The Wednesday, March 15, 2017

*

Henry Owens and the battle against time

Alex Speier

FORT MYERS, Fla. — Prospect status does not merely reflect the passage of time but also an evolving relationship with it. Time veers from ally to enemy, from an unlimited sense of possibility to an emptying hourglass, from a vision of a boundless future to a collapsing present.

No one in Red Sox camp more fully represents that notion than Henry Owens. On Tuesday, the Red Sox optioned the 24-year-old lefthander of big league camp to A Pawtucket. He needs more time in the minor leagues after a Grapefruit League struggle in which he posted a 15.95 ERA with 13 and 12 walks in 7⅓ .

Owens, once considered a key part of the Red Sox’ future, now represents uncertainty, with questions arising this spring about whether he is at a crossroads or, worse, has already passed one. A fan base once eager for his big league arrival — how long ago the clamor for his call-up in September 2014 now seems — expresses loud doubt about whether it will ever come.

The reality? Players develop on different schedules. arrive on different schedules.

Some fly through the minors, as Owens once seemed he might be destined to do. Fellow tall lefties and were big league starters by their age 23 seasons.

There were 90 pitchers who made 25 or more starts in the big leagues last year. That group’s average age for the first season in which they made 20 starts in the major leagues was 24 — the same “season age” at which Owens will be pitching this year.

Of the 24 lefties who started 25 or more big league games last year, the average age of their first full big league season of 20-plus starts was 23.

Some star-caliber pitchers such as , Kyle Hendricks, Adam Wainwright, , and didn’t enjoy their first year of 20 or more starts until they were 25 or older. Across from Owens in the Red Sox , Drew Pomeranz had to wait until he was 27 to crack a big league rotation in 2016.

But for Owens, there is an acknowledgment of the difficulty of a longer-than-expected process.

“You wait so long for it to click and it hasn’t happened,” Owens said Monday. “But I know I have confidence in my abilities. I have confidence in myself that eventually everything is going to synch up. I just keep that mentality, that same attitude, and hopefully it happens sooner rather than later.

“I think it’s just patience. Just being patient with your own game. I’m different than Drew. Drew is different than me. I’m different than every other guy in this rotation. It’s just a matter of how much patience you have and the ability to stay positive throughout the process.

“When you don’t have success on the mound, it’s going to make patience a lot harder, obviously. But at the same time, I think I do a good job of just staying with an even keel, coming to the clubhouse every day with the same attitude, working hard, having fun, mixing it up with the guys.”

The “working hard” component is one that Owens recognizes as the key factor in the direction of his career. This offseason, in an effort to the ground running and put his best size-17 foot forward in , he started his weightlifting and throwing programs earlier than he ever had as a professional.

That effort produced some results. Owens now weighs 230 pounds, a far cry from what the recalls as the “170-something” pound pitcher whose bones seemed nearly visible when he was taken in the first round of the 2011 draft. And his velocity, so often stuck in the high 80s last year, proved appreciably better this spring, as the lefthander worked at 90-94 in his most recent outing.

But the success was limited. The lefthander hoped that he’d arrive in spring training with his mechanics locked in, ready to throw strikes.

“Last year, there were a lot of adjustments start to start,” he said. “I don’t think I threw four starts in a row with the same mechanics. I think I was tinkering and trying to find — especially in Triple A, not in the big leagues as much — in Triple A really trying to find what worked for me and what worked on a consistent basis.

“Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to find it last year in Triple A. This offseason, I spent a lot of time mechanically, making adjustments. I came into camp feeling good but it just hasn’t turned over yet.

“I have long limbs and I want to fix my body mechanics and make myself more of an athlete. There was a lot of attention to that in Triple A and now finding what, mechanically, works for me and repeating it over and over until it becomes muscle memory so that when I’m on the mound, I’m not thinking about anything except executing a .”

Last year, he walked 20 batters in 22 big league innings, while issuing a career-worst 5.3 free passes per nine innings in the minors. While his faltering control prevented big league success, he worked around his struggles to post a 3.53 ERA in Triple A Pawtucket.

It’s notable that he walked or hit 18 percent of the batters he faced in Triple A with the bases empty, pitching from the windup. With runners on base and pitching from the stretch, that mark sank to 13 percent — still high, but closer to manageable.

On Monday, Owens had a session that he and the Red Sox hope is the start of a correction. Instead of facing the plate at the start of his delivery, he squared his shoulders to first base, much as he does out of the stretch, in an effort to make it easier to maintain his proper direction toward the plate.

His openness to making a major change in his mechanics underscores Owens’s awareness of where he is right now.

“To Henry’s credit, he didn’t mince words,” said. “He knows he’s capable of more. He knows he needs to pitch better.

“When a player articulates it clearly, it may be the first step toward making real change and adjustment. He’s got stuff to pitch in the big leagues. It’s got to be more consistent.”

There are no guarantees that Owens will piece together the puzzle.

“Henry is important to us,” said Farrell, noting that both David Price and Roenis Elias are unlikely to be ready to start the season on time. “His role here, his place here in our pitching depth is key. And yet we’ve got to do some things to get him more consistent, to be more dependable at this point in the short .”

Owens recognizes the challenge.

“I still firmly believe in myself,” said Owens. “I still have the same mind-set of winning games for this ball club late in the year.”

Drew Pomeranz makes his first start of spring

Nick Cafardo

FORT MYERS, Fla. — “I’m not worried about nothin’ except that nothin’s not hurtin’,” were the infamous words of one Sammy Stewart in spring training 1986 for the Red Sox.

Stewart was saying all he was concerned about was that he was healthy.

And that pretty much sums up Drew Pomeranz’s first outing of spring training.

He lasted two innings and allowed two runs, giving up a mammoth to Melvin Upton Jr. and a long triple over ’s head in right by Anthony Alford. Pomeranz didn’t strike out or walk anyone and threw 35 pitches.

Pomeranz had a stem cell injection in his left elbow last October and was held back in camp, doing only side sessions and bullpen sessions and live practice prior to Tuesday’s outing against the Blue Jays.

Manager John Farrell thinks Pomeranz will be able to build up to 90 pitches before the season starts.

“I felt pretty good for the first outing,” Pomeranz said. “Just looking to get out there, feel good, try to throw strikes. Results aside, I’m pretty happy with how I felt out there.

“It’s kind of like that point in the year, you just want to get out there, get back to being in that rhythm, kind of like you get during the season.”

Pomeranz, 28, said he didn’t try to do anything fancy. He stuck to his fastball and curve.

“I’m behind a lot of these other guys,” he said. “It’s frustrating. You want to go out there and feel like midseason form, but you’ve got to remember it’s early. It’s the first one. Just trying to throw strikes with those two pitches.”

As for Upton’s mammoth homer, “It was just a fastball that stayed over the plate,” said Pomeranz.

“You’ve just got to kind of go out there knowing where you’re at. I’m happy with the way the ball is coming out of my hand.

“I missed a couple times. That’s going to happen early. But there’s a fine line between getting yourself ready and competing still. That’s what spring training is for.”

But this is a different spring training for him.

“Probably most every spring training, I’ve come in ready,” he said. “This year, obviously, I took it a lot slower, but I don’t think I took it too slow. I think I had a good progression coming through.

“It’s such a different feeling for me because normally I come in completely ready and then I can go out there, everything, every pitch feels good coming out of my hand. I’m just taking a kind of different approach this year.”

DL in Price’s future David Price will likely start the season on the disabled list, Farrell said at his morning briefing.

It’s not really a surprise, considering the time Price has missed since an arm issue surfaced.

Price, who complained of soreness and swelling in his left forearm following a Feb. 28 outing, has been throwing again and in fact has made progress since having a second and third opinion and an MRI, which showed no structural damage.

“At this point, it would be hard to see him be ready to go to start the season,” Farrell said.

“We really won’t have any kind of idea until he gets on the mound for the first time, and right now I don’t know when that’s going to be.”

Price, 31, was upbeat when he spoke to reporters Monday. He said the recovery has “gone a lot better than what I anticipated, to be completely honest.

“With the progress I’ve made right now, honestly, [the injury is] out of my mind. It’s been comforting the way the past probably three days have gone.”

The injury did not require any surgery or injections, just rest, which Price did for 10 days.

New assignments The Red Sox made some expected roster moves, sending lefties Henry Owens and and righty to the Triple A camp, while third base prospect , catcher Jordan Procyshen, and outfielder Junior Lake were assigned to the minor league camp. The Red Sox now have 52 players in camp.

Owens and Johnson have simply not been effective in major league games, and with Steven Wright and Pomeranz now needing reps, there was no room for either.

Lake has shown flashes of his younger days with the Cubs, but he wasn’t going to get the at-bats. Workman is coming off Tommy John surgery and needs time to re-establish himself at Pawtucket.

Not adjusting well Tyler Thornburg is expected to pitch off a mound Wednesday after being stretched out to 200-foot long tossing. Thornburg has experienced soreness as a result of from overexertion in Boston’s demanding throwing program.

The Red Sox hope he can adapt and be their setup man.

“There’s nothing to say he won’t be ready by , but we have to base this on what his body is telling us,” said Farrell. “But we have to wait until he gets on the mound and repetitively get on the mound.”

The Sox have had problems with the relievers they’ve acquired. Last season, they traded for Carson Smith, who immediately had Tommy John surgery. They’ve also had , who had his worst season in Boston, while Joel Hanrahan and Andrew Bailey both had major injuries as well.

Steve Selsky delivers in Red Sox win

Nick Cafardo

Score: Red Sox 5, Blue Jays 4.

Record: 8-10-1.

Breakdown: drove in a pair of runs with a two-out opposite-field in the third to score and Hanley Ramirez, both of whom had walked. That tied the score at 2. The Red Sox took the lead in the fourth inning. Pedroia’s scored Sandy Leon, who had singled and went to third on Marco Hernandez’s . Steve Selsky broke a 3-3 tie in the eighth, knocking in two runs with a double after Sam Travis and reached on hits. Righthander Sean Haviland proved to be star of the day as he entered with men on first and third with nobody out in the ninth and struck out the side.

Thumbs up: Pablo Sandoval drew a thunderous ovation after he made a nice on a hot liner hit by Anthony Alford in the fifth . . . The Red Sox bullpen had its moments as , , Robby Scott, Noe Ramirez, and Haviland combined for five hitless and scoreless innings . . . Pedroia raised his spring training average to .400.

Thumbs down: After Hernandez doubled to left-center in the fourth inning, he was picked off second later in the inning . . . Jackie Bradley Jr. went 0 for 3 and is hitting .167.

Around the bases: The sellout crowd of 10,148 was the largest this season at JetBlue Park . . . The skipper, Joe Morgan, has been around the ballpark . . . Tommy Harper is in the house, serving as a special instructor . . . It was a cool 72 degrees with a 15-mile-per-hour wind at game time . . . Toronto was 1 for 11 with runners in , the Red Sox were 2 for 7.

Next game: Kyle Kendrick throws for the Red Sox on Wednesday against the Rays in Port Charlotte. Game time is 1:05 p.m. on WEEI 850 AM. Marcus Walden, Chandler Shepherd, Ben Taylor, Kyle Martin, and Luis Ysla are slated to pitch for the Red Sox.

Hanley Ramirez shifts into a new gear

Stan Grossfeld

FORT MYERS, Fla. — It’s 8 a.m. on the day of his first spring training game, and Hanley Ramirez is already sitting in front of the two lockers he inherited from .

A reporter stops by and informs him that it’s the first day of a new chapter in his life as the Red Sox’ primary .

Ramirez pops to his feet.

“Can I get dressed?” he says. “Get the [expletive] out of my face.”

He waits two seconds, then bursts into raucous laughter, flashes his pearly white teeth, and wraps the bewildered scribe in a bear hug.

Hanley Ramirez is having fun.

“I’m just more open now,” he says.

That’s evident from watching the three-time All-Star step into the role held by Ortiz since 2003. Besides swinging a hot bat, Ramirez has plunged himself into Red Sox Nation this spring. He goes out of his way to hug a child in a wheelchair and a veteran in full dress whites. He poses for selfies and signs autographs.

Today, he says, he’s “very, very excited” to bat cleanup against the .

“Yeah, he’s psyched,” says Dustin Pedroia in the next stall.

Pedroia predicts a smooth transition for Ramirez, who went from a disaster in left field two years ago to a hit at first base last season.

“He’ll be just fine,” says Pedroia. “One guy can’t fill in for David — that’s impossible — so we just do the best we can together. We’re all in this together. It’s going to be a fun year.”

With his two boys back to school after practicing with dad at Fenway South, Ramirez has agreed to give the Globe a sneak peek into his routine.

First of all, he’s stronger than ever. After the disappointing playoff sweep against Cleveland last season, he barely took a break.

“That’s what I do, work out, to get stronger for the season,” he says. “I took two weeks off, then went down to the Dominican and played a little winter league and came back here to continue what I started.”

In the gym, he pumps 85-pound barbells as if they are made of Styrofoam.

“I do a lot of lifting,” he says. “Lifting and taking care of my body.”

A modern-day Samson, Ramirez says he hasn’t cut his hair in five years. In batting practice, he swings so hard that his blond dreadlocks invade his nose and mouth.

Before the game, he puts resin on his bat and smears pine tar on his helmet to take away the shine.

“I don’t like new helmets,” he says.

He stretches once on the field, but also before each at-bat amid the cool concrete underneath the stands. Ramirez, at 33 one of only four Red Sox position players on the roster over the age of 30, says the youngsters give him energy.

“When I go on the field and I see all the young talent around me, that makes me feel better every day,” he says.

Back on the bench, he has a fancy handshake routine and hug for and keeps manager John Farrell in stitches with a story.

As the temperature approaches 80, he splashes water on his face, takes a sip, and spits out the rest. Just before first pitch, he briefly holds a smelling-salt capsule under his nose, just like they do in hockey.

“I do that before every game to warm myself up,” he says.

In his first at-bat, he hits a bomb that barely spins foul. In his second at-bat, he shatters his 34-inch, 32- ounce maple bat.

Ramirez, No. 13 in your program, says he is not superstitious about bats.

“No,” he says. “I just keep swinging till they break, and then I get another one.”

While the team is in the field, he meticulously tapes the handle of the new bat.

His limited track record as DH is good. In 36 career games, he has hit .331 with a 1.014 OPS and 10 homers.

The DH typically has tons of time on his hands during games.

“Sometimes you stretch a little bit, and that’s it,” says Ramirez. “I try to keep everything simple. I don’t try to think too much. When you think too much, you get yourself in trouble.

“I just let things happen and go out there and see the ball and hit it. I don’t worry about anything.”

He won’t look at video of his last at-bats. The video room at JetBlue Park is in the clubhouse, connected by a maze of hallways and is difficult to access.

Leading off the seventh inning, Ramirez jumps on a fastball and smacks a double to right-center.

“You go with the pitch,” says Ramirez. “It was a fastball away and I went the other way. That’s what we’re supposed to do.”

Ramirez is asked what’s it like to be in Big Papi’s shoes, but he shakes his dreadlocks at the comparison.

“No, I’m not in his shoes,” he says. “Nobody can be in his shoes. David is David, that’s it. The key thing is that I keep working hard to get better and better and better.”

He also will play some first base against lefthanders.

“I’m not 100 percent DH,” he says. “But at the same time, nobody can deny the truth of what David did here. But that’s in the past now.

“We got to move on now. It’s time to get our ring.”

Last year, he hit 30 home runs and drove in 111 runs. Can he do better?

“I could do less and win the championship — that’s what matters,” he says.

Gone is the moody Hanley of two years ago.

“I don’t remember that,” he says, flashing a grin. “That’s in the past. I don’t think about negative stuff.’’

Ortiz was like the big brother Ramirez never had. He grew up an only child in the Dominican Republic, shy and wary of attention. Unlike Papi, he didn’t like to talk. But now, he says, he is increasingly comfortable in the Red Sox organization.

He’s also trying to show more love to the fans.

“It’s good that they notice,” he says.

But he’s not making any championship guarantees.

“Oh no, this is baseball and anything can happen,” he says as he heads toward the players’ parking lot. “We don’t want to be thinking way ahead of time. We’ve got to go little by little.’’

Before driving off, he pauses to say, “I just want to clarify something, that we are here to win. To play baseball and do good things for the community and that’s what matters.

“Tell the Sox Nation, ‘Thank you for everything and we’re ready.’ ”

Suddenly, the Red Sox’ pitching depth doesn’t look so deep

Nick Cafardo

FORT MYERS, Fla. — The Red Sox started spring training with what appeared to be good starting pitching depth, but lately you have to wonder whether they have enough.

It’s amazing how quickly pitching depth can erode.

The injury to David Price was a blow, and there is no concrete timetable for his return. He could be out for the first two weeks or month of the regular season.

You had Steven Wright and Drew Pomeranz held back by physical issues, beginning their spring training assignments late. Wright pitched two scoreless innings vs. the Blue Jays Monday. Pomeranz made his spring training debut Tuesday vs. the Blue Jays. He went two innings and allowed two runs on two hits, including a solo home run by Melvin Upton Jr. in the first inning.

Roenis Elias is sidelined with an intercostal strain. Henry Owens and Brian Johnson have not pitched well, and both were assigned to minor league camp Tuesday. signee Hector Velazquez showed early signs of being effective, but lately his lack of velocity has caught up with him.

Kyle Kendrick, the veteran righty, has probably been the most impressive of the “depth” guys. Vice president of pitching development has him back to being a sinkerball pitcher, which is what he was when he was most effective. But Kendrick has a complicated situation; the Red Sox would have to find a roster spot for him or they could lose him to another team. He has opt-outs in his contract on June 15 and Aug. 15.

Nothing says that Owens can’t find himself eventually. He’s still only 24. Bannister said he’s had experience with this type of tall pitcher, and it just takes them longer. He cited as an example and the struggles of Andrew Miller as he was coming up. Those guys also threw a lot harder than Owens, but Bannister reasons that a tall pitcher’s delivery takes time to refine, so nobody should give up on him yet.

Toward that end, Owens met with manager John Farrell, pitching coach Carl Willis, and Bannister to shorten his delivery so there aren’t as many moving parts.

“Henry is important to us for the reason outlined [i.e. depth],” said Farrell. “He was made aware of that. His role here with depth is key, and yet we have to do things to be more consistent and dependable.

“The way Kendrick has thrown the ball, that has been encouraging. With the injuries, our pitching has taken a hit, which is all the more reason we have to get Henry on track.”

But we’re talking about being in position to help the major league team right away. Other than Kendrick, would you feel comfortable with anyone else starting a game?

Every team would love to be like the 2004 Red Sox and use only five starters the entire season, but that’s not the reality. The Red Sox likely will go through eight or nine this year.

Although ’s hand injury is not serious, it did illustrate how fragile a pitcher can be. You never know when a line drive will be hit off their shoulder, hand, or elbow.

When the Red Sox obtained Chris Sale from the White Sox, they had six bona fide starting pitchers, so Dave Dombrowski decided to the $13.5 million on and deal him to Philadelphia. And, really, there’s no regretting that move. No team would keep a “depth” guy for that kind of money.

So what do you do now if you’re Dombrowski and Farrell?

You’re hell-bent on staying under the luxury-tax threshold, so it’s hard to add a pitcher who’s making big money. You can pick up a pitcher who is out of options, or a veteran who might get cut at the end of camp.

You can try to sign a Colby Lewis or a Doug Fister (whom Dombrowski once had in Detroit) to a minor league deal. Another pitcher he once had, Anibal Sanchez, could be released by the Tigers, who still owe him about $21.8 million. But the velocity on all of his pitches has dipped. Would Dombrowski take a chance on a guy like that if he’s willing to go to Pawtucket and stay there until there’s an injury?

There’s no easy answer.

Dombrowski and Farrell may have to hold their breath and hope that Price gets back soon, that Pomeranz is OK, and that Eduardo Rodriguez’s kneecap doesn’t pop out of place again. They can hope that something finally clicks with Owens and that Johnson can put it together the way they always thought he could.

But hope isn’t always enough.

Last season, the Red Sox were able to plug in Sean O’Sullivan, and while he was unpredictable with his effectiveness, they felt comfortable going to him.

There are three pitchers in the bullpen — Matt Barnes, Joe Kelly, and Robbie Ross Jr. — who would love to be starters again. But they’re not going to be “stretched out” enough to be able to perform that task. They are all expected to be a big part of the team’s middle relief, so that likely won’t work.

And we haven’t even mentioned the issue with Tyler Thornburg, who has not been able to adapt to the Red Sox’ shoulder program and is experiencing soreness. This is another fluid situation because he was supposed to be the setup guy. Carson Smith has begun to throw off a mound again, but he’s not coming back from his Tommy John rehab until June or July.

So there will be depth issues in the bullpen, too, though that seems an easier problem to solve.

This is not gloom and doom for a team that is stacked otherwise. It’s just the reality of pitching. When you think you have enough, you don’t. If there should be further incident with a Sox starter, the depth will be challenged and we will find out if anyone can meet it.

David Price headed for disabled list to start season

Nick Cafardo

FORT MYERS, Fla. — David Price will likely start the season on the disabled list, manager John Farrell said at his morning briefing with the media at JetBlue Park Tuesday.

It’s not really a surprise considering the time Price has missed since an arm issue surfaced.

Price, who complained of soreness and swelling in his forearm following a Feb. 28 outing, has been throwing again and in fact has made progress since having a second and third opinion and an MRI, which showed no structural damage.

“At this point, it would be hard to see him be ready to go to start the season,” Farrell said. “We really won’t have any kind of idea until he gets on the mound for the first time, and right now I don’t know when that’s going to be.”

Price, 31, was upbeat when he spoke to reporters on Monday. He said the recovery has “gone a lot better than what I anticipated, to be completely honest.

“With the progress I’ve made right now, honestly, [the injury is] out of my mind. It’s been comforting the way the past probably three days have gone.”

The injury did not require any surgery or injections, just rest, which Price did for 10 days.

Red Sox send three pitchers to Triple A

Nick Cafardo

FORT MYERS, Fla. – The Red Sox made some expected roster moves Tuesday morning when they sent lefties Henry Owens and Brian Johnson and righty Brandon Workman to the Triple-A camp, while third base prospect Rafael Devers, catcher Jordan Procyshen and outfielder Junior Lake were assigned to the minor league camp.

Owens and Johnson have simply not been effective in major league games, and with Steven Wright and Drew Pomeranz needing reps, there was no room for either.

Lake has shown flashes of his younger days with the Cubs, but wasn’t going to get the at-bats. Workman is coming off Tommy John surgery and needs time to reestablish himself at Pawtucket.

The Red Sox now have 52 players in camp.

* The Boston Herald

Not-so-healthy outlook for David Price-less Red Sox rotation

Evan Drellich

FORT MYERS — David Price is bound for the disabled list. The back-end guys have to prove their health, and the scant depth options are either in pain or just painful to watch.

So what’s scarier today, an MRI of Price’s elbow or a snapshot of the Red Sox starting pitching?

There are only two sure things when it comes to the rotation: Chris Sale and Rick Porcello. That’s it.

The rest is a blizzard of health and performance questions.

When you consider the offense is guaranteed to be something less than it was a year ago, president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski might need to start shoveling.

Manager John Farrell confirmed yesterday what the calendar made obvious: Price is likely to begin 2017 on the DL with a poorly explained elbow injury.

“At this point, yeah, it’d be hard to see him ready to go at the start of the season,” Farrell said. “We really won’t have any kind of idea until he gets on the mound the first time. And right now, I don’t know when that’s going to be.”

Seemingly, Price’s injury settles one competition. Instead of three pitchers — Drew Pomeranz, Steven Wright and Eduardo Rodriguez — going for two rotation spots, now there’s room for everybody.

Every healthy body, that is.

“We still have two and a half, three weeks to go,” Farrell said. “So we have to see how the two guys we brought along a little slower, (Pomeranz and Wright), how they get through the remaining starts and build up to I think an adequate number of pitches. That would be targeted at 85 or so.

“I don’t want to sit here today and proclaim that the five are set and ready to go. We’ve got some work yet to do, particularly with Steven and Drew.”

(Did someone say ? This is a conversation involving the DL, after all.)

But if either Wright or Pomeranz needs more time, where does Dombrowski turn?

Veteran non-roster invitee Kyle Kendrick has rapidly become the best option. There’s Hector Velazquez, formerly of the Mexican League, but he’s still physically adjusting to a new routine in a new country and has felt a little elbow soreness.

The other relevant minor leaguers are now officially in the minor leagues.

Henry Owens was abysmal this spring, which is why he was sent to Triple-A Pawtucket yesterday, the first day the Sox made cuts in camp. Owens was 0-3 with a 15.95 ERA in 71⁄3 innings. He allowed 13 hits, 13 runs and walked 12. He is changing his mechanics.

Brian Johnson, whose stuff wasn’t as strong as it was two years ago, exited camp as well.

Roenis Elias, meanwhile, can’t even throw for three weeks because of an intercostal strain.

Nonetheless, Dombrowski said he remains comfortable with the starting pitching depth. Dombrowski said, too, that he’s not looking for outside help any more than he was before Price’s injury.

People familiar with the team’s thinking said the Sox are indeed considering adding to their Triple-A depth, as are most teams.

At least Pomeranz made his first Grapefruit League start as part of a 5-4 Sox win against the . Never mind that he was hit hard, including a Melvin Upton Jr. home run.

“I’m happy with the way I felt. I’m happy with feeling good, throwing strikes,” said Pomeranz, who allowed two runs on two hits and no walks or strikeouts in two innings. “I’m not out there walking guys. The ball is coming out of my hand right. Pitches were moving right. The arm strength is going to come.”

Pomeranz’ arm was still attached, which is mostly what the team needs right now.

On back-to-back days, Wright and Pomeranz made their spring debuts. But they’re not in perfect lockstep en route to regular-season readiness.

“Just by virtue of the pitch that Steven Wright throws, I would say he’s a little bit more ahead,” Farrell said. “You’re not looking for arm strength from a velocity standpoint, or sharpness to a with Steven. It’s the that he demonstrated (Monday) that was consistent.

“I can’t say one is that drastically ahead of the other, but I would say Steven’s a little bit ahead right now.”

The Sox were supposed to be far ahead when it came to pitching.

The problems are snowballing now.

Easy does it with overworked late offseason acquisition Hector Velazquez

Evan Drellich

FORT MYERS — The Red Sox have eased up a bit on Hector Velazquez — a smart, low-risk pickup out of the Mexican League last month — because his body wasn’t ready to handle the full load of major league spring training.

Velazquez allowed one run in his first two Grapefruit League outings, starts that lasted two innings apiece. Then, the 28-year-old right-hander allowed three runs in his next two outings, of three and two innings, respectively.

Elbow discomfort cropped up.

“I really didn’t have an offseason,” Velazquez said through translator Daveson Perez. “I had just got off the Caribbean , and then I found out that the Red Sox wanted to sign me, and I went about that process. But once I got here, I started throwing right away and I started doing a lot of reps, and things like that. Recently they’ve been giving me a few extra days of rest just because the program, I’m not used to it. I think they’re going to work on giving me some rest as spring training goes on.”

Velazquez did say he no longer feels tired.

“Right now if I were in the Mexican League, I would just now be getting to camp, just because they would have given me rest after the Caribbean Series,” he said. “I came back after not doing anything, sitting on my couch essentially, and when I came here, I started throwing right away and throwing too hard. It put a little bit of stress on my elbow, but with the rest, I feel great right now.”

The pitcher is aware of the fact he likely will open the season with Triple-A Pawtucket.

Getting adjusted to the U.S. isn’t only about bullpen routines, of course.

“In the Mexican League, I was surrounded by so many Mexicans,” he said. “You never really felt too alone. But you know, now that I’m here and my family’s over there and I’m not as close to them, you do feel alone. But I’m sure that’s something I’m going to get used to.”

Devers among cuts

Top prospect Rafael Devers was among the Red Sox’ first round of cuts, which saw five others join the third baseman in departing big league camp.

Left-handers Brian Johnson and Henry Owens and righty Brandon Workman were technically optioned to Triple-A Pawtucket, while Devers, outfielder Junior Lake and catcher Jordan Procyshen were reassigned to minor league camp. The difference in transactions was only because the three pitchers are on the 40-man roster.

Devers was 3-for-22 (.136) with an RBI, two walks and three strikeouts in the Grapefruit League.

“I don’t know what the numbers are going to end up being, but I can tell you this: For a 20-year-old young player, he’s got a very good offensive mind,” manager John Farrell said. “From the ability to manage his at-bats to fight back into some counts, he’s got very loose hands, so it’s exciting to see him with a bat in his hands. At third base, he showed some softness to the hands. And for 20 years of age, he’s going to continue to develop physically. So one of the things we continue to stress with him is trying to maintain body composition and the streamlined physique to maintain the range.

“His body and range are going to determine whether he stays at third base or not. As far as an offensive player, he’s a really good-looking player.”

Owens is working on an altered delivery.

“We’re just trying to minimize the movement and create some consistent direction and release point when he’s out of the stretch,” Farrell said. “There’s an abbreviated delivery now. Henry is important to us. . . . He was made well aware of that — his role here, his place here in our pitching depth is key.”

The Sox have 52 players remaining in big league camp, including 15 non-roster invitees.

Smith progresses

Rehabbing righty reliever Carson Smith came out of his first bullpen session well.

“Maybe he kind of downplays (Monday’s) bullpen session, but that’s a significant day in the return of a guy coming back from Tommy John (surgery),” Farrell said. . . .

Tyler Thornburg will take to the mound today after throwing at 180-200 feet the past couple days. The righty reliever has been working to strengthen his throwing shoulder.

Red Sox prospect Rafael Devers, pitchers Henry Owens, Brian Johnson among first cuts

Evan Drellich

FORT MYERS — The Red Sox made their first cuts of spring on Tuesday, sending six players to minor league camp, including top prospect Rafael Devers and important pitching depth pieces Henry Owens and Brian Johnson.

Johnson, Owens and righty Brandon Workman were technically optioned to Triple-A Pawtucket, while Devers, outfielder Junior Lake and catcher Jordan Procyshen were reassigned to minor league camp. The difference is because the pitchers were on the 40-man roster, while the hitters were not.

Owens has been abysmal this spring, going 0-3 with 12 walks, 13 hits and 13 earned runs allowed in 7-1/3 innings.

Here's manager John Farrell on some of the players leaving big-league camp:

On Owens: "He had a bullpen here yesterday with (pitching coach Carl Willis and pitching coordinator Ralph Treuel) and others, Brian Bannister, just to try to minimize some of the movements early in the windup. If you look at what transpired in the stretch, every inning he pitched, he walked the . That's obviously not a recipe for success. We're just trying to minimize the movement and create some consistent direction and release point when he's out of the stretch. There's an abbreviated delivery now. Yesterday was the first use of it. That's going to take some adjustment. To Henry's credit, he didn't mince words in our meeting. He knows he's capable of more. He knows he needs to pitch better. When a player articulates it clearly, it may be the first step toward making real change and adjustment. He's got stuff to pitch in the big leagues. It's got to be more consistent."

"Henry is important to us. ... He was made well aware of that — his role here, his place here in our pitching depth is key. And yet, we've got to do some things to get him more consistent, to be more dependable at this point in the short run. The way Kyle Kendrick has thrown the ball, that's been very encouraging. Unfortunately, with the two injuries to (David Price and Roenis Elias), our pitching has taken a hit. That's all the more important why we've got to get Henry Owens on the right track."

On Devers: "I don't know what the numbers are going to end up being, but I can tell you this: for a 20-year- old young player, he's got a very good offensive mind," Farrell said. "From the ability to manage his at-bats to fight back into some counts, he's got very loose hands, so it's exciting to see him with a bat in his hands. At third base, he showed some softness to the hands. And for 20 years of age, he's going to continue to develop physically. So one of the things we continue to stress with him is trying to maintain body composition and the streamlined physique to maintain the range. His body and range are going to determine whether he stays at third base or not. As far as an offensive player, he's a really good-looking player."

On Johnson: "Uptick over the last time he was pitching for us and unfortunately at the time he didn’t reveal that he was pitching in some discomfort. He’s been through a lot. Saw someone that was out there, while on the mound, with more of a concentrated effort to compete. Where maybe, eight, nine, 10 months ago, this is someone who’s just trying to figure some things out. He's made some progress in terms of his overall game.

"As we talked about with Brandon, Brian’s in the same boat where he’s got to get out and get some work to build some arm strength and hopefully the stuff upticks."

"(His velocity is) not where it was two years ago, where in spring training he was an impressive pitcher in camp. It was in the low 90s, there was much more lateness and quickness to the secondary pitches. Whether or not it regains those levels remains to be seen. For any guy trying to regain some arm strength, they got to get work. And right now that regular work is going to go away, at least in this camp."

The Sox have 52 players remaining in big league camp, including 15 non-roster invitees.

David Price likely starts year on disabled list with elbow injury

Evan Drellich

FORT MYERS — Red Sox manager John Farrell acknowledged on Tuesday morning what the calendar made clear, that lefty David Price is likely to start the season on the disabled list because of his left elbow strain.

"I think at this point, yeah, it’d be hard to see him ready to go at the start of the season," Farrell said. "You know, we really won’t have any kind of idea until he gets on the mound the first time. And right now I don’t know when that’s gonna be."

That opens up a spot in the rotation for all three of Eduardo Rodriguez, Steven Wright and Drew Pomeranz, if healthy.

Price on Monday spoke optimistically about how his arm feels. But the longer he's away from the mound — he hadn't actually faced Grapefruit League competition when he was hurt — the more time it'll take to get him ramped up.

"Played catch again today as he’s been the last three days," Farrell said. "And everyone’s gonna want to know, what’s the next step? What’s the next phase? I will tell you, this is gonna be dependent upon how David goes through the morning rehab and the exercises that he goes through, what he feels he’s capable of that day, within reason. We’re at a 60-foot phase right now, but we don’t have (instructions) that there needs to be X number of sessions at 60 feet and then we’re going to progress.

"It was at the doctor’s recommendation, do not put him on a structured throwing program. It may be either too quick or too slow, depending on how he feels. A lot of what’s driving this on a daily throwing schedule is how David feels."

Price played catch with another person Monday and Tuesday as opposed to throwing into a net on Saturday and Sunday, Farrell said, "but that doesn't mean that the intensity is ramped up at all."

* The Providence Journal

As launch angle gains prominence, Red Sox wary of applying blanket hitting philosophy

Brian MacPherson

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- No longer does Marco Hernandez merely want to slap ground balls through the infield for singles.

Hernandez dedicated his winter to a slight adjustment to his swing, bringing his feet closer together and better leveraging his back leg. He's staying balanced better than ever before. He's hitting the ball with more authority than ever before. He hit a league-leading four home runs in the Dominican winter league -- "It's tough to hit a home run there," he said -- and hit a pair of line drives to deep center field Friday night at JetBlue Park, one of which earned him a triple.

Hernandez hit the ball on the ground more than half the time he put the ball in play with Triple-A Pawtucket last season -- and more than 60 percent of the time he put the ball in play in the major leagues.

So far this spring, however, Hernandez has flown out more often than he's grounded out. He also has, incidentally, hit four doubles and two triples, compiling a .613 .

"My hands are coming through the zone for more time," he said. "I'm just trying to stay as much as I can through the zone. That's why I've got that result. I'm not a power hitter, but if I can hit for occasional power, that can help me in my career."

When Hernandez talks about hitting for power, however, Red Sox coaches start to pump the brakes. Adjustments that keep him on time and up the middle are great. Adjustments that see him hit the ball in the air more often have them a little more leery.

"I would rather have him hit ground balls and line drives than I would fly balls," said Pawtucket hitting coach Rich Gedman, who worked with Hernandez for much of last season.

The gospel of launch angle has spread across . A herd of private hitting instructors have innovated a fly-ball approach that has made stars out of once-fringe big-leaguers like Josh Donaldson and Justin Turner. Innovative data such as optimal launch angle has suggested to many hitters that the way to counteract pitchers who throw smoke at the bottom of the strike zone is to hit the ball in the air more often.

Even coaches in Pittsburgh, a team that has been seen to be on the cutting edge of innovation in the last half-decade, have started to preach to their hitters that they have to get the ball off the ground.

The Red Sox, however, are leery of applying a general philosophy to an entire organization's worth of hitters. They're not telling their hitters to hit the ball in the air more often.

"You're looking for a bat path through strike zone that's got the greatest plate coverage, first and foremost," Boston manager John Farrell said. "When you start to create an uppercut swing, your gut reaction would say that your bat head might be in and out of the zone quicker to try and create the loft. I can't say that we have a concentrated approach to our hitting program that says we're looking to lift the ball."

"It's a big question," Red Sox farm director Ben Crockett said. "We really try to look at the individual and an individual player's strengths and weaknesses and try to develop a plan that best suits them, rather than taking a wholesale philosophy to our whole system."

Even Boston's most prolific hitter of balls in the air doesn't try to hit the ball in the air.

"I have never thought about launch angle," said outfielder Chris Young, whose ground-ball rate last season was second-lowest in the major leagues. "I hear a lot about it. I personally have never thought about it. I just think about squaring the ball up, and wherever it goes it goes. I'm sure you could tell me more about my swing than I could tell you about my own swing. I don't try to hit the ball in the air. I don't consciously think about it."

With Hernandez, what the Red Sox want to see is improved direction to the ball -- meaning the back-to- front movement of his body, not the plane of his swing.

Hernandez last season had a tendency to pull off the ball because his swing had too much movement, opening up his shoulders and rolling ground balls to second base. The hope this season is that a narrower stance will mean a quieter stance -- and that a quieter stance will keep his body in line toward the pitcher.

What the Red Sox still don't want, however, is Hernandez trying to hit the ball in the air more than he does already. What they want him to do is get his barrel to the ball and keep his focus in the middle of the field.

"When he's tall, his direction is better to the ball and he stays through the ball better," Red Sox assistant hitting coach Victor Rodriguez said. "It's more about keeping the head of the bat through the zone and hitting line drives up the middle."

Adjustments to delivery in 2008 made future Red Sox lefty Chris Sale a star

Brian MacPherson

FORT MYERS, Fla. — Chris Sale didn't go to Wisconsin in the summer of 2008 expecting to overhaul his delivery.

Sale was 19 years old that summer, a summer he spent with the La Crosse Loggers of the Northwoods League. He'd just pitched in 21 games, all but one out of the bullpen, as a freshman at Florida Gulf Coast University. He started strong but saw his effectiveness evaporate that summer. He lost his spot in the La Crosse starting rotation and was relegated to the bullpen. Even that role saw him walk almost a batter an inning.

"I needed to change something," he said. "It wasn't working the way I was going."

Sale took notice when he saw another La Crosse pitcher lower his arm slot. That pitcher gained both velocity and movement right away.

Inspired, Sale set about making the same adjustment himself, dropping his arm angle from high three- quarters to low three-quarters. He saw almost the same instant success. His velocity jumped up over 90 miles per hour for the first time. His pitches moved like they'd never moved before. He finished that summer with 74 strikeouts in 53 innings pitched.

"It gave me a little more life," he said. "I started throwing harder. It gave me a little more life, a little more late movement, a little bit more sinking action on my ."

"It gave him movement, instant movement -- and everything came out of the same slot," Florida Gulf Coast coach Dave Tollett said.

For Sale, the new delivery matched more closely the natural slot of his arm while he played catch on the side. It better allowed him to leverage the flexibility of a rubber-band frame. Not only did he come out of Florida Gulf Coast at 6-foot-6 and 178 pounds, he has the jaw-dropping ability to cross his elbows behind his back. It came so naturally he didn't even realize until college that nobody else he knew could do that.

And while scouts since then have expressed skepticism the sustainability of that delivery, he pitched at least 135 innings in each of the next two summers -- including the 2010 season in which he rocketed to the major leagues. He has pitched at least 175 innings or made more than 55 relief appearances in each of the six seasons since.

"No two people are the same," he said. "Pitching isn't cookie-cutter development. There's not one way to do it or you're wrong. As long as you repeat your mechanics and you're strong within yourself, those are more important than release point or arm angle. It doesn't matter how you get there. It's if you can do it over and over."

What the new delivery did for Sale was twofold: It created consistency in his release point, and it amplified the movement on his fastball and changeup. He shelved the he'd thrown from his over-the-top delivery, a pitch hitters could see a bit too easily. He instead began to develop a , a pitch that fit better within his new delivery. Though that pitch took more time for him to harness, he utilizes that same three- pitch mix to this day.

It was then that the legend of Chris Sale took hold at Florida Gulf Coast.

Midway through his sophomore season, Sale went head-to-head at FGCU's Swanson Stadium with Lipscomb's Rex Brothers, a lefty with a mid-90s fastball and a power slider, a lefty attracting the attention of scouts across the game. He'd be drafted No. 34 overall by Colorado two months later.

"There were general managers here," Tollett said. "There were scouting directors. There were east-coast supervisors. Boy, it was a duel."

Brothers was effective if erratic, walking five to go along with nine strikeouts in his seven innings. Sale was better. Sale struck out eight and walked four in eight innings. Florida Gulf Coast got to the Lipscomb bullpen late and cruised to a 7-1 win.

By the following season, after a summer spent dominating the Cape Cod Baseball League, Sale was the best pitcher in the country -- and he knew it. He struck out 10 or more hitters nine times. He led all NCAA pitchers with 146 strikeouts in all.

Fifteen of those strikeouts came against Belmont in late April, a game in which he allowed merely a walk and an infield single while going the distance. He did all that while -- as his coach only found out later -- throwing up behind the dugout after every inning. He had a stomach virus. He pitched nonetheless.

"I knew he was sick," Tollett said, "I didn't know he was going behind the dugout and puking. The scouts, they loved it. Most guys don't pitch in that situation. He did."

That determination is what comes to mind first for Tollett when he thinks of his old ace. He still remembers the line drive that drilled Sale in the shin, knocking him flat.

"That thing swelled up bigger than a baseball," he said. "He couldn't stand on it. I said, 'Hey, you're done. Come on.' He said, 'You need to get back in that dugout. I'm going to pitch the rest of this game.' I said, 'You can't walk.' He said, 'You need to get back in that dugout. I'll be OK.'"

To the recollection of Tollett, the first warmup pitch Sale threw went to the backstop -- but then he went right back to mowing down the hitters he was facing.

That same determination could endear Sale to Red Sox fans accustomed to cheering for Dustin Pedroia. It also could work against him if he pitches through injury that hampers his performance, as was the case with the fiery .

So far, however, the injury so many evaluators saw as inevitable hasn't come. Nearly 10 years after he dropped his arm slot for the first time, Sale remains one of the game's best pitchers. He might just have the anatomy to make it work.

"All those smart analytics guys, all these professional scouts said it wasn't going to work, it wasn't going to hold up," he said with a slight smile. "I don't know how long is long enough to say they were right or wrong."

First round of cuts clarifies Red Sox pitching hierarchy

Brian MacPherson

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- With nearly three weeks to go in spring training, the hierarchy of the Red Sox pitching staff already appears to be settled.

Lefties Brian Johnson and Henry Owens both packed up their lockers in the major-league clubhouse on Tuesday morning after being optioned to Triple-A Pawtucket. Reliever Brandon Workman, outfielder Junior Lake, infielder Rafael Devers and catcher Jordan Procyshen rounded out the initial cuts.

Owens had walked 12 hitters in 7 1/3 innings in Grapefruit League games and has been tasked with simplifying a delivery he has not been able to repeat. That work began Monday under the supervision of Red Sox pitching coach Carl Willis, who stayed back from Boston's game at Dunedin to work with Owens.

"We're just trying to minimize the movement and create some consistent direction and release point when he's out of the stretch," Red Sox manager John Farrell said. "There's an abbreviated delivery now. Yesterday was the first use of it."

Johnson rode the bus to Dunedin but did not pitch on Monday, an indication that the innings he needs were going to have to come in minor-league games rather than big-league games. He walked six hitters in 6 2/3 innings pitched in Grapefruit League games and has work left to do on regaining the optimal arm slot that has eluded him since his 2015 arm injury.

Farrell conceded Tuesday morning what has become obvious: Price will start the season on the disabled list.

"It'd be hard to see him ready to go at the start of the season," Farrell said.

The injury to Price has clarified the Red Sox starting rotation to open the season, barring any further subtractions: Rick Porcello on Opening Day, followed by Chris Sale, Eduardo Rodriguez, Steven Wright and Drew Pomeranz.

With Johnson and Owens reassigned and Roenis Elias injured, it has become clear that veteran Kyle Kendrick is the first starting pitcher in line should a need arise in the big-league rotation. Kendrick has a 2.08 ERA with 10 strikeouts and three walks in 13 innings pitched in Grapefruit League games.

"The way Kyle Kendrick has thrown the ball, that's been very encouraging," Farrell said.

Newly acquired righty Hector Velazquez remains in big-league camp as a dependable strike-thrower with a repeatable delivery who has routinely made 30-plus starts in the Mexican League.

Red Sox reliever no longer throwing mere batting practice to lefties

Brian MacPherson

FORT MYERS, Fla. — Heath Hembree just doesn't want to be so predictable.

What Hembree did against righties last season merits him a spot on the Boston roster on Opening Day. What Hembree can do against lefties will determine whether he can earn opportunities in high-leverage spots in the late innings -- and that means adding some mystery to his repertoire.

"I got into predictable counts, and I threw predictable pitches in those counts," he said. "I just fed them something over the plate, and I just gave in a lot."

When the was 1-0 against a lefty last season, Hembree threw a fastball more than 80 percent of the time, per brooksbaseball.net. When the count was 2-0 against a lefty, Hembree threw a fastball more than 90 percent of the time. When the count was 2-1 against a lefty, Hembree threw a fastball 95 percent of the time.

In other words, Hembree was throwing batting practice — even with a fastball that can touch 97. It showed up in his results. While righties slugged just .336 against Hembree, striking out more than three times for every walk, lefties slugged an untenable .493 and struck out less than twice for every walk.

What Hembree wants to do this season is make sure lefties can't just sit on his fastball in fastball counts.

"Instead of on a 2-0 count just throwing a fastball away and letting them hit it and see what happens, even when I'm behind in the count, I still can make a pitch and not necessarily give in,' he said.

He's seeing early results. Hembree fell behind lefthanded-hitting Miami outfielder in an exhibition against Team USA last week. Rather than going right to his fastball, Hembree threw a back-door slider. Yelich, perhaps hunting the fastball, swung over the slider. That pitch got Hembree back even in the count, and he ended up striking Yelich out.

"He's gaining some understanding and clarity to the attack to lefthanders," Boston manager John Farrell said. "His last three or four outings in particular have been strong."

* The Springfield Republican

Travis needs to clear one more hurdle before reaching the majors and debuting with the Red Sox

Jen McCaffrey

Sam Travis stood with Mitch Moreland and infield instructor at the first base bag on one of the backfields at JetBlue Park early one morning a few weeks ago.

The budding prospect listened intently to instructions from the Gold Glove and revered fielding coach.

The 23-year-old Travis has impressed with the bat this spring, hitting .280 with a 1.040 OPS, three doubles and two homers in 12 spring games, just 10 months removed from ACL surgery on his left knee.

The lone piece keeping him from the majors?

"He's got to refine defense, there's no doubt," manager John Farrell said earlier this spring. "His footwork around the bag, just smoothing some things out defensively."

Travis, whose determination burns as strong as his stone cold stare, has pushed himself to become a major- league caliber first baseman.

Knowing his defense is needs work, Travis has spent hours with Butterfield this spring taking grounders off a fungo bat and fielding one-hoppers from a sawed-off ponza machine.

In other drills, he'd sit in a chair and press his foot against the base to practice attempts.

"He's a great worker and he's gained confidence defensively so there's been a noticeable difference from last spring training to the end of spring training to even now," Butterfield said. "We just see the curve going upward so that's because of his work ethic and he's always willing to do what it takes to get better, he wants to get better."

Moreland's expertise in the field has given Travis a second coach of sorts.

"Mitch has had some great conversations with him while he's out on the field with him and he's had some great conversations with him when we aren't working in here," Butterfield said.

It's an uncanny juxtaposition as Butterfield works to refine Travis' defensive game at first while also learning the nuances of the position from a veteran like Moreland.

"I always tell the veteran guys and I tell some of the young guys, too, that they're going to teach me a heck of a lot more than I could ever impart to them," Butterfield said. "So whatever you have bring it because I want to get better too. (Mitch) is a guy that's been around a long time. I think he's certainly going to make me better."

And in turn, Butterfield is doing his best to make Travis better.

Sandy Leon, Christian Vazquez competing for No. 1 job; batting .350

Christopher Smith

Red Sox catcher Sandy Leon went 1-for-3 with single, run and today vs. the Toronto Blue Jays. He's now 2-for-14 (.143 batting average) with two singles this spring training.

Manager John Farrell has said at different points of spring training so far Leon is in the lead to be the Red Sox's No. 1 catcher based on what he showed both offensively and defensively last year.

But he certainly doesn't have the Opening Day job solidified just yet.

Farrell seems to be pondering the same question as us all: Was last year the outlier or the new norm for Leon?

Leon posted a .310/.369/.476/.845 line with seven homers, 17 doubles, two triples and 35 RBIs in 78 games for Boston during 2016.

But the catcher batted .216 in 22 games (74 at-bats) during the final month last season. And he had no offensive track record in the minors. He was just a .238 hitter in 612 minor league games.

Christian Vazquez, Leon's main competition, hasn't done much either offensively this spring. He's 3-for-17 (.176) with a double.

But Vazquez, who always has been known for his cannon arm, looks like his arm strength has returned to its pre-Tommy John surgery level after some struggles last year.

David Price likely to begin 2017 on DL, Drew Pomeranz makes 1st spring start

Christopher Smith

Since Dr. James Andrews gave Red Sox lefty David Price (elbow) a 7-10 day timetable on March 3 to rest before being reevaluated, it seemed unlikely he'd be ready for the start of the 2017 season.

"At this point, yeah, it would be hard to see him ready to go at the start of the season," Red Sox manager John Farrell told reporters today, per ESPNBoston.com.

Opening Day is three weeks from today.

Price threw on flat ground from 60 feet yesterday and today, per Evan Drellich of the Boston Herald.

The Red Sox starting rotation to begin 2017 likely will be (not in any exact order) Rick Porcello, Chris Sale, Steven Wright, Drew Pomeranz and Eduardo Rodriguez.

Pomeranz made his first spring training start today vs. Toronto at JetBlue Park. He pitched 2 innings and allowed two runs, both earned, on two hits (one homer) and no walks while striking out one. He gave up a home run in the first inning to Melvin Upton Jr.

Wright threw 2 scoreless and hitless innings on Monday vs. Toronto on the road in his first spring training start. Only batter reached vs. him on an .

Rusney Castillo, Boston Red Sox's $72.5 million man, hits first homer Monday, now batting .429

Christopher Smith

Rusney Castillo went 1-for-3 with his first home run of spring training in the Boston Red Sox's 4-3 loss to Toronto on Monday.

The right-handed batter belted his solo blast in the fifth inning against right-hander Mat Latos.

Castillo -- who the Red Sox signed to a seven-year, $72.5-million in August 2014, is 9-for-21 (.429) with a .455 on-base percentage, .714 slugging percentage, 1.169 OPS, one homer, three doubles, six RBIs, one walk, five strikeouts and three stolen bases in 14 spring training games.

He has been a major disappointment since signing, posting a .262/.301/.379/.679 line in 99 major league games. He received just eight at-bats all of last season and spent the rest of the season at Triple-A Pawtucket.

He no longer is on Boston's 40-man roster.

He will earn $11.271 million in 2017. But his average annual salary of $10.36 million would count toward Boston's 2017 payroll if the Red Sox were to place him back on the 40-man roster. That seems unlikely since they want to stay under the $195-million tax threshold in 2017. But you never know. A need for an outfielder might arise.

Castillo began to stand back off the plate more in winter ball and the results showed. He batted .392 in 14 games in Puerto Rico.

Brandon Workman, Brian Johnson optioned to Pawtucket, among 6 Tuesday moves

Christopher Smith

The Boston Red Sox made six moves today as they begin to cut down their big league spring training roster.

Right-handed reliever Brandon Workman and southpaw starters Henry Owens and Brian Johnson were optioned to Triple-A Pawtucket.

Top prospect, third baseman Rafael Devers, as well as outfielder Junior Lake and catcher Jordan Procyshen were reassigned to minor league camp. They were three non-40-man roster invitees.

Workman allowed just one run on seven hits in 7 innings this spring. He walked three and struck out six. He's returning from Tommy John surgery. Manager John Farrell said early in camp that the righty will need to log some innings in the minors before being ready to pitch in the majors this season.

Owens went 0-3 with a 15.95 ERA in four outings (three starts). He allowed 13 runs, all earned, on 13 hits (two homers) and 12 walks while striking out 13 in 7 1/3 innings.

Johnson went 0-2 with a 5.40 ERA in three outings (one start). He allowed seven runs, four earned, on 11 hits (one homer) and six walks while striking out five.

Devers -- an impressive 20-year-old participating in his first big league camp -- went 3-for-22 (.136 batting average) with an RBI, two walks and three strikeouts.

* RedSox.com

Price unlikely to be ready for start of season

Maureen Mullen

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Red Sox manager John Farrell acknowledged for the first time on Tuesday that left- hander David Price is likely to start the season on the disabled list.

"I think at this point, yeah, it would be hard to see him ready to go at the start of the season," Farrell said before Tuesday's game against the Blue Jays. "We really won't have any kind of idea until he gets on the mound the first time and right now, I don't know when that's going to be."

Price has been sidelined since he felt discomfort in his left elbow following a two-inning, 38-pitch simulated game on Feb. 28. He left camp on March 3 to consult with Dr. James Andrews and Dr. Neal ElAttrache. The doctors' findings were that Price would not need surgery or an injection.

Price has been throwing with limited intensity for a few days.

"Played catch again today as he's been the last three days," Farrell said. "And everyone's going to want to know what's the next step, what's the next phase. I will tell you, this is going to be dependent upon how David goes through the morning rehab, and the exercises that he goes through, what he feels he's capable of that day within reason.

"So we're at a 60-foot phase right now. But we don't have [a plan in which] there needs to be X number of sessions at 60 feet then we're going to progress. It was at the doctor's recommendation: Do not put him on a structured throwing program because it may be either too quick or too slow depending on how he feels. And a lot of what's driving this on the daily throwing schedule is how David feels."

Price began throwing on Saturday, with 25 tosses into a net.

"The last few days he's played catch with another guy," Farrell said. "But that doesn't mean the intensity is ramped up at all.

"Just basically getting the arm moving. A net, someone with a glove in their hand, it's still 50, 60 feet, it's not with any kind of intensity. The plyometric routine that he goes through in the morning, these are all designed to get his arm moving. I don't know that there's any significance one way or the other."

Although Farrell has not made an official announcement, right-hander Rick Porcello, as the reigning winner, would have been the likely Opening Day starter even before Price's injury. Price and left- hander Chris Sale are both on the record as saying they thought Porcello deserved the honor after the season he had in 2016.

But the quality of the Red Sox's starting pitching depth becomes more important with Price's injury. Knuckleballer Steven Wright and left-handers Drew Pomeranz and Eduardo Rodriguez had been vying for the remaning two spots in the rotation, before Price's injury. The easy assumption is that the trio would now take the remaining spots. But, they have all been slowed by injury this spring.

Wright made his first Grapefruit League start on Monday, going two perfect innings against Toronto. Pomeranz made his Grapefruit League debut on Tuesday. He went two innings, giving up two runs on two hits including a home run. Rodriguez has made three starts, giving up three runs over nine innings. The remainder of their depth is also questionable. Left-hander Roenis Elias is less than a week into a three- week shutdown with an intercostal strain. Lefties Henry Owens and Brian Johnson struggled this spring -- as they have in Major League callups in the regular season -- and both were optioned to Triple-A on Tuesday. Right-hander Hector Velazquez, signed out of the Mexican League, has made three appearances, including two starts, giving up seven earned runs over seven innings.

Kyle Kendrick, the veteran right-hander in camp as a non-roster invitee, has been perhaps the most promising of the bunch. He has made four appearances, three starts, giving up three runs on nine hits (including two home runs) and three walks with 10 strikeouts over 13 innings.

Now would be a good time for any in that group to step up and claim a spot in the rotation.

Although Price finished last season with his highest ERA (3.99) since 2009, he still ranked among the top five in the in wins (17), innings (230) and strikeouts (228). Factoring in his elite ceiling as well as the current injury concerns, Price should be regarded as a low-end No. 2 starter in mixed-league drafts. With Price set to miss the start of the season, owners could look to Eduardo Rodriguez as a fine sleeper pick. The most likely option to take Price's rotation spot in early April, the 23-year-old Rodriguez delivered a 3.24 ERA with 79 K's in 77 2/3 innings after last year's All-Star break, and he can be picked in the late rounds of drafts this spring.

Moreland stays hot, Pomeranz debuts for Sox

J. Scott Butherus and Maureen Mullen

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Left-hander Drew Pomeranz made his Grapefruit League debut in the Red Sox's 5-4 win over the Blue Jays on Tuesday afternoon.

Pomeranz, who had been delayed after a stem cell treatment into his pitching elbow in the offseason, went two innings, giving up two runs on two hits. He threw 35 pitches, 22 for strikes.

"[I felt] pretty good for the first outing," Pomeranz said. "Just looking to get out there, feel good, try to throw strikes. Results aside, I'm pretty happy with how I felt out there."

The Blue Jays hit Pomeranz hard, including Melvin Upton, Jr.'s first home run of the spring which cleared the replica left-field Green Monster in the first inning.

"It was just a fastball that stayed over the plate," Pomeranz said. "Like I said, I'm out there trying to throw strikes. Obviously I'm trying to beat him as well, but in my mind, it's getting ready for the year."

Red Sox manager John Farrell was satisfied with Pomeranz's first outing.

"Going into today, my thoughts were if he comes out of the two innings, almost a building block in today," Farrell said. "Set aside the bottom-line results, he came out of it and he felt good physically, so that's a positive. Given what he's come through in the offseason, and the slower, more gradual build-up to today, so first step, physically fine, that's a positive."

In the second, Anthony Alford tripled to right, scoring on Darwin Barney's sacrifice fly.

Right-hander Joe Biagini, in his fifth Grapefruit League appearance and third start, went two innings (plus two batters in the third), giving up two runs, none earned, on two hits and a walk with two strikeouts. He threw 46 pitches, 22 for strikes.

"I felt like it was nice to increase my a little bit and be trusted with the opportunity to get some starts," Biagini said. "I really appreciate that on the team that they have here. Just to get on the mound at any point is nice."

The Red Sox got two runs in the third, when No. 9 hitter Marco Hernandez led off, reaching on left fielder Upton's two-base error and Dustin Pedroia walked, ending Biagini's outing with Casey Lawrence entering. With two outs and the bases loaded, Mitch Moreland's single scored Hernandez and Pedroia.

Boston added a run in the fourth when Sandy Leon singled and Hernandez doubled. Leon scored on Pedroia's sacrifice fly.

Toronto evened the game in the top of the seventh. Justin Smoak led off the inning with a double before being replaced by pinch-runner Jon Berti. Three batters later, Barney drove in Berti with a single, but the Blue Jays left the bases loaded when Darrell Ceciliani grounded out to end the inning.

It would cost them in Boston's half of the eighth. After two quick outs to start the inning, Sam Travis and Allen Craig each singled. Both were driven home by Steve Selsky's line-drive double to left.

The back-and-forth continued in the ninth. Blue Jays catcher Mike Ohlman led off with a homer, and Toronto put men on first and third with no outs before Shawn Haviland came on to put out the fire by striking out the side.

"It's always fun playing these guys," Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said. "In Spring Training when things start to drag, places like this energize you a bit."

Blue Jays Up Next: Toronto will have an off-day before returning to action on Thursday when it hosts the at Florida Auto Exchange Stadium at 1:07 p.m. ET. will get the start. In his only other outing of the spring, Sanchez surrendered three earned runs in 1 2/3 innings, allowing four hits and walking a batter.

Red Sox Up Next: The Red Sox travel to Port Charlotte on Wednesday to face the Rays at 1:05 p.m. Right- hander Kyle Kendrick is scheduled to make his fifth Grapefruit League appearance and fourth start. He is expected to be followed by right-handers Marcus Weldon, Chandler Shepherd, Ben Taylor, Kyle Martin and left-hander Luis Ysla.

Pomeranz pleased with first spring start

Maureen Mullen

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Left-hander Drew Pomeranz finally got into a Spring Training game, the last of the Red Sox starting pitchers to do so, and just a day after knuckleballer Steven Wright made his Grapefruit League debut.

But it wasn't exactly a warm welcome he was given by the Blue Jays.

Pomeranz, who had been delayed after a stem cell treatment into his pitching elbow in the offseason, was hit hard by Toronto. He went two innings, giving up two runs on two hits in the Red Sox's 5-4 win over Toronto. He threw 35 pitches, 22 for strikes.

Apart from the results, Pomeranz was satisfied with his initial outing this spring.

"[I felt] pretty good for the first outing," he said. "Just looking to get out there, feel good, try to throw strikes. Results aside, I'm pretty happy with how I felt out there.

"It's the first time being in a game. It's kind of like that point in the year, you just want to get out there, get back to being in that rhythm, kind of like you get during the season. Nothing. Just felt like the first one being out there, just like always."

Manager John Farrell was also satisfied with Pomeranz's first outing.

"Going into today, my thoughts were if he comes out of the two innings, almost a building block in today," Farrell said. "Set aside the bottom-line results, he came out of it and he felt good physically, so that's a positive. Given what he's come through in the offseason, and the slower, more gradual build-up to today, so first step, physically fine, that's a positive."

Pomeranz had been vying with Wright and left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez for the last two spots in the rotation. But, with the news Tuesday morning that left-hander David Price is likely to start the season on the disabled list, it is imperative for Pomeranz and others in the group of depth starters for the Red Sox to step up.

"I don't know what his situation is, but he's a big part of this team," Pomeranz said. "He's a guy that I look up to as a left-handed pitcher. Having Price around is such a great thing for us, just to be able to pick his mind. Just kind of talk to him about outings and all that."

In the first inning, Melvin Upton Jr.'s first home run of the spring, a solo shot which cleared the replica Green Monster in left field, gave the Blue Jays the lead.

"It was just a fastball that stayed over the plate," Pomeranz said. "Like I said, I'm out there trying to throw strikes. Obviously I'm trying to beat him as well, but in my mind, it's getting ready for the year.

But Pomeranz also gave up some hard-hit balls for outs, including leadoff hitter 's laser-beam lineout to left and 's fly ball to deep left, before Justin Smoak grounded out to end the inning. In the second, Anthony Alford's one-out triple to right and Darwin Barney's sacrifice fly gave the Blue Jays a 2-0 lead before Pomeranz got Ryan Goins to ground out, ending the inning.

"You've just got to kind of go out there knowing where you're at," he said. "I'm happy with the way the ball is coming out of my hand.

"I missed a couple times. That's going to happen early. But there's a fine line between getting yourself ready and competing still. That's what Spring Training is for. We're here trying to get it all to come together right as the season starts."

Pomeranz, who was acquired in a July with the Padres, went 3-5 with a 4.59 ERA in 14 appearances (13 starts) for the Red Sox last season. In September, Padres GM A.J. Preller was suspended for 30 days without pay for not disclosing Pomeranz's complete medical information to the Red Sox.

Despite the delay, Pomeranz is confident he will be ready for the start of the season.

"This is my first one," he said. "I think I've got three, four, however many more. Just go out there, get that one out of the way, and we'll get the rest from here."

This and that: Reliever Tyler Thornburg, who has been sidelined with a dead arm, is expected to throw from a mound on Wednesday. "Nothing to say he won't be ready for Opening Day," Farrell said. "But, we've got to wait til he gets on the mound and repetitively gets on the mound." … Dustin Pedroia went 1- for-1 with a single, walk and sacrifice fly. He is now hitting .400 in Spring Training. ... Joe Kelly, Matt Barnes, Robby Scott and Noe Ramirez combined to pitch four scoreless, hitless innings with two walks and five strikeouts … Right-hander Shawn Haviland had an impressive Grapefruit League debut. He entered during the ninth with a run in and runners on the corners. Haviland faced four batters, striking out three with one walk. "He's got a good curveball he threw," Farrell said. "Kind of an exciting end to the game. Some of these games kind of get a little deflated. But that was a little excitement there. He made some good pitches."

Owens among 3 optioned in Red Sox's moves

Oliver Macklin

The Red Sox optioned left-handed pitchers Brian Johnson and Henry Owens and right-hander Brandon Workman to Triple-A Pawtucket, the team announced Tuesday morning.

Boston also reassigned third baseman Rafael Devers, outfielder Junior Lake and catcher Jordan Procyshen to Minor League camp.

Johnson, 26, went 5-7 with a 3.60 ERA in 15 starts for Triple-A Pawtucket in 2016. His lone Major League appearance came in a start for the Red Sox in 2015 when he allowed four runs in 4 1/3 innings in a loss to the Astros.

Owens, 24, went 0-2 with a 6.95 ERA in five starts for Boston in 2016.

Workman has not pitched in the Majors since 2014. The 28-year-old went 1-10 with a 5.17 ERA in 19 games (15 starts) for the Red Sox that year.

Devers is the Red Sox's No. 2 prospect, according to MLBPipeline.com. The 20-year-old has hit .293 with 29 home runs and 198 RBIs across three seasons in the Red Sox's Minor League system.

Lake, 26, hit .200 with one home run and two RBIs in 22 games with the Blue Jays in 2016.

Procyshen, 24, hit .249 with four homers and 29 RBIs in 61 games for Class A Advanced Salem last season.

The Red Sox now have 52 players in Major League camp, including 37 players from the 40-man roster.

* CSNNE.com

Drew Pomeranz Struggles In First Spring-Training Start

Henry McKenna

Drew Pomeranz got his first spring training start Tuesday after receiving stem cell treatment on his elbow. The results -- two innings, two hits, two earned runs and a home run allowed -- weren't pretty. But that didn't matter much to the Sox starter after Boston's 5-4 win over the Toronto Blue Jays.

"[I felt] pretty good for the first outing," Pomeranz told RedSox.com after the game. "Just looking to get out there, feel good, try to throw strikes. Results aside, I'm pretty happy with how I felt out there."

Red Sox manager John Farrell also pushed the results aside, and stressed Pomeranz's health was the priority in his Grapefruit League opener.

"Given what he's come through in the offseason, and the slower, more gradual build-up to today, so first step, physically fine, that's a positive," Farrell said.

Mitch Moreland got the Sox on the board with a two-run single in the bottom of the third. Pedroia brought Sandy Leon home on a sacrifice fly in the fourth, which gave Boston a 3-2 lead. They held the lead for the rest of the game, as Steve Selsky's double brought in two runners in the bottom of the eighth.

Nine players managed a hit but no one managed more than one hit in the contest. Marco Hernandez and Moreland were the only Sox' hitters to get doubles.

In relief of Pomeranz, Matt Barnes, Noe Ramirez and Shawn Haviland had strong outings. They each pitched one inning without allowing a run. Barnes and Ramirez had two strikeouts, and Haviland had three.

The Red Sox travel to Port Charlotte on Wednesday to face the Tamp Bay Rays at 1:05 p.m.

What Hanley Ramirez Does Before Every Game

Henry McKenna

Hanley Ramirez has a few steps he always takes before baseball games. And those habits seem to better fit the traditions of a hockey or football player rather than a baseball player.

Ramirez splashes his face with water, takes a sip, spits out the rest. Normal so far. But then, he sniffs smelling salts, according to The Boston Globe.

“I do that before every game to warm myself up,” he told The Globe.

He does that at least 100 times a year. And in a good season that goes deep into October, Ramirez could do it 200 times.

Smelling salts are popular in the NHL. And Jimmy Garoppolo was spotted sniffing smelling salts on the sidline of the New England Patriots' season-opening win over the Arizona Cardinals.

If Ramirez isn't careful, he'll end up a MEME like Garoppolo or like New York Mets outfielder Curtis Granderson.

Owens Among Six Farmed Out By Red Sox; Price To Start Year On Dl

CSN Staff

The Red Sox made their first round of cuts Tuesday morning, and at least one name was no surprise.

Left-hander Henry Owens, whose struggles have been the talk of the Sox' spring-training camp, was one of six players shipped out. He, fellow left-hander Brian Johnson and right-hander Brandon Workman were optioned to Triple-A Pawtucket, while third baseman Rafael Devers, outfielder Junior Lake and catcher Jordan Procyshen were returned to minor-league camp for reassignment.

Barring several injuries to Red Sox starters, Owens wasn't going to start the season in Boston anyway. But he's been miserable so far in the exhibition season -- 0-3 in his three starts with a 15.95 ERA, an opponents' batting average of .382 and a WHIP of 3.41, 12 walks allowed in 7 1/3 innings -- and is now talking about tweaking his mechanics in an attempt to solve his command problems. That he was one of the first cuts indicates the Red Sox are concerned.

Manager John Farrell told reporters the three pitchers sent out "need work", and, via Alex Speier of the Boston Globe, said specifically of Owens: "He knows he's capable of more . . . He knows he needs to get better."

Also, Farrell said -- to no one's surprise -- David Price is likely to start the season on the disabled list. Price is still recovering from elbow and forearm issues that sidelined him earlier this month and has yet to throw off a mound. Until he does, the Red Sox can't begin to construct a timetable for his return.

* NESN.com

Chris Sale Seems Really, Really Excited To Be Pitching For Red Sox

Darren Hartwell

Boston Red Sox fans understandably were excited about the team acquiring Chris Sale this offseason. But perhaps no one was more ecstatic about the move than the man himself.

Sale, after all, is going from a team that hasn’t made the playoffs since 2008 to a Red Sox squad that’s won three titles since 2004 and should contend for a fourth this season. As an added bonus, Boston plays its spring training games in Fort Myers, Fla., just a short drive from Sale’s home in Naples, Fla., and his alma mater, Florida Gulf Coast University.

In short: The left-handed ace is all-in with his new club.

“This is the happiest I’ve ever been in my life, you kidding me?” Sale told USA TODAY’s Bob Nightengale in a recent interview. “What more can you ask (for)?”

Red Sox fans will be asking Sale to deliver another stellar season as the new ace of Boston’s staff. The pressure indeed will be on the 27-year-old, especially with David Price likely beginning the season on the disabled list. But Sale seems to be relishing the opportunity of pitching for Boston in one of his favorite ballparks.

“I can’t tell you how excited I am,’’ Sale said. “This is everything I wanted. I’m going to an organization very rich in history, and even more recently, a very winning tradition.

“And I get to pitch at , one of the greatest wonders of the world. How can you beat this?’’

It behooves Sale to say the right things entering his first year in Boston, but he does appear genuinely excited to be playing for a winning organization that sells out virtually every home game.

“You go to Fenway, and there’s a buzz in the stadium,” Sale added. “You don’t hear the foul balls hitting the seats. It’s never quiet. Honestly, this is everything I’ve wanted.”

* The USA Today

Chris Sale, 'happiest I've ever been in my life,' embraces Red Sox opportunity

Bob Nightengale

FORT MYERS, Fla. - Dave Dombrowski, president of the Boston Red Sox, has a confession to make.

Pure and simple, he never cared for the guy.

Sure, Dombrowski didn’t know him personally, never talked to him, but really didn’t need any interaction.

He saw Chris Sale enough over the years with the Chicago White Sox that it actually made him queasy every time he saw him step on the mound.

“You basically disliked him,’’ Dombrowski told USA TODAY Sports. “He was not only so good, but so tough. He would throw pitches inside. You name it. He would do everything possible to win.

“I was never in love with him, but you couldn’t help but admire his competitiveness and ability.’’

So, what’s a fella to do?

Trade for him, of course, and instead of now being loathed, Sale is loved, not only by Dombrowski, but by New England.

“Now that I’ve gotten to know him,’’ Dombrowski says, “I’ve found out Chris is an extremely nice person. He’s tremendous. But when he’s on that mound, he’s still the same, so tough.

“The difference is that he’s on our side now.’’

Sale, on the other hand, now has a new best friend, saying he’ll forever be indebted to Dombrowski. He’s the one responsible for rescuing Sale from Chicago, putting him on the national stage, under the brightest of lights.

“This is the happiest I’ve ever been in my life, you kidding me?’’ says Sale, relaxed in front of his locker at JetBlue Stadium. “What more can you ask?’’

Let’s see, JetBlue Park, the Red Sox’s spring-training home, is just 30 minutes from his home in Naples, Fla., where he lives with his wife and two young kids. It’s just down the street from Florida Gulf Coast University, where he attended college. He had nearly 30 players and their families tag along with him at the Eagles’ game against Stetson last month, where after the game, he threw down a one-handed dunk, while teammate Hanley Ramirez made a half-court shot, and Joe Kelly made a full-court shot on his third try.

And, oh, yeah, he’s now on a team that has won three World Series championships since 2004, eight playoff berths in the last 14 years, and is heavily favored to win the AL East again this year, even with lefty David Price opening the year on the disabled list with a strained elbow.

“I can’t tell you how excited I am,’’ Sale says. “This is everything I wanted. I’m going to an organization very rich in history, and even more recently, a very winning tradition.

“And I get to pitch at Fenway Park, one of the greatest wonders of the world. How can you beat this?’’

This is no knock on Chicago, he insists. He loved the place, living in the River North area, with a choice of steakhouses every night of the week, all within walking distance of his condo. He loved the energy and passion of Chicago fans, watching the way they responded after the Blackhawks’ Stanley Cup title runs, and, of course, the crosstown rival Cubs’ World Series title, too.

The only real problem with Chicago - well, except for those awkward throwback uniforms that had him angrily cutting up every one he could find last season - was they never won. Sure, they went for it every year, bringing in new players and signing free agents, but it never worked.

Here he was, one of the most spectacular pitchers in the game, finishing among the top six in the Cy Young award voting for five years, ranking first in virtually every American League pitching category since 2012, including a staggering 4.78 strikeout-to-walk rate, the best in the live-ball era.

Yet, he was surrounded by mediocrity. The White Sox never reached the playoffs during his stay. They had just one winning record since his rookie season.

“I don’t think anyone should feel bad for me,’’ Sale says, “but the whole reason we play this game is to go to the playoffs, with a championship in mind. I spent my first seven years there without really sniffing the playoffs. That’s tough. It’s kind of like staying up all night, studying for a test, and getting a “C.’ It sucks.

“I know we had a few winning seasons, but I don’t think you can truly have a successful season without going to the playoffs. I don’t care how many games you win, if you don’t go to the playoffs you failed.

“So the way I looked at it, we failed every single year I was there.’’

The White Sox, privately sharing the same sentiment, decided when the season concluded it was also time to change direction. They weren’t winning by remodeling every year, so they decided to excavate the joint.