C.J. Cron: Cut loose by Boston

The Red Sox released Cron on Sunday, Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reports.

The veteran slugger exercised the opt-out in his minor-league deal Friday, and the Red Sox elected to release him rather than add him to the big-league roster. Cron was limited to 71 games last season due to back issues and had a .248/.295/.434 slash line with 12 home runs.