officially optioned to Portland. The 20-year-old Cuban hit .300 in his brief time with the Red Sox and impressed everyone with his athleticism, defense, and better-than-advertised bat.

Ten other players were demoted as well: OFs Ryan Kalish and Che-Hsuan Lin, C Luis Exposito, 1B Lars Anderson, INF Yamaico Navarro, and pitchers Randor Bierd, Kris Johnson, Robert Manuel, Adam Mills, and Kyle Weiland.

After the announcement, manager Terry Francona said, “You talk to Casey Kelly or Ryan Kalish, it’s not really a (demotion). They’re non-roster (players) who made great impressions. Now they have to get ready for their season.’’

Of Iglesias, Francona said, “I think he was probably a little disappointed. He’s a very confident young man, but he needs to go play (every day). That’s important.’’

With yesterday’s transactions, the Red Sox are left with 46 players in camp.