Red Sox reassign 5 non-roster invitees, including Christian Koss and Ryan Fitzgerald, to minor-league camp

Before falling to the Pirates by a final score of 7-5 at JetBlue Park on Monday afternoon, the Red Sox announced they had reassigned non-roster invitees to minor-league camp.

Catcher Stephen Scott, infielders Christian Koss and Nick Sogard, outfielder Narciso Crook, and utilityman Ryan Fitzgerald were all taken off Boston’s major-league spring training roster.

Scott, 25, appeared in 10 Grapefruit League games for the Red Sox. The left-handed hitting backstop went 1-for-8 (.125) at the plate with one home run, two RBIs, five runs scored, three walks, and four strikeouts. He also threw out one of three possible base stealers and allowed one passed ball.

Koss, 25, appeared in 11 games this spring. The right-handed hitter went 2-for-17 (.118) at the plate with a double, two RBIs, three runs scored, one walk, and seven strikeouts. Though those numbers may not stand out, Koss was at least able to garner some attention with his infield defense.

Sogard, 25, got into 16 games for Boston. The switch-hitting California native batted .208 (5-for-24) with five RBIs, six runs scored, two stolen bases, five walks, and six strikeouts. He saw playing time at second base, third base, and shortstop.

Crook, the only player listed here with prior major-league experience, signed a minor-league deal with the Red Sox in November. The former Cubs outfielder belted two home runs and collected eight RBIs in 19 games this spring. Both of those homers came against the Yankees in Tampa on March 9.

Lastly, we arrive at Fitzgerald, who went 6-for-22 (.273) with four doubles, one home run, six runs driven in, four runs scored, one stolen base, two walks, and five strikeouts across 15 Grapefruit League contests.

Looking at SoxProspect.com’s 2023 roster projections, Koss, Sogard, Crook, and Fitzgerald are all expected to break camp with Triple-A Worcester. Scott, on the other hand, projects as Double-A Portland’s starting catcher to begin the 2023 campaign, though he certainly could wind up with the WooSox by year’s end.

With Monday’s subtractions, the Red Sox now have 41 players remaining at major-league camp in Fort Myers. Seven of those players (Jorge Alfaro, Ronaldo Hernandez, Caleb Hamilton, Niko Goodrum, Daniel Palka, Greg Allen, and Raimel Tapia) are in camp as non-roster invitees.

Boston has until March 30 to get down to 26 players ahead of Opening Day. With that being said, several players — such as Connor Wong, Trevor Story, Adalberto Mondesi, Brayan Bello, James Paxton, Joely Rodriguez, and Garrett Whitlock — will likely start the season on either the 10-, 15-, or 60-day injured list.