FORT MYERS, Fla. — Realistically, Red Sox center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury has not played a baseball game healthy since last April. That makes what he did Saturday no small act, even if it was just a tiny dose of action.
Ellsbury grounded out and walked in two innings of work during Boston's 13-2 win over Northeastern at City of Palms Park.
"I feel good," Ellsbury said following the game. "I feel actually ahead of schedule from my normal spring training so I think everything is going well."
The speedster did not handle any chances in the field. His grounder in the bottom of the first inning was rather routine. The only real running Ellsbury had a chance to do came when he went from first to third in the second when a groundball by Jed Lowrie got down the line in right.
Ellsbury looked, and felt, just fine making the dash to third.
"Not at all, not at all," he said when asked if he had any hesitation. "That's what we had the offseason for, is to … come into spring training ready to go.
"I just wanted to get out there, take that first bag. It was nice going out there and getting prepared for a game."
Ellsbury said he will not play Sunday at Minnesota but is not sure of his exact schedule. He will sit down with manager Terry Francona to discuss in the next day or so.
Until he finds an everyday rhythm, Ellsbury can take comfort in knowing his baseball sense never left him.
"Right now, just playing on instincts," he added. "I'm not really going out there thinking about anything and I think that's where you want to be."
