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Home , Blake Swihart, Chandler Shepherd, Dan Butler (baseball), Deven Marrero, Edgar Olmos, Jamie Callahan

The Tuesday, March 28, 2017

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Sandy Leon belts two home runs in one

Dan Shaughnessy

SCORE: Red Sox 11, Orioles 9

RECORD: 16-13-3

BREAKDOWN: Sox Steve Selsky homered off Tyler Wilson to give Boston a 1-0 lead in the third. It was Selsky’s fourth homer of the spring, his second in two days. He was sent to Pawtucket after the game. Should’ve hit more homers, evidently. The Orioles came back with a scratch off Eduardo Rodriguez in the bottom of the third. E-Rod got cuffed around a little in the fourth for four runs on five hits. The Sox blew it open with nine runs in the top of the fifth — highlighted by Sandy Leon’s two blasts — one from each side of the plate, and one a grand slam. Mercy. The bullpens staggered to the finish in front of 7,796 happy snowbirds.

THUMBS UP: Leon’s two homers in a single inning were a clear “Take that, Boston media!” message, coming one day after we all gave his job to Christian Vazquez. and each had a pair of hits.

THUMBS DOWN: Rodriguez gave up nine hits and six runs (four earned) in six . John Farrell said Rodriguez was sloppy in Baltimore’s four-run fourth. The lefty crossed up his and neglected to back up home plate, among other sins. “He needs to be more consistent,’’ the manager said. “Those lapses can come back to bite you.’’ The Sox committed three errors in the middle innings. came on to pitch the eighth and surrendered an opposite-field, two-run bomb to flyweight A-ball player Cedric Mullins.

MEDICAL REPORT: Righty reliever Tyler Thornburg was a late scratch with pain in his upper right trapezius. The former Brewer reportedly had trouble adjusting to the Red Sox’ shoulder strengthening program and has pitched only 1⅓ innings all spring, surrendering seven hits and seven earned runs. He is expected to undergo an MRI Tuesday.

AROUND THE BASES: The bullpen is a bit of a mess at this moment, and no one is stepping forward. Asked if he’s concerned about his bullpen, Farrell answered, “Not a concern, but we’re still trying to get to a full complement of guys, and whether or not that’s Monday April 3, that’s still to be decided.’’ . . . The Sox take three buses to spring games, allowing players to leave in shifts. In the old days, it was one bus, and everybody waited.

NEXT GAME: The Red Sox play the Pirates in Bradenton Tuesday at 6:05 p.m. It’s the final road game of Boston’s Grapefruit season. The Sox will start knuckleballer against Pirates righty Drew Hutchinson. Robbie Ross Jr., , and are also slated to pitch. The game will be broadcast on NESN Plus and WEEI-AM (850).

Who’s on first? Not Hanley Ramirez

Dan Shaughnessy

FORT MYERS, Fla. — Who’s on first?

Not Hanley Ramirez. Not yet, anyway. But he says he still wants to go back there.

The offseason blueprint for the post-Ortiz Red Sox calls for Ramirez to serve as DH against righthanded starters while lefty-swinging Mitch Moreland plays first base. On days when lefties start (there are a lot of them around), the Sox plan to put Ramirez at first while Chris Young DHs.

Manager John Farrell also hopes to use the southpaw days to spell some of his everyday starters while Ramirez plays first.

Unfortunately, Ramirez says his right shoulder is bothering him when he throws, and he hasn’t raised his hand to play first all spring. The Sox open the season Monday at Fenway Park against the Pirates, and Farrell sounds as though he has all but given up trying Ramirez at first in .

I caught up with Ramirez in the visitors’ clubhouse at Ed Smith Stadium Monday morning and asked him about the situation.

“It was bothering me to throw,’’ he said. “Still a little bit.’’

When do you think you can play first base?

“That’s the thing. I don’t know.’’

Do you think it’s better if you just don’t play there because it might hurt the shoulder? You’ve been hitting down here (.300/.897 OPS).

“Exactly. I don’t want to bother my hitting.’’

Do you plan to go back to first?

“Oh, yeah. It should get better. I don’t know what’s going on at first.’’

I think they want to sit Moreland against lefties and put you at first. Do you think that’s going to happen?

“Yeah. If I’m healthy, yeah. If I can throw the ball, yeah.’’

But it’s not like you don’t want to go back over there, right?

“No, not me. I’m a Gold Glover. Nobody should say that. I love it over there.’’

When can fans expect to see you back at first?

“Fans want to see me hit bombs. So that’s why I’m not out there. Because every time I was trying to throw, it bothered my hitting a little bit, and so we decided to make sure the thing is ready.’’

But you didn’t have this problem last year, right?

“I had it a little bit at the end of the season last year. From when I ran into that wall two years ago.’’

Sox fans know that history. Ramirez tried playing left field in 2015 after he signed with Boston, and he struggled there. He injured his shoulder crashing into a Fenway wall and hit only .249 with 19 homers and 53 RBIs before he was shut down for the final month of the season. The Sox moved him to first base last year, and he rebounded, hitting .286 with 30 homers and 111 RBIs.

Now the Sox want him at DH . . . but only against righty starters.

“That’s the plan, and I’m still hopeful of it, but without being cleared, I can’t write him in the lineup,’’ Farrell said Monday.

Cleared? Is that “cleared” by the Sox medical team or by Ramirez?

“A combination,’’ the manager said. “There’s the work he’s doing in the training room and the attempts that he’s made to get his arm moving and get some consistent throwing program under way.’’

Without Ramirez, the backups at first base are and .

“I’m still with the intent that Hanley is going to be at first base at some points,’’ Farrell said. “Ideally, that would be if we see a lefty starter in the Detroit series [April 7-10].’’

Red Sox baseball boss Dave Dombrowski said: “It’s still possible. We’re still hopeful.’’

When I told Dombrowski that Ramirez is worried that throwing might affect his hitting, Dombrowski said: “It’s really the same as it was last year, his shoulder, in many ways. We’ll just have to wait and see.

“Are we hopeful he’ll be out there? Yes. I can’t give you a date or anything.

“If it doesn’t happen, we’ll just have to make adjustments from there. I don’t know that it’s going to affect our roster. It’s going to affect some playing time for certain people.’’

The post-Ortiz Red Sox will score a lot of runs this year. They erupted for nine runs in a single inning Monday against the Orioles in Sarasota. But until Ramirez returns to first, they are diminished offensively.

Tyler Thornburg likely headed for disabled list

Alex Speier and Dan Shaughnessy

SARASOTA, Fla. — Tyler Thornburg anticipated that Monday would be a critical milestone in his preparations for the season. But when the day arrived, it brought with it a setback that all but ensures that the Red Sox righthander — acquired from the Brewers to serve as the setup man in front of Craig Kimbrel — will open the year on the disabled list.

Thornburg, who hadn’t pitched in a Grapefruit League game since March 1 while trying to build shoulder strength, was scheduled to pitch against the Orioles, the first of what the Red Sox hoped would be at least three appearances in the final week of . Instead, minutes before the game, the team announced that Thornburg had been scratched because of a spasm in his upper right trapezius muscle.

The Sox already had acknowledged that Thornburg would have to thread something of a needle in order to be ready for . After a scoreless inning in a minor league game last Friday, the 28-year-old expressed optimism that he’d be able to do just that. Monday’s setback, however, suggests that such ambitions will prove impossible to fulfill.

“It’s hard to say right now that he’d have enough frequency to outings and pitch count to build up to be ready by next Monday,” said manager John Farrell, who noted that the spasm occurred in an area that was distinct from where Thornburg had experienced shoulder weakness. “We haven’t made that determination yet.”

The manager said tests on Tuesday are “going to hopefully give us more information of what we’re dealing with here.”

The development marks the second straight year that a acquired by the Red Sox for a pivotal bullpen role has been sidelined by injury. A year ago, Carson Smith was diagnosed with a flexor mass muscle strain in the spring, and eventually needed Tommy John surgery.

Now it is Thornburg who will “most likely” start the season on the DL, according to president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski.

The Red Sox already had anticipated that even if he had gotten through camp healthy, Thornburg wouldn’t be their primary setup man, at least at the start of the year. Farrell had said that eighth-inning duties would go to Joe Kelly and/or while Thornburg built toward full strength, a view echoed by Dombrowski in the wake of Thornburg’s setback.

“Some guys have to step up is what it comes down to,” said Dombrowski, who mentioned Kelly, Hembree, Matt Barnes, and Robbie Ross Jr. as candidates. “They’ll have to pick up the pieces for now.”

Assuming that Thornburg opens the year on the disabled list, the Sox will need to replace him on the roster with a less-established bullpen alternative. Dombrowski said he will probably not look outside the organization.

“But,” Dombrowski added, “I can’t rule anything out because I don’t really know anything other than what we found out today.”

Both Dombrowski and Farrell praised the depth of the Sox’ internal bullpen options, noting that such as righthanders Chandler Shepherd, Ben Taylor, Jamie Callahan, and Austin Maddox had all impressed this spring.

“This is a really strong group of righthanders that are going to be making contributions,” said Farrell. “In the nine years now here with this organization, I don’t know that there’s been a time when we had this number of relievers approaching the major leagues that you could see in certain roles. It’s a compliment to the people that drafted them.”

Moreover, lefthander Robby Scott has allowed just one run in 10 innings this spring, and could give the Red Sox a third lefthander out of the bullpen along with Ross and Fernando Abad. Because Scott is already on the 40-man roster, he would appear to have a leg up on the righthanders (not to mention fellow lefty Edgar Olmos, who is a nonroster invitee in big league camp) as a roster option.

Nonetheless, all of these potential contributors represent a departure from the Red Sox’ intended formula, one that featured Thornburg.

Headed for A The Red Sox made a number of cuts that included some of their most impressive spring performers. Catcher and were optioned to Triple A Pawtucket, while nonroster invitees Sam Travis and were assigned to minor league camp. Steve Selsky was optioned to Pawtucket after the game.

Swihart, in his return from ankle surgery last August, hit .325/.386/.400 this spring. The Sox suggested that he also made notable technical strides behind the plate.

Those strides, however, remained incomplete, at a time when the team has a pair of in Sandy Leon and Christian Vazquez who are viewed as major league-ready and who (unlike Swihart) don’t have minor league options.

“He showed improvements defensively and swung the bat very well,’’ Farrell said.

“For the player that he is and the person that he is . . . you love him as a person and he’s a hell of a talented player. Whether it’s he himself or Sam Travis, Deven Marrero, those are guys that we fully expect to be contributors this year, particularly if some unforeseen circumstances arise.

“He made some subtle adjustments with his setup. That gave him a different look at pitchers on the mound. Pitchers talked positively about the look that they got from him behind the plate.”

Butler will join Swihart as a catching depth option in Pawtucket. The 30-year-old hit .308/.399/.452 in Pawtucket last year, and he’s considered more defensively advanced than Swihart.

Travis once again showed considerable offensive potential, hitting .318/.400/.591 this spring with three homers in 21 games. The Sox would like to see him improve his first base defense. Moreover, while Travis pulverizes , evaluators believe he’ll also benefit from more exposure to advanced secondary pitches in Triple A.

He represents a potentially potent offensive addition in case either Mitch Moreland or Hanley Ramirez is injured or struggles to produce.

Marrero, a 2012 first-rounder who has always been viewed as an excellent defensive infielder, rebounded from a dismal 2016 season at the plate (.198 with a .487 OPS in Pawtucket), to hit .302/.375/.372 this spring.

Still, he’s behind a bit of a crowd at a utility position where the Red Sox appear to have some strength. With Marrero out of big league camp, the final bench role appears to be a competition between Marco Hernandez (who has minor league options) and Josh Rutledge (a Rule 5 draftee who must stick on the big league roster or else be placed on waivers and then offered back to the Rockies).

Selsky hit four homers in Florida, including two in his final two games.

With the five roster moves, the Red Sox have 37 players remaining in camp.

Double homers Leon responded to Vazquez’s big day Sunday by hitting homers from both sides of the plate in a single inning against the Orioles. “I was just trying to put a good swing on it,’’ Leon said . . . Eduardo Rodriguez on his Monday outing: “Everything was really good. My knee. My shoulder. Everything is ready to go.’’ Farrell on Rodriguez: “When you consider what he’s been through the last two years — from pitch-tipping to delivery adjustments to knee ailments to deliveries that have adjusted because of the knee — he’s pitching free of mind and confidently. He’s healthy.” Asked if Rodriguez had the stuff of a No. 1 starter, Farrell said: “That would be a good conversation around a beer. When you start putting ones and two and threes . . . I’ve been chastised for saying there were five No. 1’s before.’’ Steven Wright is down to pitch the third game of the season against the Pirates. That sets up Rodriguez for Game 4 in Detroit one week from Friday.

Spiffed-up stadium Ed Smith Stadium is gleaming since it was renovated by the skillful hand of Janet Marie Smith, the same woman who rebuilt Fenway Park before she was dismissed by the Sox during the 2009 season . . . Never forget that the Red Sox trained in Sarasota from 1932 to ’44 and again from 1946 to ’58. That’s all of Ted Williams’s spring trainings except for Scottsdale, Ariz., in 1959 and ’60 . . . Orioles manager said his Birds were ready to leave spring training 10 days ago. Showalter loves Cedric Mullins, a 22-year-old outfielder from Greensboro, N.C., who hit a two-run homer off Kimbrel. Mullins weighs 175 pounds, wears a size 12 shoe, switch hits, and has never played above Single A. “He’s the next great Oriole ,’’ Showalter said . . . Oriole outfield prospect Mike Yastrzemski, grandson of the Sox Hall of Famer, has been out all spring with an abdominal injury and is expected to start playing again soon. “He hits a lot of triples,’’ Showalter said . . . started in right field, an obvious showcase for a trade. He is out of options.

Winner’s bracket Jackie Bradley Jr., a former star at the University of South Carolina, was pretty happy about the Gamecocks’ victory over Florida in the NCAA tourney and won a bet with pitcher , a Florida man who was forced to wear South Carolina colors Monday . . . Ninety-six-year-old Roger Angell, the greatest baseball writer of all time, visited the press box and watched the game from the stands with his wife.

Red Sox see Blake Swihart as still ‘not a finished product’

Alex Speier

FORT MYERS, Fla. — If you squint, it remains easy to imagine Blake Swihart as a rare sort of catcher based on his ability to make steady, resounding contact that sends line drives all over the field, and his unusual impact on the bases.

There is a reason why, when the Red Sox signed Yoan Moncada to his record-setting bonus in 2015, most publications had the Cuban ranked behind Swihart as a prospect. There is a reason why, after Swihart’s strong performance in the second half of 2015, evaluators projected him as a player with the potential to become an All-Star.

It can be easy to forget all of that. Swihart, after all, was out of sight in the Red Sox catching equation in 2016, banished to the minors after just six games when the team decided it was better with a more defensively advanced option behind the plate in Christian Vazquez. Between that demotion, his return to the big leagues as a , and his season-ending injury suffered at that position, a future that seemed bright behind the plate became clouded last year.

“Let’s not avoid the pink elephant in the room here,” said Red Sox bullpen and catching instructor Dana LeVangie. “He basically lost a season behind the plate.”

That lost time, in turn, played into the Red Sox’ decision Monday to option Swihart back to Triple A. This spring, he once again showed offensive ability that was at times head-turning, hitting .325/.386/.400. He also made some mechanical adjustments behind the plate in terms of how he presented a target to his pitchers and how he presented pitches to umpires.

“Blake in particular had a very strong camp,” manager John Farrell said. “He showed improvements defensively and swung the bat very well. You love him as a person, and he’s a hell of a talented player.”

But some rough edges of his defensive game remained evident as well. The need for further defensive development, coupled with the fact that Swihart has minor league options remaining — unlike Vazquez and Sandy Leon — made Monday’s decision seem inevitable for most of the spring.

“He needs to go out and play a lot, play when he’s feeling good and feeling tired, and learn how to be more consistent that way,” LeVangie said. “He’s not a finished product, but he’s making strides to become more effective back there.”

So what does Swihart, who turns 25 next week, need to work on? LeVangie said he shows effective receiving skills when catching with nobody on and less than two strikes. But when runners or two-strike pitches in the dirt create a need for an “action stance,” he’s still working on his technique.

There is work to be done in controlling the running game (opponents were 9 for 11 stealing with Swihart behind the plate this spring). Moreover, the Sox believe that his need for refinement blocking pitches led to reluctance to call for such offerings in two-strike counts, resulting in more predictable pitch sequences for batters.

“When we had him in the big leagues, his ability to follow game plans and read swings was pretty good,” LeVangie. said “But if you know you’re not the best blocker but you’re making strides to become one, you’re going to be less willing to call those pitches in the dirt to set up something else.

“He might call for one pitch more than the others. Other teams are eventually going to know that. When he finally gets to the point where he says, ‘Give it to me in the dirt,’ and the guy on the mound trusts that, then he’s taken that step.”

Right now, the Sox believe that Triple A — away from the glare of Boston — is the best place for Swihart to work on such skill development. While it may seem as if Swihart’s development is taking a long time, the team believes it has that luxury, given the presence of Leon and Vazquez.

LeVangie pointed to catchers such as Jorge Posada and even as models for Swihart’s development, noting that when both eventual All-Stars arrived in the majors, their bats were ahead of their defensive work. Over time, the gap closed — and for Varitek, his defensive game eventually came to surpass his offense.

The Sox believe that Swihart is closing the gap, that he made technical improvements this spring. Earlier this month, Swihart described himself as feeling great.

“I think this is probably the best I’ve ever felt catching,” he said.

He talked about how much he learned while watching from the sidelines last year, examining what catchers were calling, what sequences Red Sox pitchers liked to employ, analyzing what umpires did and did not tend to call.

He expressed confidence that his knowledge of the game improved even in his lost year.

But now that he is again playing, he can focus on the physical work needed to determine how much he can advance his game behind the plate, and to define his future in that role. His work-in-progress present creates unknowns, though it doesn’t necessarily diminish his potential.

“If a kid is willing to get better, if he has the desire to get better and is willing to learn, he’s going to get better,” LeVangie said. “Blake could catch in the big leagues right now, and our team would still be good, but there’d be hiccups, occasional hiccups.

“Are you willing to deal with those hiccups? It’s a little tougher to deal with that in Boston. I think he could do it. But we have two other guys right now who, fundamentally behind the plate, are ahead of Blake.

“It’s a numbers thing right now. But it’s a really good option that we have Blake Swihart, who’s built his stock back up to where it needs to be for him and us. We’ve got a good thing.”

Red Sox option Blake Swihart to Pawtucket

Alex Speier

FORT MYERS, Fla. — With Opening Day a week away, the Red Sox took another step toward defining the roster with which they’ll begin the 2017 season, making four cuts Monday that included some of the team’s most impressive spring performers.

The Sox optioned catcher Blake Swihart and infielder Deven Marrero to Triple A Pawtucket while reassigning nonroster invitees Sam Travis and Dan Butler to minor league camp. All four are expected to open the year with the PawSox as depth options for the big league team.

Swihart, in his return from ankle surgery that he underwent last August, hit .325/.386/.400 this spring. The Sox also suggested that he made notable technical strides behind the plate. Those strides, however, remained incomplete, at a time when the team has a pair of catchers in Sandy Leon and Christian Vazquez who are viewed both as major league-ready and who (unlike Swihart) don’t have minor league options remaining.

As such, in the interests of preserving their catching depth and giving Swihart more time to develop, the decision to option him seemed likely for most of the spring.

“He needs to go out and play a lot, play when he’s feeling good and feeling tired, and learn how to be more consistent that way,” said Red Sox bullpen coach and catching instructor Dana LeVangie. “He’s not a finished product but he’s making strides to become more effective back there.”

Butler, who returned to the Red Sox this winter on a minor league deal, will join Swihart as a catching depth option in Pawtucket. The 30-year-old hit .308/.399/.452 in Pawtucket last year, and he’s considered more defensively advanced than Swihart right now.

Travis once again showed considerable offensive potential, hitting .318/.400/.591 with three homers in 21 games. While he’s viewed as a player who could contribute in the big leagues in 2017, the Sox would like to see him improve his first base defense.

Moreover, while Travis pulverizes fastballs, evaluators believe he’ll also benefit from more exposure to advanced secondary pitches in Triple A as he prepares for the big leagues. He represents a potentially potent offensive addition in case either Mitch Moreland or Hanley Ramirez is injured or struggles to produce.

Marrero, a 2012 first-rounder who has always been viewed as an excellent defensive infielder, rebounded from a dismal 2016 season at the plate (he hit .198 with a .487 OPS in Pawtucket), to hit .302/.375/.372 this spring. Still, he’s behind a bit of a crowd at a utility position where the Red Sox appear to have some strength.

With Marrero out of big league camp, the final bench role appears to be a competition between Marco Hernandez (who has minor league options) and Josh Rutledge (a Rule 5 draftee who must stick on the big league roster or else be placed on waivers and then offered back to the Rockies).

With the four roster moves, the Red Sox have 38 players remaining in big league camp, including 32 on their 40-man roster.

* The Boston Herald

Blake Swihart departs big league camp for minors

Jason Mastrodonato

SARASOTA, Fla. — There wasn’t anything Blake Swihart could do.

He had an impressive spring training, showing improved receiving ability and a better throwing arm behind the plate after transitioning from the outfield back to catcher. And he hit .325.

But his time in Red Sox camp came to an end yesterday when he was optioned back to Triple-A Pawtucket where he’s slated to begin the season.

“Blake had a very strong camp and showed improvements defensively,” manager John Farrell said. “Swung the bat very well. For the player that he is and the person that he is, you love him as a person. He’s a hell of a talented player.”

Sandy Leon and Christian Vazquez will be the catching tandem to open the season.

With Vazquez returning from Tommy John surgery and Leon in camp on a minors deal, Swihart won the starting job last year ( was the backup), but that lasted only six games before he was optioned back to Triple-A Pawtucket because of concerns about his defense. He eventually has switched to left field, where he suffered an ankle injury at Fenway Park and finished the season on the disabled list. In the offseason, the focus went back to catching.

“He made some subtle adjustments with his setup,” Farrell said of Swihart behind the plate this spring. “That gave him a different look to pitchers on the mound. Pitchers talked positively about the look that they got from him behind the plate. I think it softened his hands somewhat to receive the ball better. And there were a number of occasions where he was able to get a pitchers’ pitch called for a strike so the presentation of the was a little bit more subtle and consistent than maybe years past. Like I said, he had a strong camp.”

Pop behind plate

One day after Vazquez homered, picked a runner off second base and threw out another trying to steal third, Leon turned in a two-homer day that included a grand slam in the Sox’ 11-9 Grapefruit League win against the .

Leon, likely to start on Opening Day, needed the confidence boost. He was just 6-for-26 without an extra- base hit before his five-RBI day.

“In the last six or seven games, I’ve felt really good,” Leon said.

Both of Leon’s home runs came in the fifth inning. A switch-hitter, he hit one from each side of the plate.

“I think over the last 5-7 days the quality of the contact with Sandy has been much more frequent,” Farrell said. “You get an opportunity to hit from both sides of the plate in one inning, and he made the most of it.” . . .

Infielder Deven Marrero and outfielder Steve Selsky were also optioned to Pawtucket. Catcher Dan Butler and Sam Travis were reassigned to minor league camp.

Grab a glove

Farrell all but handed Hanley Ramirez a first baseman’s glove, the manager telling reporters that he’s eyeing the second series of the season in Detroit as a target for the debut on defense. Because of a tight shoulder, Ramirez has yet to play first base this spring.

“I’m still hopeful of it, but without being cleared, I can’t write him in the lineup,” a seemingly frustrated Farrell said.

Ramirez has only been used as the . He’s taken grounders at first base but not at max effort because he hasn’t thrown much since camp opened.

“I’m still with the intent that Hanley will be at first base at some point,” Farrell said. “That would ideally be if we get a left-handed starter at some point in the Detroit series.”

The Pittsburgh Pirates are expected to start all righties in the opening series, so Ramirez will likely start those games at designated hitter while Mitch Moreland mans first base.

No big deal

Spring training’s version of David vs. Goliath was Cedric Mullins vs. Craig Kimbrel.

The unthinkable results — a two-run, opposite-field homer by Mullins, a 5-foot-8 outfielder who spent all of last season playing in Single A — did not faze Farrell, who said his ’s bad outing was because of the comfy confines of Ed Smith Stadium.

“In this ballpark, if you get the bat head to a ball and get it in the air, it’s got a chance to go,” Farrell said. “A couple more outings, (Kimbrel will) be ready to go.”

Kimbrel has allowed five runs in six innings this spring.

Tyler Thornburg’s unavailability exposes hole in Red Sox bullpen

Jason Mastrodonato

SARASOTA, Fla. — Shortly after reliever Tyler Thornburg was acquired from the in early December, the Red Sox informed they no longer were interested in his services.

If only they had a mulligan on that one.

Uehara, who turns 42 on Opening Day, signed a one-year, $6 million free agent deal with the . He has made seven appearances in spring training, striking out seven and allowing two runs.

Thornburg has made two appearances for the Red Sox, striking out two and allowing nine runs (seven earned). He had shoulder fatigue after misunderstanding the Red Sox’ offseason instructions and not responding well to an intense spring. And yesterday, when he finally was supposed to return to game action, he suffered muscle spasms in the trapezius muscle area of his throwing arm.

Now Thornburg is likely to begin the season on the disabled list, president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said. The right-hander is to undergo testing today.

The testing “is going to hopefully give us more information on what we’re actually dealing with here,” manager John Farrell said. “What the root cause to a spasm is, that I don’t know at this point.”

Uehara is gone. Thornburg is down. Carson Smith (Tommy John surgery) won’t return until June. And the Red Sox are looking at a bullpen that will start the year with Matt Barnes or Heath Hembree trying to bridge the gap to Joe Kelly in the eighth inning and closer Craig Kimbrel.

If Thornburg and Smith were healthy, the bullpen would be feared. But as things stand, the Sox would be wise to look for help elsewhere. Dombrowski doesn’t believe that’s necessary just yet.

“Well, I think we’re fine,” Dombrowski said. “Some guys have to step up is what it comes down to. You go through these type of things in any particular year. I’ve done it every year in my career. We like guys in our bullpen. Joe Kelly, Matt Barnes, those guys are going to have to step up. Heath Hembree. Robbie Ross. We’re just in a situation that they’ll have to pick up the pieces for now.”

If the testing on Thornburg, who once had elbow issues with the Brewers but pitched a full 2016 season without any restrictions, shows good signs, the Red Sox likely will stand pat.

“If it’s a short-term situation, then I don’t have a spot to offer someone,” Dombrowski said. “And we like our young bullpen guys, too. We like some of those guys. They’re still with us, about three or four guys that we think are on the verge of pitching at the big league level.”

Ben Taylor, Chandler Shepherd, Tyler Maddox and Jamie Callahan have never pitched in the big leagues and are not on the 40-man roster. Farrell said he’s been impressed by their showings in camp, but he doesn’t think anyone in the bunch is far and away better than any of the relievers currently on the 40-man. Until there is further development in the minors, the foursome simply represents depth in the system.

If Thornburg is out for long, the Red Sox don’t need depth. They need a set-up man.

To start the year, that job will fall to Kelly, who has at times been dominant but has walked too many batters this spring, with seven free passes and seven in eight innings.

“The point we’re trying to stress to him, no one in this game is perfect,” Farrell said. “He doesn’t have to be perfect with every pitch located. He has premium stuff. Trust it, and get ahead in the count a little bit more frequently.”

The starting rotation could be good enough to cover up the holes in the bullpen, but is injured and is certainly not healthy. Yesterday’s starter in an 11-9 win against the Baltimore Orioles was Eduardo Rodriguez, whose velocity increased from 91-92 mph to 94 by the time he departed after six innings, but he allowed nine hits and six runs (four earned) while frequently missing location.

“He was sloppy in the fourth inning,” Farrell said. “I thought there was a little bit of a lapse in focus at times. He crossed up Sandy (Leon, the catcher) one time. The stuff has been consistent. We’ve got to tighten up some things.”

Opening Day is six days away. Game 1 is just as important as Game 162. And the Red Sox had better play like it because there won’t be much room for error with the ever-shrinking group of proven relievers awaiting the call in the bullpen.

Hanley Ramirez 'ideally' debuts at 1B in first week of season

Jason Mastrodonato

SARASOTA, Fla. — John Farrell all but handed Hanley Ramirez a first baseman’s glove on Monday, telling reporters that he’s eyeing the second series of the season in Detroit as a target for Ramirez’s debut on defense.

Because of a tight shoulder, Ramirez has yet to play first base this spring.

“I'm still hopeful of it, but without being cleared, I can't write him in the lineup,” the seemingly frustrated manager said.

Ramirez has only been used as the designated hitter. He's taken grounders at first base but not at max effort, since he hasn’t thrown much since camp opened. The delay led him to miss the World Baseball Classic. He was originally supposed to compete for the Dominican Republic.

“It's been short distances,” Farrell said. “It's been out to 60, 70 feet, not more than that.”

Farrell said he needs both the team doctors and Ramirez himself to deem the 33-year-old ready for defense. He’s expecting it to happen soon.

“I'm still with the intent that Hanley will be at first base at some point,” Farrell said. “That would ideally be if we get a left-handed starter at some point in the Detroit series.”

The Red Sox open up next Monday at home against the Pittsburgh Pirates for three games, then travel to Detroit for four games against the Tigers. The Pirates are expected to throw all right-handed starters, so Ramirez will likely start those games at DH while Mitch Moreland starts at first base.

Against lefties, though, Farrell was hoping to use Ramirez at first. If Ramirez can’t go, Farrell might have to try a different first baseman.

“If there's a left-hander that we feel like there's a better matchup, I'm not opposed to putting Josh Rutledge at first base,” Farrell said, adding that, “(Brock) Holt and Rutledge both, depending on what's needed in the moment, even a potential matchup situation.”

Holt, who hits lefty, and Rutledge, who hits righty, will split time at the corner infield positions in the coming days to ready them for action.

* The Providence Journal

Sandy Leon breaks out of slump; Eduardo Rodriguez "sloppy" in win

Tim Britton

SARASOTA, Fla. — Sandy Leon made up for his poor offensive spring in one inning.

Leon homered from both sides of the plate in the fifth frame of Boston's 11-9 win over Baltimore — the second a grand slam. They represented the first two extra-base hits of the spring for Leon.

The catcher came into the game with barely more hits (six) than -play groundouts (three) in 26 at- bats.

"In the last six or seven games, I've felt really good," Leon said. "You want to feel good with how you're playing. I wasn't trying to hit two homers. I was just trying to put a good swing on it."

"The biggest thing with the guys behind the plate, now we're getting into a little bit more frequent use. They're getting more consistent at-bats, their timing is starting to come along," manager John Farrell said.

***

Eduardo Rodriguez had his worst outing of the spring, allowing six runs (four earned) on nine hits over six innings. While Rodriguez was not helped by his defense, he yielded plenty of hard contact throughout the afternoon.

"In that fourth inning, I missed most of the pitches around the middle of the plate," said Rodriguez of Baltimore's four-run frame. "They got pretty good contact."

Farrell was not pleased with that fourth inning, either — less because of the hard contact and more with what he described as "a lapse in focus" from Rodriguez.

"He was sloppy in the fourth inning," he said. "The fourth inning, there were some things inside there, whether it's backing up home plate or just being a little bit more attentive. That's got to be more consistent throughout, particularly as a . Those lapses can come back to bite you.

"We've got to tighten up some things."

Is it time to worry about the Red Sox bullpen?

Tim Britton

SARASOTA, Fla. — Could it all be happening to Dave Dombrowski again?

There is no dancing around Dombrowski's bullpen track record. His otherwise fine teams in Detroit were often undone by a lack of depth in the bullpen, the Tigers' October downfalls spelled out in late-inning losses.

Monday knocked Dombrowski's best-laid plans for the 2017 Red Sox bullpen off track. For the second straight spring, one of his key relief acquisitions will start the season on the disabled list; Tyler Thornburg was scratched with a spasm near his shoulder, although the team does not think it's a long-term concern.

During game action, Craig Kimbrel allowed an opposite-field to a Single-A outfielder. Granted, the wind blows out to left in Sarasota, but it was a discouraging sign on a discouraging day.

Is it time to worry about a Dombrowski bullpen yet again?

"I think we're fine," Dombrowski said. "Some guys have to step up, is what it comes down to."

If this sounds familiar, you've heard it from Dombrowski before. It was last July 25 that he said, "I think our bullpen will be fine" as his relief core endured its roughest month of the season. August, however, was no kinder.

In that month alone, the Sox lost eight games it led in the sixth inning or later — and this was even though Kimbrel returned as quickly as possible from a knee injury and July acquisition Brad Ziegler pitched lights out.

It was a case study in how a poor bullpen can wreak havoc on an otherwise sturdy roster; check out the second half for last year's for further confirmation. For Boston, bullpen woes were the main reason a team with a league-leading offense and a rotation that found itself after the All-Star break still trailed in the division heading into September.

Faith in the "next man up," then, works as a sales pitch if you're the Patriots, and your third-string running back dominates the Super Bowl. It is safe to say that Dombrowski's bullpen construction does not merit the same trust as Bill Belichick.

Even after that relief core righted itself in September — a 1.81 ERA in the final month led the — Dombrowski identified the bullpen as the club's chief need the day after its 2016 season ended.

In the winter, the Red Sox allowed Ziegler, Koji Uehara and Junichi Tazawa to sign elsewhere, when the first two were two of the driving factors in September's shutdown relief performance. Boston opted instead to ship and Mauricio Dubon to Milwaukee for Thornburg — who excelled in his first full season as a reliever in 2016.

Thornburg, though, has barely been able to pitch this spring. His last outing in a major-league game came on March 1, and his setback Monday means he will almost certainly begin the year on the DL. It's too early to cluster Thornburg in with Carson Smith, who recorded all of eight outs in his first season with the Red Sox before undergoing Tommy John surgery. But the similarity to this point in spring is disconcerting.

Even were Thornburg healthy, the Red Sox bullpen exists largely as a hypothetical entity. Boston possesses the framework of a good bullpen, but the building has yet to be fully realized. There is an absence of sure things in that pen, from the closer Kimbrel straight on down through Thornburg and his eighth-inning replacement, Joe Kelly.

The Sox are counting on Kimbrel's last two years being more aberration than trend and Kelly's last September as more trend than aberration. They believe that Matt Barnes can take another step forward in his second full season as a reliever, Robbie Ross, Jr. can overcome his outing-to-outing inconsistencies and Fernando Abad and Heath Hembree can be, at the least, successful with the platoon advantage. They believe Smith can provide a lift when he does return sometime this summer.

There's a good chance some of those beliefs come to fruition; no single one is delusional. But bullpens are often an exercise in caprice, and expecting best-case scenarios is often a blueprint to worst-case outcomes. Few know that better than Dombrowski.

Tyler Thornburg scratched from relief appearance, appears headed for DL to start season

Tim Britton

SARASOTA, Fla. — Tyler Thornburg was scratched from his scheduled outing on Monday because of a spasm in his upper right trapezius. Thornburg still hasn't pitched in a major-league game since March 1, and the right-hander will "most likely" start the season on the disabled list according to president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski.

"It's hard to say right now he'd have enough frequency of outings and pitch count to build up and to be ready by next Monday," manager John Farrell said. "We haven't made that determination yet. [Tuesday] is going to hopefully give us more information on what we're actually dealing with here."

Farrell said the spasm in Thornburg's trapezius "was not shoulder-related," although the manager said the team doesn't yet know "the root cause" of the problem. Thornburg will undergo testing on Tuesday, with an MRI possible.

Thornburg first experienced shoulder fatigue after that March 1 appearance — a result of not fully understanding Boston's offseason throwing program. He took some downtime to build strength in his shoulder, finally seeing game action last Friday in a minor-league setting.

The Red Sox had expressed hope over the weekend that, with three outings this week, Thornburg would be ready enough for Opening Day, even if it wasn't in the set-up role for which he was acquired.

Thornburg's injury likely opens up a 25-man roster spot for Robby Scott. While Farrell has liked what he's seen this spring from right-handers Chandler Shepherd, Ben Taylor, Jamie Callahan and Austin Maddox, none are on the 40-man roster. Before Thornburg's setback, Farrell said he did not view any member of that quartet as having outpitched a candidate like Scott enough to merit Opening Day consideration.

Dombrowski said after the game that, as long as Tuesday's testing doesn't reveal a longer-term issue, the club plans to stay in-house for Thornburg's replacement. This is the time of year veteran relievers either opt out of deals or find themselves released; and Matt Albers were both let go by Washington on Monday.

"I think we're fine," Dombrowski said. "Some guys have to step up, is what it comes down to."

With Thornburg on the shelf, Joe Kelly will become Boston's first choice in high-leverage spots in the eighth inning. Following a flourish to finish 2016, the right-hander has had an inconsistent spring, with seven strikeouts and seven walks over eight innings.

"The point we're trying to stress to him, no one in this game is perfect," manager John Farrell said. "He doesn't have to be perfect with every pitch located. He has premium stuff. Trust it, and get ahead in the count a little bit more frequently."

Blake Swihart optioned to Triple-A after strong spring

Tim Britton

SARASOTA, Fla. — Despite a strong camp, Blake Swihart was optioned to Triple-A Pawtucket on Monday, meaning Sandy Leon and Christian Vazquez will be Boston's Opening Day catchers.

The move was hardly surprising. Swihart entered the spring fighting an uphill battle to make the Opening Day roster because he had minor-league options remaining while Leon and Vazquez did not. Swihart hit .325 with a .386 on-base percentage this spring — easily the best offensive performance of the three. However, although he made strides behind the plate, he still lags behind the other two defensively.

'He missed a full really, basically," bullpen coach and catching instructor Dana LeVangie said. "Whatever we saw early, we needed to be patient because he had to get back in the flow. He was away from all that catching — the games, the practice, the routines. We had to give him a little bit of time to get into it."

That said, the Red Sox have seen improvements from Swihart with the mask on.

"He made some subtle adjustments with his setup," manager John Farrell said. "That gave him a different look to pitchers on the mound. Pitchers talked positively about the look that they got from him behind the plate. I think it softened his hands somewhat to receive the ball better. And there were a number of occasions where he was able to get a pitcher's pitch called for a strike, so the presentation of the umpire was a little bit more subtle and consistent then maybe years past."

Even though he will start the season in Pawtucket, Swihart figures to be in Boston at some point this season. The Red Sox routinely use three or more catchers throughout the season.

***

Other spring cuts included Sam Travis, Deven Marrero and Dan Butler. Travis, in particular, had another good spring.

Travis hit .318 and slugged .591 in spring — the second straight year he's hit just about every ball hard in the Grapefruit League.

Like Swihart, Travis showed improvement with his glove, with strides till to be made.

"If needed, could we put him at first base now? The answer to that would be yes," Farrell said. "But we would like to see further improvement on the defensive side of things. Offensively, he's got a knack to hit and impact the baseball."

With Hanley Ramirez's defensive status very much up in the air, Travis could emerge as a significant piece to complement lefty-swinging Mitch Moreland at he position.

* The Springfield Republican

Sandy Leon homers twice in 5th, including grand slam; Eduardo Rodriguez goes 6 innings

Christopher Smith

Sandy Leon homered twice during the Boston Red Sox's nine-run fifth inning Monday. He led off the inning with a grand slam, then launched a grand slam later in the frame.

The Red Sox catcher helped lead Boston 11-9 over the Baltimore Orioles in Grapefruit League action.

Leon bashed his first homer from the left side against right-hander Logan Verrett:

His grand slam came from the right side of the plate vs. lefty :

Leon is 8-for-30 (.267 average) this spring. His two homers today were his first two extra-base hits this spring. His five RBIs today were his first five RBIs of spring training.

Leon is expected to catch in the Red Sox's vs. the Pittsburgh Pirates on April 3 at Fenway Park.

Christian Vazquez will be Boston's other catcher to open the season. The Red Sox optioned Blake Swihart to Triple-A Pawtucket earlier today.

Swihart had a strong camp and hit better than both Leon and Vazquez. But unfortunately for him, he's the only one of the three catchers with minor league options remaining.

Josh Rutledge plays some first base again

Utility infielder Josh Rutledge started at first base Monday and he replaced first baseman Mitch Moreland in the fifth inning as a Monday. He remained in Monday's game, playing five innings at first.

Moreland went 2-for-3 with two RBIs. Rutledge went 1-for-2 with a run and .

As written earlier today on MassLive.com, the left-handed hitting Moreland likely will start every day at first base until Hanley Ramirez's shoulder is healthy. But the right-handed hitting Rutledge provides the Red Sox an alternative.

Ramirez still can DH. But he has had trouble throwing because of the shoulder issue.

Eduardo Rodriguez pitches 6 innings

Eduardo Rodriguez went 6 innings, allowing six runs, but only four earned runs, on nine hits and one walk while striking out three. He recorded eight groundouts and four flyouts.

Rodriguez has pitched 19 innings this spring, allowing seven earned runs (3.32 ERA).

Red Sox option Steve Selsky to Pawtucket after he goes 3-for-5 with homer

Christopher Smith

Steve Selsky had another strong day at the plate for the Boston Red Sox on Monday. He went 3-for-5 with a homer, two RBIs and two runs to help lead Boston 11-9 over the Baltimore Orioles.

But the Sox optioned Selsky to Triple-A Pawtucket following the game. The move was expected to happen at some point this week.

The 27-year-old Selsky -- who is on the 40-man roster -- provides both outfield and first base depth for the Red Sox.

Boston also has worked him out at third base recently.

He has gone 16-for-45 (.356 batting average) with a .431 on-base percentage, .689 slugging percentage, 1.120 OPS, four home runs, three doubles, 12 RBIs, 10 runs and five walks during spring training.

The 6-foot, 213-pound right-handed batter made his major league debut last year with the Reds and he batted .314 with a .340 on-base percentage, .471 slugging percentage, .810 OPS, two homers, two doubles and seven RBIs in 24 games (54 plate appearances).

Tyler Thornburg likely to start season on the disabled list raising more Red Sox bullpen questions

Jen McCaffrey

Tyler Thornburg was scratched from his scheduled appearance on Monday with a spasm in his upper right trapezius.

The right-hander hasn't appeared in a major-league game since March 1, and Monday was set to be his return.

However, the setback coupled with the time he's missed this spring now makes a stint on the disabled list appear likely.

Thornburg took time away from the mound after he allowed nine runs, seven earned, in 1 1/3 innings through his first two games earlier this spring. Thornburg worked on strengthening his shoulder and refining his command.

In the event he starts the season on the disabled list, Joe Kelly is tabbed to take over Thornburg's eighth- inning role. Kelly, though, has had command issues with seven walks and seven strikeouts in eight innings.

Meanwhile, Thornburg's roster spot will likely go to reliever Robby Scott, though Chandler Shepherd and Jamie Callahan have made strong impressions this spring.

Mitch Moreland likely to play 1B for Boston Red Sox every day until Hanley Ramirez is healthy

Christopher Smith

Update: John Farrell has not committed to Mitch Moreland playing every day at first base if Hanley Ramirez isn't ready. This is only opinion. Farrell told reporters Monday after this column was published that Josh Rutledge and Brock Holt also could play some first base.

Hanley Ramirez hasn't played first base in a spring training game because of his injured shoulder.

He still can DH. He's slashing .300/.357/.540/.897 with three homers, three doubles and 13 RBIs in 50 at- bats. But he can't throw.

Red Sox manager John Farrell told reporters Sunday he still hopes Ramirez will play some first base at spring training but he understands time is running out.

Opening Day is in seven days. The Red Sox play the Pirates at Fenway Park next Monday (April 3).

"His play and availability at first is one of the keys to how our roster can function at its best," Farrell told reporters, per WEEI.com. "But until he's ready to go out there, I can't put him on the field."

The plan has been for left-handed hitting Mitch Moreland to play first base vs. right-handed starters and Ramirez to DH in those game. Ramirez then will shift to first base against left-handed starters.

But with Ramirez's shoulder still an issue, Moreland likely will start every day at first base at the beginning of this season.

The Red Sox reassigned right-handed hitting first baseman Sam Travis to minor league camp today.

We wrote last week on MassLive.com about Travis potentially making the Opening Day roster (although we acknowledged several reasons why it was unlikely).

Travis had a terrific spring training camp. He is the first baseman of the future.

But it makes sense for Travis, coming off an ACL injury that caused him to miss four months of the 2016 season, to begin at Pawtucket where he can play every day. That is what is best for his development right now.

Moreland has had a strong spring training. He's 13-for-41 (.333 batting average) with a .410 on-base percentage, .545 slugging percentage, .956 OPS, one homer, four doubles and 14 RBIs in 15 games.

Can he handle left-handed pitchers on an everyday basis though?

He has received just eight at-bats (two hits) vs. southpaws this spring.

Moreland actually had reverse splits for the during 2016. He batted .221 with a .293 on-base percentage, .407 slugging percentage and .700 OPS vs. righties compared to .277/.320/.479/.799 vs. southpaws.

But his career OPS is 105 points higher against righties than lefties.

"I think we'll see an uptick in (overall production from Moreland) because he does a good job going to left- center field," Farrell said Feb. 27. "And I think the wall will come into play more at home in Fenway where that stroke in Texas might result in a long fly ball out. Here he's got that advantage to him. So that's one of the more intriguing things we'll begin to see as we get deeper into the season."

Red Sox option Blake Swihart to Pawtucket; Sam Travis reassigned to minors (among 4 moves)

Christopher Smith

The Red Sox have optioned catcher Blake Swihart and infielder Deven Marrero to Triple-A Pawtucket.

First baseman Sam Travis and catcher Dan Butler (not on the 40-man roster) have been reassigned to minor league camp. Both Travis and Butler will begin the 2017 season at Pawtucket.

With Swihart optioned, Sandy Leon and Christian Vazquez will be the two catchers on the Red Sox's Opening Day roster.

Swihart had a strong camp and hit better than both Leon and Vazquez. But unfortunately for him, he's the only one of the three catchers with minor league options remaining.

Swihart went 13-for-40 (.325 batting average) with a .386 on-base percentage, .400 slugging percentage, .786 OPS, one double, one triple and two RBIs in 14 spring training games.

Travis went 14-for-44 (.318 batting average) with a .400 on-base percentage, .591 slugging percentage, .991 OPS, three homers, three doubles and 12 RBIs in 21 spring training games.

Marrero went 13-for-43 (.302 batting average) with a .375 on-base percentage, .372 slugging percentage, .747 OPS, three doubles and four RBIs in 23 spring training games.

* The Portland Press Herald

Red Sox tweak roster in final days of spring training

Tom Caron

FORT MYERS, Fla. — Opening Day is six days away. Even though it still feels like winter around most of New England, it’s time for baseball to take center stage. The Boston Red Sox have been in Florida since Valentine’s Day, an extended spring training caused by the World Baseball Classic.

There are very few decisions for Sox management to make. One came on Monday, when the team sent catcher Blake Swihart to Pawtucket. That was not a major surprise, since Sandy Leon and Christian Vazquez do not have minor-league options remaining. Swihart had the best spring at the plate among them, but the only way the Sox could keep all three catchers in the organization was to send Swihart down.

Vazquez made the decision a little easier Sunday when he had his best game of the preseason. He threw out two base runners and hit a three-run home run as the Sox beat the Twins 7-2. He made Manager John Farrell a happy man.

“When you just look at the ability behind the plate, it’s a special player defensively,” Farrell told reporters.

Notice how Farrell used the words “behind the plate.” While Swihart might have the most offensive upside of the three catchers, the biggest value of a backstop behind this team is what he does with his glove and his arm. Anything he does with the bat is a bonus. Vazquez and Leon are far superior to Swihart behind the plate at this point. That’s why they’re on the big-league roster.

Another decision looms on the bench. The Sox will keep one reserve infielder, either Marco Hernandez or Josh Rutledge. (Another reserve, outfielder Steve Selsky, was optioned to Pawtucket on Monday.) Through Sunday, Hernandez was tied for the most hits of any Red Sox player this spring, and his 11 extra-base hits (including a stunning five triples) were the most on the roster.

A great spring indeed, yet he may get beaten out by Rutledge because of the business of baseball. Rutledge was claimed from Colorado in the Rule 5 draft in December. Under the rules of that draft, the Sox must keep Rutledge on the major league roster for the entire season if they hope to keep him. If they demote him he returns to the Rockies. So while Hernandez may be having a better spring, the Sox can keep both players in the system by sending Hernandez down to Pawtucket.

The final decision surrounds a left-handed reliever. That’s also a three-man race, with Fernando Abad, Robby Scott and Edgar Olmos looking to join Robbie Ross, Jr. in the bullpen.

Abad surprised a lot of people by leaving the Sox this spring to pitch for the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic. He pitched well there, throwing 21/3 scoreless innings over four appearances. While he was gone, Scott (one in 10 innings of work) and Olmos (one earned run in 10 2/3 innings) made a mark for the Sox in Grapefruit League play.

While Abad gave up a run Sunday, he would be the odds-on favorite to win this battle. He limited left- handed hitters to a .153 batting average and a .459 OPS last season. Having a lefty who can take care of left-handed hitters is a luxury every manager would like to have, and Abad gives Farrell exactly that.

Strange things can happen over the final days of camp, but barring injuries there shouldn’t be many surprises coming out of Fort Myers. For a team built to contend for a championship, avoiding surprises will be a season-long goal.

* RedSox.com

Thornburg setback could change 'pen plans

Ian Browne

SARASOTA, Fla. -- The Red Sox were already preparing for the possibility of setup man Tyler Thornburg opening the season on the disabled list due to the right arm fatigue that slowed his Spring Training.

But another setback has turned it into an inevitability.

Thornburg was scratched from his scheduled outing against the Orioles on Monday due to upper right trapezius spasm. It would have been Thornburg's first appearance in a Grapefruit League game since March 1 and his third overall.

"Yeah, it's hard to say right now he'd have enough frequency of outings and pitch count to build up and to be ready by next Monday," said Red Sox manager John Farrell. "We haven't made that determination yet. Tomorrow is going to hopefully give us more information on what we're actually dealing with here. What the root cause to the spasm is, that I don't know at this point."

President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski characterized it as "likely" that Thornburg will start the season on the 10-day disabled list.

When the Red Sox acquired Thornburg from the Brewers in December, the plan was that he would be the team's main setup man in the eighth inning.

Even before Monday's injury, Farrell had said in recent days that Thornburg would start the season in lower-leverage outings.

Joe Kelly will probably begin the season pitching the eighth inning, but Heath Hembree and Matt Barnes could also get opportunities to set up Craig Kimbrel.

At this point, Dombrowski hopes the injury will be short term, and he doesn't plan on acquiring another reliever before Opening Day.

"Well, I think we're fine," said Dombrowski. "Some guys have to step up is what it comes down to. You go through these type of things in any particular year. I've gone through it every year in my career. We like guys in our bullpen. Joe Kelly, Matt Barnes -- those guys are going to have to step up. Heath Hembree. Robbie Ross. We're just in a situation that they'll have to pick up the pieces for now."

With Thornburg out of the Opening Day mix, the Red Sox likely have two roster spots up for grabs in the bullpen instead of one.

Righties Kimbrel, Kelly, Barnes and Hembree and lefty Ross are the five relievers who are certain to make the team.

Without Thornburg, the Red Sox could break camp with three lefty relievers, including Fernando Abad and Robby Scott. Five non-roster pitchers also remain in the mix for a spot: lefty Edgar Olmos and righties Jamie Callahan, Chandler Shepherd, Ben Taylor and Austin Maddox.

"There are about three or four guys that we think are on the verge of pitching at the big league level," said Dombrowski. "Guys like Shepherd and Callahan, Maddox and Taylor. People don't know them but they're here for a reason, and we still like them. We think they're real close."

Leon goes yard twice in Boston's 9-run fifth

Brittany Ghiroli

SARASOTA -- Sandy Leon had a two-homer afternoon, both of which came in the fifth inning, to lead the Red Sox to a 11-9 road win over the Orioles on Monday afternoon at Ed Smith Stadium.

The switch-hitting Leon started off the nine-run inning with a homer on Logan Verrett's 0-1 pitch. He struck again from the right side with his grand slam over the left-field wall against O's reliever Brian Moran.

"You want to feel good with how you're playing. I just went in there trying to keep it simple, trying to put the ball in play, put a good swing on it," said Leon, who is expected to start on Opening Day for the first time in his career on Monday at Fenway Park. "I wasn't trying to hit two homers. I was just trying to put a good swing on it."

In between Leon's homers, Mitch Moreland singled in a pair of runs to close Baltimore's lead to 5-4 and chase Verrett -- vying for the O's spot -- from the game. Center fielder Steve Selsky chipped in with an RBI single, after his homer in the top of the third inning off Orioles starter Tyler Wilson.

Wilson was solid otherwise, pitching four innings and allowing just two other hits with three strikeouts as he competes for a roster spot as the fifth starter or in the bullpen.

"Everything's always out of my hands, and that's kind of the way I approached the game especially, but life, too," Wilson said of his future.

"I tell you guys all the time, [I] control the controllables and really focus on the things I can. Whether I make the team or I don't, or whether I'm a starter or reliever, it doesn't impact my approach. I might alter my workload in between outings and such, but mentally, I'm just focused on what I can and trying to get better every day and really committed to being my best me in whatever role it is."

The Orioles got doubles from Welington Castillo and Trey Mancini to bring three runs across in the bottom of the fourth off Red Sox lefty Eduardo Rodriguez. Tabbed to be Boston's No. 3 starter to open the year, Rodriguez pitched six innings and allowed six runs (four earned) on nine hits and a walk with three strikeouts.

"I was feeling good," said Rodriguez. "Just in the fourth inning, I was missing the ball in the middle of the plate. And that's what happens when you miss the pitches in the middle of the plate."

Cedric Mullins hit a two-run homer for Baltimore in the bottom of the eighth against Red Sox closer Craig Kimbrel. In the ninth, Johnny Giavotella went yard off Heath Hembree.

Red Sox Up Next: Knuckleballer Steven Wright will try to continue his perfect Spring Training (0.00 ERA in three outings) when he starts Tuesday's 6:05 p.m. ET contest in Bradenton against the Pirates. Setup men Joe Kelly and Matt Barnes will also see action. The starting outfield of , Jackie Bradley Jr. and will be on the trip, along with top reserve Chris Young. Catch the game live on MLB.TV.

Orioles Up Next: Wade Miley, who missed his previous start due to illness, will look to get back on track against Atlanta, with first pitch set for 1:05 p.m. ET. The lefty will be opposed by Braves southpaw Jaime Garcia. Listen to the game live on Gameday Audio.

After strong spring, Swihart bound for Triple-A

Ian Browne

SARASOTA, Fla. -- A victim of his team's strong catching depth, Blake Swihart was informed by the Red Sox on Monday morning that he will start the season at Triple-A Pawtucket.

Swihart broke camp last year as Boston's Opening Day catcher, and he was the primary starter down the stretch in 2015.

Sandy Leon and Christian Vazquez will be the two catchers for the Red Sox to start the season. The fact that Swihart was the only catcher of the three to still have options played a role in the decision.

The switch-hitting Swihart -- who turns 25 on April 3 -- did what he could in his bid to make the team, hitting .325 in Grapefruit League action, while showing improvement on defense.

Former first-round pick Deven Marrero was optioned to Pawtucket along with Swihart. First baseman Sam Travis, ranked No. 4 among Red Sox prospects by MLBPipeline.com, was re-assigned to Minor League camp. Catcher Dan Butler was also re-assigned to the Minors.

"With the guys sent out today, those conversations were a little bit more in depth," said Red Sox manager John Farrell. "Blake in particular had a very strong camp and showed improvements defensively. He swung the bat very well. He's a hell of a talented player."

Swihart was moved to left field early last season after being optioned to Pawtucket. On June 4, playing left field for the Red Sox, he suffered a left ankle injury that required season-ending surgery. After the emergence of Andrew Benintendi, the Red Sox decided to move Swihart back to catcher for this season and beyond.

Of the three catchers who were in competition this spring, Swihart is by far the best offensive player. His defense will be the key going forward, and the Red Sox like what they saw the past few weeks.

"[Swihart] made some subtle adjustments with his setup," said Farrell. "That gave him a different look to pitchers on the mound. Pitchers talked positively about the look that they got from him behind the plate. I think [the adjustments] softened his hands somewhat to receive the ball better.

"And there were a number of occasions where he was able to get a pitcher's pitch called for a strike, so the presentation to the umpire was a little bit more subtle and consistent than maybe years' past. Like I said, he had a strong camp."

As for Travis, he had a second straight solid Spring Training for the Red Sox, hitting .318 with three homers, 12 RBIs and a .991 OPS. He continues to project as the first baseman of the future, perhaps by the start of next season. Defense is his key area of development this year.

"[Travis] is improving, particularly with his footwork," said Farrell. "If needed, could we put him at first base now? The answer to that would be 'yes.' But we would like to see further improvement on the defensive side of things. Offensively, he's got a knack to hit and impact the baseball."

The Red Sox optioned outfielder Steve Selsky to Triple-A after their 11-9 win against the Orioles on Monday. He drove in two runs and homered in the contest.

The Red Sox now have 37 players remaining in camp, including six non-roster invitees.

* ESPNBoston.com

Red Sox reliever Tyler Thornburg sidelined with injury

Scott Lauber

SARASOTA, Fla. -- When the offseason began, the Boston Red Sox made a priority of finding a reliever to pitch the eighth inning.

Now, as Opening Day beckons, the need has arisen all over again.

Already racing against the calendar to be ready for the start of the season, reliever Tyler Thornburg was scratched from a scheduled appearance here Monday against the Baltimore Orioles because of a spasm in his upper right trapezius. Considering Thornburg hasn't pitched in a major league spring training game since March 1 because of weakness in his right shoulder, he "most likely" will open the season on the disabled list, according to Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski.

Tyler Thornburg posted a 2.15 ERA with 13 saves and 12.1 strikeouts per nine innings in 67 appearances for the Brewers last season. Mitchell Leff/Getty Images Thornburg is expected to undergo testing, including a possible MRI exam, Tuesday. The Red Sox remain hopeful Thornburg won't miss significant time, so Dombrowski said he won't be active in trying to acquire another reliever.

"If it's what I anticipate, probably not," Dombrowski said. "But I can't rule anything out because I don't really know anything (other) than what we just found out, that he's got a trap that's tight. If it's a short-term situation, then I don't have a spot to offer somebody."

In Thornburg's absence, hard-throwing right-hander Joe Kelly is the first choice to serve as the setup man despite walking as many batters as he has struck out (seven) in eight innings this spring. Dombrowski mentioned righties Matt Barnes and Heath Hembree and lefty Robbie Ross Jr. as other candidates to handle the eighth inning.

The Red Sox acquired Thornburg in a Dec. 6 trade with the Milwaukee Brewers for infielder Travis Shaw and two minor leaguers, including touted infielder Mauricio Dubon. An apparent miscommunication over the Red Sox's shoulder conditioning program led to Thornburg taking longer than expected to build arm strength. He didn't pitch in games for nearly three weeks before finally throwing 20 pitches in a minor league game Friday.

Manager John Farrell said Thornburg's spasm "wasn't shoulder-related."

Thornburg was expected to pitch every other day this week, a schedule the Red Sox hoped would put him in line to begin the season on time. Even then, though, Farrell said Thornburg likely would be eased into the eighth-inning role for which he was acquired.

With Thornburg out, lefty Robby Scott could be in line to claim the final seat in the bullpen alongside Kelly, Barnes, Hembree, Ross, lefty Fernando Abad and closer Craig Kimbrel. Farrell also has been impressed with lefty Edgar Olmos and right-handers Jamie Callahan, Chandler Shepherd, Ben Taylor and Austin Maddox, although none of those pitchers is presently on the 40-man roster.

Earlier Monday, the released 42-year-old reliever Joe Nathan, who indicated he has no plans to retire. Dombrowski signed Nathan before the 2014 season to be the ' closer.

"I think we're fine," Dombrowski said, not referring specifically to Nathan. "Some guys have to step up is what it comes down to."

* CSNNE.com

As Expected, Red Sox Send Swihart To Pawtucket

Evan Drellich

Blake Swihart wasn't going to win a job. Monday merely made that official.

Swihart was optioned out as the Red Sox made further cuts, sending a player who could still be the Red Sox catcher of the future -- well, one of them anyway -- to Triple-A Pawtucket, where he's expected to work on his receiving.

Swihart hit .325 in 40 Grapefruit League at-bats.

"Had a very strong camp and showed improvements defensively. Swung the bat very well," manager John Farrell told reporters in Florida. "For the player that he is and the person that he is, you love him as a person. He's a hell of a talented player.

"He made some subtle adjustments with his setup [defensively]. That gave him a different look to pitchers on the mound. Pitchers talked positively about the look that they got from him behind the plate. I think it softened his hands somewhat to receive the ball better. And there were a number of occasions where he was able to get a pitchers' pitch called for a strike, so the presentation of the umpire was a little bit more subtle and consistent then maybe years' past."

Sandy Leon's hot hitting in 2016 earned him an automatic crack at the lead catching spot for this year. Combined with the fact that Christian Vazquez looks great defensively, went deep on Sunday and is out of options, Swihart was the obvious odd man out.

He had options, the others didn't.

Deven Marrero was also optioned to Pawtucket. Sam Travis -- who, like Swihart, could break camp with the 2018 team -- was reassigned to minor-league camp, as was catcher Dan Butler.

The Sox have 38 players left in camp, 32 from the 40-man roster.

Red Sox Reliever Tyler Thornburg Likely Headed To Disabled List

Evan Drellich

Righty Tyler Thornburg seems a guarantee to join David Price on the disabled list to start the season.

Thornburg, the biggest acquisition Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski made for the bullpen this winter, was scratched Monday because of a spasm in his upper right trapezius — not a great sign for a pitcher who already had throwing shoulder issues this spring.

Sox manager John Farrell told reporters in Florida the spasm was “not shoulder related.” But the trap, a large muscle along the neck and back, does extend to the shoulder blade.

Dombrowski told reporters it is most likely that Thornburg starts the year on the disabled list. More is expected to be known Tuesday, possibly after an MRI.

Robby Scott could be a replacement for Thornburg. If so, the Sox would likely have three lefties in the bullpen, along with Fernando Abad and Robbie Ross Jr.

"Possibly. Possibly," Dombrowski said of Scott. “We still have to make those decisions. But possibly.”

Dombrowski didn’t indicate a desire to go outside the organization for now.

Thornburg had barely enough time to get ready for Opening Day prior to Monday’s setback. If he indeed starts the season on the DL, Joe Kelly would be the eighth-inning reliever for the Sox — a role Kelly was headed for anyway given Thornburg’s shaky spring.

Thornburg, 28, had a 2.15 ERA last season for the Brewers. The Sox picked him up at the winter meetings in a deal that sent Travis Shaw and prospects to the Milwaukee Brewers.

* NESN.com

Tyler Thornburg Likely To Begin Red Sox’s 2017 Season On Disabled List

Ricky Doyle

The Boston Red Sox’s bullpen might be down a man to start the season.

Reliever Tyler Thornburg, who was acquired from the Milwaukee Brewers over the offseason, was scratched Monday after he was expected to make an appearance for the Red Sox in their spring training game against the Baltimore Orioles.

The right-hander suffered a spasm in his upper right trapezius, and Red Sox manager John Farrell and president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski both acknowledged that Thornburg likely will begin the season on the disabled list.

“During the pregame throwing program, he felt like there was some spasm that was taking place in the trap area,” Farrell told reporters, per WEEI.com. “It wasn’t shoulder-related. So we scratched him from the outing here (Monday). Sent him back early to gain some treatment, and he’s set to have further testing (Tuesday).

“It’s hard to say right now he’d have enough frequency of outings and pitch count to build up and to be ready by next Monday (for Opening Day). We haven’t made that determination yet. (Tuesday) is going to hopefully give us more information on what we’re actually dealing with here. What the root cause to a spasm is, that I don’t know at this point.”

Thornburg already has dealt with shoulder soreness this spring, limiting him to just two appearances, the most recent of which came March 1. The Red Sox acquired Thornburg with the hope he’d be able to handle the team’s eighth-inning duties ahead of closer Craig Kimbrel, but Boston now could be forced to rely on the likes of Joe Kelly, Matt Barnes, Heath Hembree and/or Robbie Ross Jr. in that role.

Thornburg is coming off a season in which he went 8-5 with a 2.15 ERA in 67 appearances spanning 67 innings. The 28-year-old saved 13 games and posted a 0.94 WHIP while striking out 12.1 batters per nine frames.