X's make roster cuts for opening day - KTIV News 4 Sioux City IA: News, Weather and Sports

It's a day that professional baseball players and managers hate...cut-down day. For the Sioux City Explorers it's the day they have to cut their roster from 28 to 23 players. After the first ten days of the season the roster will be cut to 22.

Manager Stan Cliburn, pitching coach James Frisbie and general manager Shane Tritz made the roster decisions on Monday morning and told the players on Monday afternoon.

Three pitchers were let go, Aaron Correa, Garrett Holleran and Bryan Wilde were cut along with first baseman Lyle Allen and outfielder Matt Mansilla.

The X's have to abide by the American Association salary cap of 115-thousand dollars for the season, and must keep at least four rookies.

It's not an easy day.

"We brought 28 into camp and they all know out there in the clubhouse that five guys have to go," said Cliburn. "It's tough on a manager. It's tough on anybody. But what we do, we try to find them positions in other leagues and I've made those calls for these guys the five guys that are not going to make the club. Hopefully we can get those guys to play somewhere."

Coming up Wednesday at six, for the first time, we'll be inside the X's offices as they make the roster cuts.