The Red Sox have informed Ben Taylor he has made the team, a baseball source told CSNNE.com on Friday.
The Red Sox announced that all the other non-roster invitee pitchers in spring training, righties Austin Maddox, Chandler Shepherd and Jamie Callahan, had been reassigned to minor league camp. That left Taylor, and he's not being carried along just for one final exhibition game agianst the Orioles on Saturday.
Taylor, 24, was a seventh-round pick in 2015. Converted to the bullpen during his pro career, his velocity reaches the mid-90s. His best secondary pitch is a slider, followed by his changeup.
"Arm strength and aggressiveness," one scout who saw Taylor this spring said. "Some life at times up in the zone — it plays better than expected up there — but can be flat. Slurvy breaking ball. Inconistent changeup."
Taylor's stay with the Red Sox may well be short. Drew Pomeranz's trip to the disabled list to start the season gives the Sox room for an extra arm, but they'll need a starter come April 9.
The Red Sox on Friday also got outfielder Bryce Brentz through waivers. He was out of options.
The Sox exhibition game Friday afternoon against the Nats at Nationals Park in Washington was canceled because of poor weather. The teams are scheduled to play their exhibition finale Saturday at 2:05 p.m. at the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland.