Two principals in Dodgers trade demoted

FORT MYERS, Fla. — The Red Sox reassigned eight players to minor-league camp on Sunday, including recent additions Connor Wong and Jeter Downs.

Downs, 21, the former No. 3 prospect in the Los Angeles Dodgers organization, and Wong, a catcher, both came to the Red Sox in the trade that sent Mookie Betts and David Price to Los Angeles. Boston also got outfielder Alex Verdugo in the deal, [...]

FORT MYERS, Fla. — The Red Sox reassigned eight players to minor-league camp on Sunday, including recent additions Connor Wong and Jeter Downs.

Downs, 21, the former No. 3 prospect in the Los Angeles Dodgers organization, and Wong, a catcher, both came to the Red Sox in the trade that sent Mookie Betts and David Price to Los Angeles. Boston also got outfielder Alex Verdugo in the deal, though he will likely begin the season on the injured list.

Other players sent to minor-league camp include: catcher Roldani Baldwin, first baseman Josh Ockimey, and pitchers R.J. Alvarez, Trevor Hildenberger, Tanner Houck, and Mike Kickham.

Five players were also optioned to Triple-A Pawtucket: first baseman/third baseman Bobby Dalbec, infielder C.J. Chatham, and pitchers Kyle Hart, Mike Shawaryn, and Phillips Valdez. Outfielder Marcus Wilson was optioned to Double-A Portland and left-handed pitcher Yoan Aybar was optioned to High-A Salem.

Sox edge Twins

Kenta Maeda excelled in his third start for Minnesota, pitching four scoreless innings and giving up two hits with six strikeouts but the Twins came up short against the Red Sox, 7-6, at JetBlue Park. Josh Donaldson doubled and singled.

Martin Perez's threw four shutout innings for Boston were backed by Kevin Pillar, who doubled and scored on a single by J.D. Martinez.

Velazquez to Orioles

The Baltimore Orioles claimed right-handed pitcher Hector Velazquez on waivers from the Red Sox on Sunday.

The 31-year-old was 11-7 with a 3.90 ERA in 89 games in the last three seasons with Boston, including 19 starts.

Velazquez will compete for a spot on the Orioles' staff. One candidate, right-hander Evan Phillips, will begin the season on the injured list due to right elbow soreness.

Eovaldi comes up aces

To say that Sox starter Nathan Eovaldi is having a good spring training is a huge understatement. So far, it has been great. He's pitched 8 innings, including three on Saturday, and hasn't allowed an earned run. His strikeout to walk rate is in the stratosphere … 12 strikeouts against 1 walk. ... Relief pitcher Austin Brice, acquired from the Marlins in January, has appeared in four games, striking out 10 in 5 2/3 scoreless innings. When he made his major league debut in 2016, he became the first player from Hong Kong to appear in a major-league game.

Around the bases

The Red Sox and Twins continued their Chairman's Cup spring training series on Sunday, which is now tied at 13-13-2 after Boston's 7-6 win. The teams will play again on March 20 and 22. They will also see each other seven times during the 2020 regular season — with a late April series at Target Field, and a four-game set in August at Fenway Park. ... Sunday was the team's 134th consecutive full house at JetBlue Park with an announced attendance of 9,661. In the last several years the Yankees, who train in Tampa, have been the only team with a higher per-game attendance.

(The Associated Press contributed to this report)