The Boston Red Sox Wednesday, March 31, 2021 * The Boston Globe Red Sox are about as ready as they can be to start the season Peter Abraham FORT MYERS, Fla. — Alex Cora’s relentless optimism was tested for a few days when Matt Barnes tested positive for COVID-19 and three other pitchers were roped into quarantine for being in close contact with him. Happy Alex was back Tuesday. “We’re getting all the boys back today,” the Red Sox manager said. Barnes was cut loose from protocol Monday after it was determined that he was “non-infectious.” That’s a new term in virusville, but none of the Red Sox cared much about the details. What matters is that Barnes will be on the Opening Day roster, as will Matt Andriese, Garrett Richards, and Garrett Whitlock. With only a few exceptions, the team the Sox felt good about in February will be the one in uniform for Opening Day against the Baltimore Orioles Thursday. Eduardo Rodriguez is a few days behind his rotation mates but should make his first start sometime next week. The Sox are expected to plug Tanner Houck into the rotation to make a start in his place. When the Sox needed a depth starter last year, it was often some waiver-wire vagabond or an overmatched rookie. That, or they resorted to running a parade of middling relievers to the mound. Now it’s Houck, a legitimate 24-year-old prospect who was lights-out in three starts at the end of last season and has pitched well in camp. He needs a third pitch to succeed long-term and ideally would be working on that in the minors for a bit. But Houck is a major upgrade over the likes of Zack Godley, Andrew Triggs, and assorted no-hopers the Sox used last season. The Sox don’t have a rotation that compares favorably to the Yankees, Rays, or even Blue Jays. But at least it’s a competitive one that will give the lineup a chance to win. They left here feeling good after posting a 16-11-1 record and leading the Grapefruit League in runs and home runs by a wide margin. Like the Sox of old, their strength will be the offense. The versatility of the roster will be a plus, too. You will see Kiké Hernández start games in center field and finish them at second base. Marwin Gonzalez, who had a good camp at the plate, played games at first, second, third, shortstop, right field, and left field in Florida. After always knowing what positions Andrew Benintendi, Jackie Bradley Jr., and Mookie Betts would play, Sox fans will have to get used to checking the lineup to see who’s where in the outfield. Alex Verdugo is a center fielder who will play right field sometimes and started in left Tuesday because Cora wanted to see what that looked like. The Sox will dig into the numbers and arrange their defense accordingly. The Rays have used defensive versatility to their advantage for years, and Chaim Bloom brought that with him. It didn’t make much of a difference over 60 games last year but should over 162. “Very solid camp,” Cora said. “With all the obstacles with the virus, we kept the energy, we played good baseball. We did a few things differently as far as preparation and you can see it paid off.” Cora was referring to the emphasis placed on individual defensive skills for infielders. The Sox had a lot to clean up, and we’ll see if that translates once the games count, especially for Rafael Devers at third base. There could be a change or two if Bloom looks for an upgrade, especially in the bullpen. But here is the team heading for Fenway: Rotation: Nate Eovaldi, Tanner Houck, Nick Pivetta, Martín Pérez, Garrett Richards. Bullpen: Matt Andriese, Matt Barnes, Austin Brice, Darwinzon Hernandez, Adam Ottavino, Hirokazu Sawamura, Josh Taylor, Phillips Valdez, Garett Whitlock. Catchers: Kevin Plawecki, Christian Vazquez. Infielders: Christian Arroyo, Xander Bogaerts, Bobby Dalbec, Rafael Devers. Outfielders: Franchy Cordero, Hunter Renfroe, Alex Verdugo. INF/OF: Marwin Gonzalez, Kiké Hernández. Designated hitter: J.D. Martinez. As tradition dictates, there was plenty of first-pitch swinging and quick outs in the final game of spring training. The Sox and Braves agreed beforehand to play seven innings, and they finished up in two hours and 17 minutes. Then it was off to Boston for what should be a much more interesting season than last year. See you at the ballpark. Finally. Alex Cora has the Red Sox starting rotation just about set Peter Abraham FORT MYERS, Fla. — The Red Sox have just about set their rotation behind Opening Day starter Nate Eovaldi to begin the season. The Game 2 starter remains to be determined, manager Alex Cora said Tuesday. But with Eduardo Rodriguez expected to be placed on the injured list, it’s likely to be rookie Tanner Houck. Cora said Garrett Richards, Nick Pivetta, and Martín Pérez would follow from there. Rodriguez traveled with the team to Boston Tuesday, and any stay on the IL is expected to be a short one. “It seems like he’s running out of time to be with us early,” Cora said. “I’m not talking about that we’re going to lose him for a while. But we have to be careful with him.” Rodriguez could be backdated on the IL and pitch as soon as the sixth or seventh game. He missed his last spring training start with arm fatigue. Rodriguez has thrown in the bullpen twice since then and felt fine but will likely face hitters at some point before he gets back into the rotation. “It’s just about building him up and getting him ready,” Cora said. Houck worked 4⅓ shutout innings Monday against Atlanta’s starting lineup and struck out six. He’s lined up for Saturday. Richards pitched three innings in the bullpen Monday after learning he had been released from COVID-19 protocols. That sets him up for Sunday. Cordero ready to go Franchy Cordero was activated off the COVID-19 injured list and will be on the roster Thursday. The left fielder was late to camp after testing positive for COVID-19 in the Dominican Republic but was able to catch up. Cordero appeared in only seven Grapefruit League games but picked up at-bats in B games, simulated games, and live batting practice. The Red Sox also optioned infielder Michael Chavis to the alternate site in Worcester. Chavis had an .892 OPS in 25 Grapefruit League games. But the Sox elected to keep infielder Christian Arroyo, a more versatile defender who had a .771 OPS in 22 games. That Chavis had minor league options and Arroyo does not was a factor. Chavis also struck out in 20 of his 65 plate appearances and drew only two walks. “One thing we like about Christian is he can play short,” Cora said. “We saw it through the spring. “Michael, he made some strides. I’m glad that he was upset. That’s part of it. Nobody is happy when they send you down. But we talked about a few things he needed to do to become a complete hitter. “He didn’t control the strike zone. He was very aggressive chasing pitches out of the strike zone.” On the pitching side, the Sox optioned righthanded reliever Colten Brewer and kept righthander Phillips Valdez. Setback for Brasier Righthanded reliever Ryan Brasier suffered a Grade 2 strain to his left calf fielding a ball in Monday’s B game against the Twins. He is on crutches and will remain in Florida. “It doesn’t look too promising,” Cora said. “He thought it was a cramp early on and at night he felt worse.” Brasier broke a bone in his right hand in December, then was delayed arriving at camp by a personal matter. He had progressed to facing hitters but did not get in any Grapefruit League games. Brasier has appeared in 121 games since 2018, fourth-most among Red Sox pitchers, with a 3.70 earned run average. With Brasier out, the Sox will need Darwinzon Hernandez and Josh Taylor to take on higher-leverage roles. Sox add reliever Rondón Righthanded reliever Héctor Rondón reached agreement with the Red Sox on a minor league deal, according to a major league source. The righthander will receive a $1 million salary if called up to the big leagues. Rondón, 32, was a valuable contributor out of the Cubs and Astros bullpens from 2013-19, but allowed 18 runs in 20 innings last year with the Diamondbacks. He spent spring training with the Phillies but was recently released. Sale on board Chris Sale, who turned 32 Tuesday, was on the flight to Boston and will be with the team for now as he continues his Tommy John rehabilitation. “For him to go with the team and be up there, he’s a leader,” Cora said. “He’s been in meetings; he’s been in bullpens; he’s going through his progression. He feels great about where he’s at. For him to be around us, it means a lot and I know it means a lot to him.” … Righthanded reliever John Schreiber was designated for assignment to make room for Cordero on the 40- man roster … The Sox signed 31-year-old righthanded reliever Tyler Olson to a minor league contract. He will take part in minor league camp at Fenway South. Olson has a 3.83 ERA in 124 major league games from 2015-19 … With Canada’s border expected to remain closed, the Blue Jays announced that they would use their spring training park for home games through May 24.