It’s all about reps at this point.
The Boston Red Sox essentially finalized their Opening Day roster Friday before facing the Minnesota Twins in Grapefruit League action at JetBlue Park. One spring training game separates the Sox from the 2015 regular season, which right now looks like it’ll be filled with both promise and anxiety.
The Red Sox dropped Friday’s spring contest 5-2. Let’s glance over some notes from both the game and the day’s earlier developments.
— Koji Uehara (hamstring) and Joe Kelly (biceps) will open the season on the 15-day disabled list. Neither case is surprising, but the injuries paved the way for a couple of underdogs to crack the roster.
Knuckleballer Steven Wright earned a nod, and he’ll start the Red Sox’s game against the New York Yankees on April 11 if Kelly is unable to pitch. The Red Sox opted for two left-handed relievers, Tommy Layne and Robbie Ross Jr., in addition to lefty Craig Breslow.
Brandon Workman and Matt Barnes were optioned to Triple-A Pawtucket.
— Mike Napoli crushed another home run. He has a team-leading six homers this spring.
Napoli, who’s hitting .421, looks primed for a big season, assuming he stays healthy. The slugger battled a myriad of injuries last season — toe, finger, back, to name a few — but he entered camp this year feeling refreshed, mainly because he underwent surgery to alleviate his sleep apnea.
“This is the first year I’ve been able to work out on a consistent basis and not be tired,” Napoli told The Boston Globe’s Peter Abraham. “When I lift now, I feel good about it. Before it was more of a drag. I have been working out three times a week all spring training.
“I’ve never really worked out during the season because I was trying to save my energy. Now I feel like I can go twice a week and maintain my strength. It’s all kind of new.”
Napoli won’t pin all of his spring success on his offseason procedure, before which he even considered retirement. But the 33-year-old is in a great place physically after what he described as one of his “toughest” years yet.
— One thing Napoli isn’t considering even with his newfound health: catching.
Napoli, of course, started his career as a catcher, but he sure won’t end it as one.
“Mentally, I’ve let it go. It’s not even a question,” Napoli told WEEI.com’s Rob Bradford of returning to catching, even on a part-time basis. “Physically, I don’t know how my hips would be if I did it. I haven’t really thought about that. I let it go a long time ago.”
— Ryan Hanigan, on the other hand, is completely focused on catching. He’s now the club’s starting backstop with Christian Vazquez sidelined for the season following Tommy John surgery.
“It’s too bad what happened to (Vazquez). To tell you the truth, I was looking forward to playing with him this year,” Hanigan said on WEEI’s “Middays with MFB” on Friday. “He was ready and he was working hard, and the tandem we would have had I think would have been real solid. It’s too bad, but I’ve got to step up and get myself ready to play every day. Embrace that opportunity. … I’ll be ready.”
— Brian Johnson struggled in his second time through the Twins’ order Friday.
The left-hander finished his start having allowed five earned runs on seven hits over 4 2/3 innings. He struck out seven and walked one.
— Anthony Varvaro, Edward Mujica, Junichi Tazawa and Tommy Layne combined for 4 1/3 scoreless innings of relief.
Thumbnail photo via Bob DeChiara/USA TODAY Sports Images
