The nearby Lowell Spinners will not be a Boston Red Sox affiliate for the 2021 season, but the Sox haven’t ruled out having the Spinners in the fold for 2022.

The Red Sox announced their four affiliates under the new minor league baseball format on Wednesday – Salem, Va. (Class A), Greenville, S.C. (Class A), Portland, Maine (Double A) and Worcester, Mass. (Triple A).

The Spinners were an apparent victim of the new minor league setup forcing major league clubs to reduce their affiliates to four and contracting some 40 minor league teams, mainly short season clubs. It doesn’t appear the historic NY-Penn League that the Spinners have been a member of since their creation in 1996 will exist.

The Red Sox sent out a statement on Wednesday saying they were working on helping to keep baseball in Lowell, Mass. this summer – the Spinners would likely be a part of a league made up of draft prospects – and beyond this year.

“The Red Sox and the City of Lowell today announce that they are working to keep baseball in the Lowell community,” the release said. “The two sides are in the early stages of evaluating various opportunities for the 2021 season, and will continue to discuss longer-term options in the weeks ahead.”

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