Saltalamacchia went 2-for-5 in his stint against lower level competition. But the news was uplifting for Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine, who elected to manage in the split-squad game in Fort Myers as opposed to Sarasota partly to monitor his catcher.
"Salty had his at-bats and felt good about them," Valentine said. "He actually went in with purpose straight from his batting practice, said he had a good game in Pittsburgh last year where left-handed he hit some balls to left field, got hits.
"Hit the first ball to shortstop, the second ball he drove down the left field line, left-handed, exactly the way he planned it, and got another two at-bats which were fine."
Saltalamacchia has rested over the past two days, but Valentine said the backstop could return to catching Sunday. Hip bursitis was an injury that also plagued Kevin Youkilis during the 2011 season.
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