The Monday, March 25, 2019

*

It’s a little house, it’s a man cave, it’s a private lab

Alex Speier

Who would want to go to a cage? For the Red Sox, the answer is just about everyone.

As the Red Sox prepare to begin their title defense, the effort will start not on the field in Seattle at 7:10 p.m. EDT on Thursday but instead about 40 minutes prior to that, as players start filtering into the breeding ground of the team’s offensive culture. The cage, traditionally a venue whose emphasis was repetition, instead transformed into something else in the eyes of many members of the team.

How do members of the team describe the cage?

“A little house,” said Eduardo Nunez.

“A man cave,” said .

“Our private lab,” in the words of hitting .

It’s all of those things – and an essential part of where the Red Sox created a foundation for 119 victories in 2018. It’s worth considering all of those views of the batting cage to understand how the Red Sox formed their offensive identity and developed a top-to-bottom approach that forged the most prolific lineup in the game.

Our private lab Historically, the batting cage represented an area where players simply went to loosen their muscles and to hone their swing through repetition. But those repetitions lacked purpose and detail.

“There were just a lot of mindless reps taken in there,” said assistant hitting coach .

In 2018, the Red Sox challenged that convention. The arrivals of J.D. Martinez, who engages in numerous drills in the cage meant to ensure precision at every stage of the swing; Hyers, who believes in having players focus on one specific cue — a subcomponent of their swing that can help players maintain the direction of their swing — while inside the cage; and Barkett, who came from a Pirates organization that had studied extensively how to become more efficient and effective in training players helped to create a more purposeful approach to work in the cage.

“We were training based upon what the was doing that day, how to attack it. We were very specific in what we were doing,” said Barkett. “I had never really seen elite players training like that. It was really cool.”

Martinez is something of a pied piper, so focused on the specific relevance of every drill that it raised the curiosity of others about not just what to do before games but why they were doing it.

“He’s turned himself into this through all the stuff he does, how much effort he puts into his work, knowing what he wants to feel in his swing,” said . “That’s made him into who he is. He preaches that to everyone. I think that’s kind of helped. You see more guys taking interest in it, talking to each other.”

Hyers encourages the players to lock in on one specific cue in their swing, a feeling that allows the player to gain a sense that his swing is grooved in a way that allows him to attack pitches in the most effective fashion. That cue can be emphasized through any number of perhaps 10 to 12 drills, usually for very specific aspects of the swings (upper body, lower body, one-arm drills, among others) that the Red Sox typically employ in the cage. Players experiment with their pre-game training techniques.

“They have a set routine, but every once in a while there’s something from that buffet [of drills] that they’ll pull and try out,” said Hyers. “[The cage is] a workplace. In the past, it was — 10 years ago, 15 years ago — the cage was get loose to take batting practice. Some players didn’t do the cage. But that’s our lab.”

A man cave But it’s more than that. Players are interested in the science and shape of their swings, and in the drills that get them locked in, but for the Red Sox, the pull of the cage setting goes beyond that.

The Red Sox play music in the cage (Barkett is almost always armed with a portable Bluetooth speaker — he played “New York, New York” on it as the Red Sox made their way out of Yankee Stadium after clinching the ALDS), something that contributes to an atmosphere that doesn’t just feel like a forced work setting.

“There were times I was doing private lessons as an A-ball where I hated the batting cage. I was stuck in it for hours at a time,” said Barkett. “There are times now where it’s a place of peace and comfort and where you feel at home with a brotherhood almost. I guess it’s who you’re sharing the cage with and what your experiences are. Ours is full of joy.”

Players love assembling in the cage — away from the crowd, away from the media, away from anyone except for uniformed team personnel — to have their defined space. Players aren’t just rushing in and out in preparation for the game. They do their work, then stay to be with teammates.

Sometimes, they talk about plans of attack against opposing ; sometimes they talk about drills and what they’re trying to find in their swings; and sometimes, they’ll simply shoot the breeze and joke with each other. Often, all of these things happen in the course of the roughly half-hour during which players assemble there prior to a game.

“It’s kind of a man cave for the guys. You go in there, you talk, everybody is open, ‘Hey, this is what I’m feeling,’ and everyone feeds off that,” Pearce said. “Guys are constantly learning new stuff from other guys and can incorporate it. I think there’s more of that here than with any other team. People are just coming in and watching, being part of it.”

The Red Sox became Pearce’s seventh big league team in his 12th major league season last year. He’s seen many groups, and many cages. But what he immediately noticed with the Red Sox last year was different than anything he’d seen before — not only the number of people involved in pregame conversations, mostly about hitting, but also the effect of those exchanges.

A little house Fenway Park didn’t have a batting coach behind the dugout until the 2005 season. When the team did create such a space, the natural constraints of the park (even with subsequent expansion) resulted in tighter cage confines than in most parks.

The resulting dimensions of the hitting area, particularly inside of Fenway, bring players together as they work.

“It’s intimate for us,” said Nunez. “It’s a little house that we have there. It’s very special.”

With players not only coming to the cage but staying there in growing numbers before the game, chatter – mostly focused on how to prepare for the game and how to attack opposing pitchers – envelops the group. The cage is a place where the team’s shared purpose on a given night comes into focus, and more broadly, where the team’s identity is forged in a way that set the stage for a team that proved singularly focused in pursuit of victories last year.

“We’re constantly [saying], ‘Last night is over with. This is what’s happening tonight. Let’s prepare. Let’s talk about it. This guy throws a sinker – he’ll throw hard sinkers down and in.’ Everything we’re doing is for a purpose,” Pearce said. “You go in there to almost get away from [everyone else]. You just go away to, let’s just play baseball. Let’s get back to this, start having fun.

“That’s what the cage is. You go in there to laugh, joke with the guys, see what the guys are doing, then, ‘Boom, it’s 6:55 — time for the anthem, let’s go out there and play baseball.’ ”

Here are some key dates in the 2019 Red Sox schedule

Jenna Ciccotelli

A look at the key dates on the Red Sox schedule:

March 28 at Seattle: Opening Night vs. Mariners at T-Mobile Park.

April 5-7 at Arizona: First interleague games of the season, vs. the Diamondbacks.

April 9 vs. Toronto: at Fenway Park. The Red Sox raise the 2018 championship banner and hand out rings.

April 16-17 at New York: First meeting with the Yankees.

April 19-May 8: 20 games in 20 days; 10 at home (Detroit, Tampa Bay, Oakland) and 10 on the road (Tampa Bay, , Baltimore).

May 17-19 vs. Houston: First ALCS rematch of the season … with another set of games the next weekend in Houston (May 24-26).

May 30-June 2 at New York: Four-game set with the Yankees at The Stadium.

June 29-30 at London: The Red Sox meet the Yankees in the first MLB games played in Europe, the inaugural series of a three-year agreement. The Red Sox will be the designated home team at London Stadium.

July 12-14 vs. : The first of two World Series rematches comes at Fenway Park. makes his first trip back to Boston after signing with the Dodgers as a free agent.

July 25-28 vs. New York. The Yankees make their first appearance at Fenway Park, for a four-game series.

Aug. 20-21 vs. Philadelphia: The Phillies’ prized free agent acquisition Bryce Harper is back at Fenway Park for the first time since April 2015. The six-time All-Star is just 3 for 13 lifetime at Fenway, with five .

Aug. 23-Sept. 1: A 10-day, eight-game West Coast road trip covering 8,112.2 miles — Fenway to Petco Park (3,043.6 miles), Petco to Coors Field (1,082.1 miles), Coors to Angel Stadium (1,012.0 miles), Angel Stadium to Fenway (2,974.5 miles). It’s the most distance covered on a road trip this season (London included). , who signed with the Padres as a free agent, will face his former team Aug. 23-25 in the first series between Boston and San Diego since 2016. The games against the Rockies (Aug. 27-28) mark the Red Sox’ first trip to Colorado since June 2013.

Promotional calendar at Fenway Park:

April 11 vs. Toronto: 2018 commemorative World Series ring

April 23 vs. Detroit: Win Wall flag

April 30 vs. Oakland: MVP hat

May 14 vs. Colorado: J.D. Martinez home counter bobblehead

May 28 vs. Cleveland: 2013 commemorative World Series ring

June 11 vs. Texas: 2007 commemorative World Series ring

June 25 vs. Chicago White Sox: bobblehead

July 16 vs. Toronto: Mookie Betts “Time to Party” bobblehead with sound

July 30 vs. Tampa Bay: World Series champions tote bag

Aug. 6 vs. Kansas City: Brock Holt ALDS bobblehead

Aug. 20 vs. Philadelphia: 2004 commemorative World Series ring

Sept. 3 vs. Minnesota: ALCS catch bobblehead

Sept. 17 vs. San Francisco: World Series bobblehead.

* The Boston Herald

Red Sox relievers call themselves ‘the offensive linemen of baseball’

Jason Mastrodonato

Craig Kimbrel isn’t walking through that door.

Not the door to the Red Sox clubhouse, and certainly not the door from the Red Sox bullpen to the field at Fenway Park.

That ship has sailed. All around the world. Three times and back. It’s not happening.

Then there were two incredibly impressive young arms in Darwinzon Hernandez and Durbin Feltman in camp this spring. Manager Alex Cora cut them both. They need to keep developing, he said.

Another ship sailed.

Opening Day is Thursday and the Red Sox are looking at a bullpen that will have eight players who have combined for 29 seasons in the majors and just 15 saves amongst them. Tyler Thornburg saved 13 games for the Brewers before thoracic outlet syndrome altered his career and has picked up two saves in his five years with the Red Sox.

The highest salary in the bullpen is Thornburg’s $1.75 million mark.

Nobody needs to start listing names and salaries of the relievers in the Yankees bullpen to notice a difference in star quality. That exercise could be done for just about any bullpen in the majors and the Red Sox would still come up light.

“We don’t give a crap,” said early in camp. “We consider ourselves the offensive linemen of baseball.”

The offensive linemen of baseball.

Ryan Brasier, who looks like he could be the set-up guy to Barnes unless Cora pulls a switcheroo on Opening Day, had never heard of that label.

“Oh my God,” he said when told of the self-bestowed nickname.

But it made sense to him.

“From the time I got here last year through the playoffs, through , everyone talks about how good we are, minus our bullpen,” Brasier said. “I think everyone uses a little motivation to try to prove to people that it wasn’t a fluke what we did in the playoffs last year and carry it through this year.”

Is it annoying?

“I don’t know if it’s annoying,” he said. “Don’t matter who you are, people are going to talk. Not everyone is going to have something good to say about a group or a person. I don’t think it’s annoying. I think it’s motivation.”

Barnes, who took a major step forward last year and could use his high-90s and signature curve to some games in Kimbrel’s place this year, was well aware of the nickname. He wears it with pride.

“The offensive line is incredibly important part of the team that often doesn’t get as much credit as other portions of the team,” Barnes said. “I don’t remember how it came about.”

The Sox bullpen hasn’t gotten much credit, not when they ranked eighth in the majors last year with a 3.72 ERA and not when they completed the postseason without blowing a save, despite Kimbrel’s tightrope walking habits.

“I feel like there’s a lot of time when we’re the ones doubted the most, is how i’ll say it,” Barnes said. “We don’t mind it at all. We go out there with a chip on our shoulder. We’re confident in what we have here, what we can do and our ability to get the job done. That’s all that matters to us. We’ve played together long enough that regardless of what anyone else writes, it doesn’t matter to us.”

Losing Kimbrel and Joe Kelly without replacing them made it easier to wonder if the Sox would struggle to close out games in 2019.

“Anytime you lose two crucial parts, people are going to ask questions,” Barnes said. “Craig was our bullpen what Mookie to is the middle of our lineup. If Mookie isn’t on this team, questions would be asked of the offense. It’s just the nature and probably to be expected. Losing Joe, who has some of the best stuff I’ve ever seen, they’re fair questions. I don’t think anyone is going to disagree that they aren’t fair. But at the same time, we’re incredible confident in our ability to get the job done and what we have here.”

It’s difficult to project how successful this ‘pen will be when nobody knows who the is. Not even Barnes or Brasier.

“Life of a bullpen guy,” Brasier said. “Whenever you’re called, ready to go.”

Said Barnes, “I can’t wait. Phone rings, come in, do my job and do anything I can to help this team win.”

Both Barnes and Brasier said they’d love to be the closer, but aren’t too concerned about it. Both were used in high-leverage spots all last year.

This year will be slightly different.

The Red Sox’ offensive line has to protect the Tom Brady of starting rotations. And everyone in New England will be wondering if they’re capable of doing that.

“Any reliever would love to be the closer,” Barnes said. “It’s one of the most highly touted positions in the bullpen. Probably the most. But at the same time I’m not consuming myself with, ‘oh my God, it’s got to be the ninth .’ I’m consuming myself with, ‘I’m going to get outs in any situation to help this team win games.’

“While closing is fun, winning games and winning World Series is a lot more fun than any role someone is going to give you.”

* MassLive.com

How Alex Cora, Boston Red Sox’s bilingual manager, advanced English-language skills to become one of baseball’s great communicators

Chris Cotillo

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- For once, there was a question Alex Cora didn’t have an answer to.

When he’s making key decisions in the middle of games, does he think in English or Spanish?

“I have no idea,” Cora said. “I really don’t know.”

Cora, the first minority manager in Red Sox history, excelled as a communicator in his first year on the job in 2018. A large part of that stems from his bilingualism-- allowing him to, say, talk hitting in Spanish with the Dominican-born seconds before seamlessly transitioning into a discussion on defensive positioning in English with Texas native Brock Holt.

Cora spends each day constantly switching back and forth between the languages, speaking Spanish to a handful of his players and English to the large majority of them. He even finds himself having to answer questions in both languages during his daily press conferences.

How he thinks depends on who he’s talking to.

“Like right now, I’m in English mode," Cora said. "There’s guys who listen to you, they translate and they go. I just react to it.”

***

As Cora grew up in Caguas, Puerto Rico, his parents emphasized the importance of developing his English. In addition to reading the El Nuevo Día newspaper in Spanish, Cora made sure to read the English- language San Juan Star.

“It was more Spanglish than anything else,” Cora said. “I was good. My parents did a good job to help us out with that.”

When Cora’s older brother, Joey, signed with the Padres as a first-round pick in 1985, his first big purchase was a satellite dish for his family in Caguas. Then just 10 years old, Alex Cora began to watch most of his television programs in English.

By the time he had to decide on where to go to college, Cora saw the University of Miami as a strong fit due to the area’s large Hispanic population. Though he knew English and could communicate pretty well, the teenage Cora hoped speaking his first language would help quell some of the homesickness he was bound to feel in leaving Puerto Rico.

“That’s one of the reasons I went there,” Cora said. “I was like, ‘I can speak Spanish, go to college and play baseball.’ I had the best of the whole world. It really didn’t help me out, in a sense, because I was speaking more Spanish than English at the time.”

Still, Cora found his new English-first environment in Coral Gables to be difficult. He enrolled in a speech communication class and found himself immediately brandishing his second language in front of large groups.

“You had to do reports in front of 150 people,” Cora said. “Fear or no fear, you have to do it.”

Cora befriended bilingual teammate J.D. Arteaga, taking comfort in how Arteaga’s Spanish-speaking family lived locally and was willing to help him out with the transition. Despite becoming more comfortable with English, Cora found himself extremely homesick and flew home to Caguas early in his freshman year ready to give up on Miami and sign with the Twins, who had drafted him earlier that year.

When he got home, Cora was met with a stern talking-to from Joey, then a six-year major-league veteran. It included a crash course on baseball’s draft rules.

“He was like, no, you can’t (turn pro now),” Cora laughed. “You went to class already.”

***

Cora didn’t find many situations where he needed to serve as a translator during his 14 years in the majors, as most teams had a Spanish-speaking coach on staff. It wasn’t until after his playing career, when he was hired as an analyst by ESPN in 2013, that his communication skills would be put to the test.

Cora, who appeared on both ESPN and ESPN Deportes, was initially self-conscious about speaking English in front of a TV audience. It wasn’t until he tuned in to First Take one morning and saw former big-league manager and family friend Ozzie Guillen that he was fully comfortable with his own work.

“True story," Cora laughed. “I was like, if Ozzie can do First Take, with his English, I can do Baseball Tonight with my English.”

Cora said his colleagues at ESPN focused on helping him eliminate verbal tics -- “you know” and “I think,” -- but never anything related to a language barrier.

“They helped me out because that’s TV. But to my English or whatever if I pronounced something the wrong way, they never got on me,” Cora said. “They liked who I was and the way I did it.”

Cora especially enjoyed working with now-Yankees manager Aaron Boone, who he described as the “perfect” English speaker.

“His English is beautiful,” Cora said. “Sometimes he throws some words out there and I’m like, ‘Wow. I wish I could do that.’”

***

As the public face of a franchise in one of the biggest media markets in the country, Cora finds his communication skills constantly put to the test. He understands that anything he says could be misconstrued or blown out of proportion.

“In the press conferences, I think people like what I say,” Cora said. "It’s short, quick and straight to the point.

“To elaborate, especially with injuries, sometimes I feel uncomfortable. I want to explain it but the words don’t come out. I just say, ‘He’s day-to-day.’”

Cora believes his daily media sessions help him keep his English sharp, even if he does muddle injury reports from time-to-time. He didn’t feel the same hesitancy with that aspect of this job as he did starting out at ESPN.

“With the media stuff, I was comfortable since Day 1," Cora said. "Because for what everybody says about (Aaron Boone) and I not paying our dues and not being ready, look around the league. There are only two guys that know how the media works in real-time.”

Cora actively listens to other conversations in English in an effort to improve his own grasp of the language. He appreciates how his former managers, who only spoke English, tried to learn bits of other languages to better connect with players.

“They always did it. They tried to connect,” Cora said. “It was harder than, obviously, my situation. But they always tried. There was always a Latino coach or something, around. From their end, they did their best. Most of these guys have been around baseball for a while so although they don’t understand the whole (language), they have a pretty good idea. It’s baseball lingo.”

Cora’s mastery of two languages has allowed him to connect with a diverse group of people both inside and outside of baseball. Communication played a key role in how an aging veteran from Caguas and a rookie from Sacramento were able to form a strong bond as Red Sox teammates more than a decade ago.

“Pedey!” Cora called out to Dustin Pedroia in the JetBlue Park dugout. “During the game, am I thinking in English or Spanish?”

“Both?” Pedroia asked.

“Then both, I guess,” Cora said. “I really don’t know.”

Boston Red Sox place Sandy Leon on waivers (report)

Chris Cotillo

The Red Sox have placed Sandy Leon on outright waivers, according to WEEI’s Evan Drellich.

Leon will either be claimed by another team or clear waivers in the next 48 hours. If he clears, he will decide whether to remain in the organization at Pawtucket (off the 40-man roster) or forego his $2.48 million salary to elect free agency.

Boston carried three last year-- Leon, Christian Vazquez and -- but will carry only two this season due to the impending return of Dustin Pedroia. With Vazquez and Swihart emerging as the clear top options this spring, Leon lost his roster spot and was the subject of trade talks in recent days.

Leon appears to be the most likely catcher to be dealt before Opening Day.

President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski has been trying to trade a catcher since the end of last season, though it’s clear he never found a deal to his liking. Because Vazquez signed an extension last spring and Swihart is a former first-round pick who is controlled through 2022, Leon was always the most likely of the trio to be moved.

Leon, who was originally acquired from the Nationals almost exactly four years ago, appeared in 293 games for the Sox over the past four seasons. Though he is limited offensively (.229/.289/.247 in 1,000 plate appearances), the 30-year old has established himself as a strong defensive catcher and game-caller and has been the preferred catcher for both and over the last two years.

If a catcher-needy team doesn’t claim Leon over the next couple days, he could serve as a depth option for the Sox at Pawtucket this season. The Red Sox have limited depth behind Vazquez and Swihart, with veteran Juan Centeno being the top option if someone is injured.

* RedSox.com

Rotation will set tone for Red Sox in 2019

Ian Browne

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Other teams can have their openers. The Red Sox are progressive in many other ways, but when it comes to their starting rotation, they are as traditional as it gets.

It takes 27 outs to win a baseball game, and the Red Sox will most often rely on their starters to get a large portion of them. This isn’t so much an organizational-based philosophy as it is a decision based on talent.

“[Our starters] bring something different than others to the equation,” said manager Alex Cora. “Our team starts with the starting rotation. As soon as you see these guys on the mound, people take notice.”

The defending World Series champions think they have the best starting rotation in baseball, and they are going to play off that strength in hopes of a repeat.

“We take a lot of pride in what we do and we try to be the backbone of this team,” said Red Sox Chris Sale.

In the Nos. 2 and 3 spots in the rotation, the Sox have starters who have trophies on display in their homes: and Rick Porcello.

Nathan Eovaldi, the righty whose fastball generally sits in the high 90s but occasionally travels to digits, is in the fourth spot and coming off a brilliant postseason.

Then, there is lefty Eduardo Rodriguez -- who will soon turn 26 and is finally starting a season healthy. He could be ready to put it all together at last.

So often looked at as the little brother of the rotation, Rodriguez is ready to be viewed as an equal. But he knows what he has to do to get there.

"I mean, I want to get to that point. I want to get to the point where I can be available to win a Cy Young, like everybody wants to do that one day,” Rodriguez said. “But, like I said, I just want to be healthy and help the team to win games."

Last season, the Red Sox won 108 games, a franchise record. The starters had much to do with that. They will again try to set the tone in 2019.

“We push each other at the field, away from the field, playing golf, ping pong, it doesn’t matter,” said Price. “[All five of us are] very competitive guys who like to win -- and we push each other.”

Ideally, Cora will get 18 to 21 outs from his starters. So how is he going to get those last six to nine outs?

That is a big question -- one that will finally come into focus once the season starts.

Closer is a free agent, and not returning to Boston. Joe Kelly was a key setup man from last year, and he fled to the Dodgers.

This much is clear: Matt Barnes and will start the season as Cora’s highest-leverage relievers. What's unclear is if one of them will close, or if Cora will instead utilize his entire bullpen and go with the best matchups in the ninth inning.

Heath Hembree, Tyler Thornburg and are other relievers who will be counted on to get big outs.

But for the Red Sox, the most important outs will often be the ones their starters get them.

“It’s going to be the foundation of what we do this entire season,” Porcello said of the rotation. “So we’ve got the talent, we’ve got to be able to go out and do it.”

* WEEI.com

Sandy Leon appears to be odd man out for Red Sox

Rob Bradford

The Red Sox said all along they weren't prepared to carry three catchers on their Opening Day roster as was the case last season. Sunday we found out who the odd man out would be.

As was first reported by Evan Drellich, the Red Sox have put Sandy Leon on waivers.

Because of Leon's current contract -- he will make $2.475 in 2019 -- it is unlikely the catcher will be claimed. If no team commits to Leon during the waiver process he will have the option of either joining Triple-A Pawtucket or be granted his outright release.

Besides Leon's deal, the other roadblock in finding a home for the 29-year-old was his offensive limitations. He was never able to duplicate the success at the plate from 2016, when the switch-hitter managed a .310 batting average and .845 OPS. Last season Leon just .177 with a .511 OPS.

Leon still saw action in 89 games thanks in large part to his work with starting pitchers such as Chris Sale, Rick Porcello and David Price.

The move leaves Christian Vazquez and Blake Swihart as the Sox' two catchers, with the team choosing to carry 13 pitchers until Dustin Pedroia makes his planned return April 9.

* Bostonsportsjournal.com

With little fanfare, Red Sox arrive at Opening Day bullpen mix

Sean McAdam

There was no big announcement from Alex Cora, or any sort of declaration, but with a few last-day-in- Florida cuts executed on Saturday morning, the Red Sox all but eliminated any mystery of what their bullpen is going to look like for at least the first week of the season.

Optioned to Pawtucket were Marcus Walden and Bobby Poyner — two surprise members of the 2018 Opening Day roster — while Darwinzon Hernandez was optioned to -A Portland.

And with that, barring some unanticipated roster claim or deal, the 2019 Red Sox bullpen was unofficially assembled. Or, at least, version 1.0.

There will be changes, of course, and probably before the team returns to Boston for its home . There’s a good possibility Dustin Pedroia will have built up additional strength by then and be ready to be activated. That will necessitate one pitcher being trimmed from the bullpen since, without Pedroia, the Sox have opted to start the year with 13 pitchers and 12 position players. Pedroia’s availability with flip that roster construct around.

For now, in addition to their five-man rotation, here are the eight relievers set to begin the season Thursday in Seattle: Matt Barnes, Ryan Brasier, Heath Hembree, Brandon Workman, Tyler Thornburg, Brian Johnson, Hector Velazquez and Colten Brewer.

If that group doesn’t exactly fill you with confidence, you’re not alone.

Here are a few things to keep in mind:

Bullpen construction is fluid.

As noted above, Poyner and Walden each made the Opening Day roster last spring. Walden didn’t make it to Boston, six games into the season and Poyner was optioned out soon after. The two made several returns over the course of the season, in part because they both had options, making their demotion and subsequent recall easier when injuries or poor performance by others interceded.

In fact, options — or lack thereof — help explain the presence of both Workman and Thornburg, neither of whom wowed anyone in Grapefruit League action. In the case of Workman, the Sox have to hope that his diminished velocity this spring is temporary and with time, will improve — just as it did a year ago.

Thornburg is a different case. The Sox are attempting to be patient as he comes back from thoracic outlet surgery in June of 2017. The results this spring were, to be charitable, uneven (10.5 ERA, 2.667 WHIP in six appearances). But Thornburg did display better velocity and late movement with his fastball, both of which were absent last season.

There may be another reason for the Sox’ patience with him: he’s all the Sox have to show for the (for now) disastrous trade that sent and three prospects to the and buying him out of his non-guaranteed contract (which the Sox can still do until Monday afternoon) would not represent a good look.

The bullpen is likely to get tested early.

On one hand, the Red Sox are fortunate. On their first road swing of the season, the schedule-maker has them playing two teams (Seattle and Arizona) which almost certainly won’t be competing for a playoff spot and a third (Oakland) which must, for now, be considered a postseason longshot.

Additionally, although the A’s possess some firepower in their lineup (Khris Davis, Matt Davidson), in general, none of the three clubs up first represent much of an offensive threat.

But because the Red Sox were (properly) careful with their starting pitchers during spring training, none is necessarily ready to deliver 100 pitches in the first go-round. That will mean shortened outings, with some starters not expected to go much beyond five .

That will require Cora and pitching coach Dana LeVangie to sometimes get as many as 12 outs from their relievers during the first week. Things will be further complicated when the Sox use a sixth starter (either Johnson or Velazquez) for the final game of the trip in Phoenix on April 7, which will mean one of the bullpen arms will be unavailable for the first two games (at minimum) of the Diamondbacks series.

There’s still no closer plan in place.

Well, maybe that’s not entirely accurate. But there’s no publicly disclosed closer plan in place.

The suspicion has been for some time that Cora and LeVangie have known since before the start of spring training how they would handle the ninth inning, but in order to not have the issue serve as a spring-long distraction, have kept it under wraps.

Cora has playfully told reporters that the plan will be unveiled Thursday night at T-Mobile Field in Seattle — assuming, that is, the Red Sox have a lead of three runs or fewer heading into the bottom of the ninth.

That’s served to diffuse the matter somewhat. The most likely scenario would have Barnes and Brasier trading off closing duties, depending on availability and matchups.

Together, they have combined for exactly two (2) saves in their careers. And yet, that’s not the most potentially troublesome aspect of the current bullpen.

Rather, it’s this: with Barnes and Brasier moving a rung up the ladder, as it were, the onus will be on the likes of Workman, Hembree and Thornburg to handle the high-leverage spots in the seventh and eighth that Barnes and Brasier took care of last season.