Red Sox's Joely Rodriguez: Out with Grade 2 oblique strain
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Red Sox manager Alex Cora said Monday that Rodriguez has been diagnosed with a Grade 2 right oblique strain, Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reports.
Cora declined to provide a timetable for the reliever when asked about the matter, but Rodriguez will most likely be sidelined for multiple weeks, if not more than a month. Ryan Sherriff and Oddanier Mosqueda are expected to challenge for a left-handed reliever role with Boston while Rodriguez recuperates.
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Red Sox's Narciso Crook: Denied spot on Opening Day roster
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The Red Sox reassigned Crook to minor-league camp Monday.
Crook, 27, reached the big leagues for the first time in 2022 as a member of the Cubs, but after electing free agency in November and then catching on with Boston on a minor-league deal, he was never considered a likely candidate to win a reserve spot on the Red Sox's Opening Day roster. The outfielder is expected to report to Triple-A Worcester to begin the upcoming season.
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Red Sox's Garrett Whitlock: Needs three more ramp-up starts
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Red Sox manager Alex Cora said that Whitlock (hip) who is scheduled to pitch in Monday's Grapefruit League game against the Pirates, will likely require three more starts to build up before he's ready to join the big-league rotation, Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reports.
Based on that timeline, Cora confirmed that Whitlock won't be in consideration for making the Red Sox's fifth start of the regular season, likely paving the way for Kutter Crawford to break camp as the final member of the team's rotation. Whitlock is scheduled to pitch three innings Monday before covering four innings in his next outing and then five innings in his final two starts prior to coming off the injured list, according to Cora. Assuming he sticks to a normal four-day rest schedule between those outings, Whitlock would be on pace to be activated as soon as April 9.
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Red Sox's Yu Chang: Dealing with visa issues
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Chang is contending with visa issues and isn't scheduled to report back to Red Sox camp until Thursday, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports.
Chang is working to rejoin Boston after he recently took home MVP honors for Pool A of the World Baseball Classic following a four-game stint with Chinese Taipei in which he went 7-for-16 with four extra-base hits and eight RBI. Assuming his arrival at camp isn't delayed any further than the latter half this week, Chang should remain in the mix to win a spot on the Red Sox's Opening Day roster as a reserve infielder. Bobby Dalbec likely represents his main competition for the final roster berth.
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Red Sox's Oddanier Mosqueda: Could replace Rodriguez
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Boston manager Alex Cora named Mosqueda and Ryan Sherriff as possible replacements for Joely Rodriguez (side) who is expected to open the season on the injured list, Alex Speier of the Boston Globe reports.
Mosqueda, an international free agent signed out of Venezuela in 2015, offers intrigue, according to Ian Browne of MLB.com. "He throws strikes and has deception," Cora said of the 23-year-old. "Analytics-wise, his stuff is really good. He can go multiple innings, too." Rodriguez was pegged as one of two left-handers for the bullpen, but Boston could opt not to add a replacement lefty and get by with Richard Bleier as the sole southpaw.
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Red Sox's Brayan Bello: Fans three in debut
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Bello (forearm) struck out three over two scoreless and hitless relief innings in Sunday's spring game against the Phillies.
Bello made his Grapefruit League debut after dealing with forearm tightness at the start of spring training. The right-hander soothed any concerns Sunday, when he set down all six batters faced over 25 pitches. According to Ian Browne of MLB.com, this might be Bello's last Grapefruit League outing. The Red Sox are expected to place him on the injured list to start the regular season and want to allocate innings to those pitchers that will break camp on the major-league roster. In the meantime, Bello can build up his pitch count on the back fields against minor-league opponents.
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Red Sox's Justin Turner: Re-enters spring lineup
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Turner (face) will serve as the Red Sox's designated hitter and No. 3 batter in Monday's Grapefruit League game against the Pirates, Mac Cerullo of The North Andover Eagle-Tribune reports.
Turner is checking back into the Red Sox's starting nine for the first time since taking a pitch to the face in a March 6 game. Fortunately for Turner, he able to avoid any facial fractures, though he sustained a laceration that required several stitches and caused him to pause baseball activities for a few days. He was able to resume activity just over a week ago and made it through batting practice Friday without incident, so the Red Sox will be comfortable easing him back into the lineup in a non-defensive role. Turner is expected to see the majority of his starts out of the DH spot this season so long as Rafael Devers is healthy.
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Red Sox's Luis Ravelo: Nursing bruised knee
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Ravelo exited Sunday's spring game against the Phillies with a left knee contusion, Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reports.
Ravelo exited the contest after being hit by part of a shattered bat, though it appears he's avoided a serious injury. The 19-year-old saw his first taste of pro ball last year and is at least a few years away from sniffing the majors.
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Red Sox's Reese McGuire: Batting .231
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McGuire went 0-for-3 in Saturday's spring game against the Orioles.
With Connor Wong (hamstring) unlikely to be ready by Opening Day, McGuire and Jorge Alfaro are expected to open the regular season as Boston's catchers. McGuire, who is 6-for-26 (.231) over 11 Grapefruit League games, should be the primary backstop.
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Red Sox's Masataka Yoshida: Expected to hit cleanup
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Red Sox manager Alex Cora told reporters that he expects Yoshida to hit cleanup to open the 2023 season, Mike Monaco of ESPN reports.
Cora believes that the Red Sox lineup will feature Rafael Devers hitting second, Justin Turner third and Yoshida in the cleanup spot. The outfielder was signed to a five-year, $90 million contract out of Japan in December, and Boston will give him a prime opportunity to hit square in the middle of the lineup. With those two names ahead of him -- particularly Devers -- Yoshida should see plenty of RBI chances in 2023 if he can remain in the fourth spot in the lineup.
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Red Sox's James Paxton: Another bullpen coming soon
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Red Sox manager Alex Cora told reporters that Paxton (hamstring) will throw another bullpen in the next three-to-four days, Mike Monaco of ESPN reports.
Cora said that everything went well Saturday with Paxton's bullpen session, and it's a positive sign that he'll be back on the mound for another round shortly after. The left-hander is all but a lock to open the season on the injured list, but it does appear that Paxton will make starts for Boston in April as long as there's no setback.
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Red Sox's Joely Rodriguez: Likely to begin year on IL
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Red Sox manager Alex Cora believes that Rodriguez (torso) will likely begin the season on the injured list, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports.
Cora said that Rodriguez will undergo imaging in the coming days, but that it's highly likely the left-hander will start the year on the shelf. The southpaw left Saturday's Grapefruit League game with right torso pain, and multiple reporters noted that he appeared to be in considerable pain. With Rodriguez out, Cora mentioned Ryan Sherriff and Oddanier Mosqueda as possibilities to open the season with Boston as southpaw bullpen options.
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Red Sox's Garrett Whitlock: Will start Monday
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Whitlock (hip) will start Monday's Grapefruit League game against the Pirates, Mac Cerullo of The North Andover Eagle-Tribune reports.
Whitlock will make his second appearance of the spring as he works his way back from the hip surgery that has sidelined him for the majority of the exhibition season. The 26-year-old right-hander is expected to open the year on the injured list, but the fact he's making starts in spring training gives him a great chance of making that a short stint assuming there are no setbacks over the next two weeks.
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Red Sox's James Paxton: Throws 25 pitches off mound
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Paxton (hamstring) threw 25 pitches off the mound Saturday in a bullpen session, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports.
Paxton told Browne after the session that he felt good, and wasn't thinking about his hamstring at all. It's a positive sign for the southpaw, who has not been able to pitch this spring while recovering from a right hamstring strain. The next step for Paxton is to face live hitting, and then hopefully the 34-year-old will get a chance to pitch in a Grapefruit League game before the exhibition season ends. It's still very likely Paxton will open the season on the injured list.
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Red Sox's Joely Rodriguez: Removed with right torso pain
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Rodriguez left Saturday's Grapefruit League appearance with right torso pain, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports.
Rodriguez looked to be in significant pain when he left the outing, and was grabbing at his side. The left-hander will likely need to undergo testing to determine the severity of the injury. If healthy, Rodriguez is expected to be a middle-relief option for Boston in 2023.
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Red Sox's Joely Rodriguez: Leaves with potential injury
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Rodriguez left Saturday's Grapefruit League appearance while grabbing his hip, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports.
Rodriguez walked off the mound on his own accord, but appeared to be favoring his right hip. There should be an update on his status shortly.
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Red Sox's Bobby Dalbec: Gets work at shortstop
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Dalbec will make his fourth consecutive start at shortstop Saturday, Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe reports.
Dalbec is producing this spring but doesn't have an everyday home on the diamond. When a player goes 11-for-34 (.324) with three doubles, two triples and a home run, a manager will try to find spots. Dalbec has experience at first and third base and played some shortstop before. "Bobby's a great athlete," manager Alex Cora told Abraham. "He understands what he can do with his body and his internal clock is great. Off-balance throws, double plays... he understands the game and he's a good defender." The biggest question about Dalbec is if he can hit enough to maintain a steady role in the regular season. Over the last two seasons, Dalbec hit a combined .229 over 250 games.
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Red Sox's Justin Turner: Set to DH on Monday
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Turner (face) is set to return to the lineup as the designated hitter Monday against the Pirates, Mike Monaco of ESPN reports.
He will take batting practice on the field Saturday in advance of his return to Grapefruit League play. It will end up being exactly two weeks in between when Turner first suffered the hit-by-pitch to his face and when he makes his return. As a veteran and Boston's presumptive designated hitter, Turner won't need much spring action to get tuned up before Opening Day.
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Red Sox's James Paxton: Set for bullpen session
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Paxton (hamstring) will throw a bullpen session Saturday, Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reports.
This is his first such session since he suffered a hamstring injury March 3. Paxton won't be ready for Opening Day.
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Red Sox's Brayan Bello: Spring debut coming Sunday
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Bello (forearm) will make his spring debut Sunday, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports.
He threw two innings on the backfields Wednesday and is scheduled to throw another couple innings Sunday after Nick Pivetta exits. It was reported back on March 4 that Bello was unlikely to be able to ramp up in time to make the Opening Day roster, but that is yet to be officially determined.
