FORT MYERS, Fla. — The Boston Red Sox donned their home white jerseys during Sunday’s workout at JetBlue Park as the club participated in photo day before the action kicked off.
The Red Sox now have had four full-squad workouts at Fenway South, and manager John Farrell continues to be pleased with his team’s progress. Several pitchers, including Jon Lester, Clay Buchholz and John Lackey, took the hill during live batting practice Sunday.
Below are some notes from Sunday’s workout/media availability.
-Buchholz said after Sunday’s live BP session that he felt fine physically. Buchholz, of course, dealt with neck and shoulder issues last season, including during the World Series.
-Farrell discussed Buchholz’s durability, which has been called into question several times during the right-hander’s seven-year career. The Red Sox skipper says “nutrition” and a “consistent routine” are important in keeping Buchholz on the field.
-Koji Uehara and Junichi Tazawa are coming off career-high workloads. The Red Sox are being mindful of that this spring, according to Farrell.
-A.J. Pierzynski will catch each pitcher in the rotation a minimum of twice during spring training.
-The Red Sox will not begin the season with specific pitcher/catcher tandems, Farrell says. The game distribution between Pierzynski and David Ross instead will depend on several factors.
-The reports on Cuban defector Dalier Hinojosa have been positive. Farrell used the term “outgoing” to describe Hinojosa, which is interesting because Red Sox director of player development Ben Crockett used the same word to describe the 28-year-old during last month’s Rookie Development Program.
-Chris Capuano, who joined the Red Sox on Saturday, threw a bullpen session and live batting practice Sunday.
-Mike Carp is an interesting player in that he has been relegated to a bench role despite having success and being just 27 years old. Carp, who hit .296 with nine homers and 43 RBIs in a career-high 86 games in 2013, likely would start with several other teams.
“That was part of some of the routine conversations with him as well — acknowledging his abilities, acknowledging that he’s probably capable of more if it were a different scenario or different situation,” Farrell said. “He’s clear that he feels like he can play every day, and rightfully so. But I think in our situation, he’s again accepting of that role.”
-Farrell hinted that the Red Sox might try Carp at another position this spring in an effort to increase his versatility. Presumably, that position would be third base.
“Stay tuned,” Farrell said.
-Utilityman Jonathan Herrera worked extensively at third base Sunday.
-Daniel Nava played some first base during rundown drills.
-The Red Sox begin spring training games Thursday with a doubleheader against Northeastern and Boston College. Here is the Red Sox’s expected pitching lineup for their first four spring contests.
Thursday vs. Northeastern: Brandon Workman (2), Henry Owens (2), Noe Ramirez, Burke Badenhop
Thursday vs. Boston College: Rubby De La Rosa (2), Matt Barnes (2), Miguel Celestino, Tommy Layne, Alex Wilson
Friday vs. Twins: Anthony Ranaudo (2), Dalier Hinojosa (2), Francisco Cordero, Andrew Miller
Saturday at Twins: Allen Webster (2), Drake Britton (2), Brayan Villarreal, Jose Mijares
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