Alex Cora Reveals Red Sox Lineup Plan Should Franchy Cordero Miss Opener

In a perfect world, Franchy Cordero would be available for the Boston Red Sox when they open their regular season April 1 against the Baltimore Orioles.

Alas, things don’t always go according to plan.

Cordero, whom Boston acquired in the Andrew Benintendi trade, saw the start to his spring training delayed due to COVID-19 protocols. The 26-year-old finally was cleared this week and took part in a simulated game Thursday morning.

(Also participating in the simulated game was Xander Bogaerts, who missed time with a shoulder injury, and recent acquisition Danny Santana.)

Red Sox manager Alex Cora recently conceded Cordero might not be ready for Opening Day. Cora revealed Thursday that newcomers Marwin Gonzalez and Enrique Hernandez will fill in for Cordero in left field should he miss the start of the season.

Cora also offered insight into how the Red Sox plan on getting Cordero up to speed.

“He’s gonna be a part of the sim game, he’s gonna start getting at-bats,” Cora said. ” … We’re going to try to get him as many at-bats as possible. The other stuff is the build-up. We gotta make sure his legs are under him. He’s gonna be able to do a few things, but we just gotta make sure. We know the (injury) history. So, we have to do it the right way.

“He hasn’t run in a while. So, that’s gonna take some time.”

Cordero has the potential to be an important piece for Boston this season. An incredible athlete, Cordero is a player who has yet to put it all together but nevertheless has star potential.