FORT MYERS, Fla. — The Red Sox released first baseman Lyle Overbay on Tuesday. The 36-year-old hit .220/.327/.341 over 49 plate appearances in spring training.
Under the terms of the collective bargaining agreement, any free agent with six years of service time who accepted a minor league contract had to be told five days prior to Opening Day whether he would make the 25-man roster. That is deadline was Tuesday because MLB’s Opening Day is Sunday.
If that player accepted an assignment to Triple A, he would receive a $100,000 retention bonus.
Overbay is now a free agent.
The Red Sox have a Thursday deadline with Ryan Sweeney, who can opt out of his minor league deal if he is not on the roster.
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