FORT MYERS, Fla. — The Red Sox had a day off Wednesday, their only one of spring training. Rick Porcello pitched in a minor league game at Fenway South with Christian Vazquez catching him, but the rest of the players got a break from baseball.
There are only eight days of games remaining before the team breaks camp and heads for Montreal to play two exhibition games ahead of the season opener in Cleveland April 4.
Over the last week, several events have served to change the look of both the roster and perhaps the lineup the Red Sox will use against the Indians.
Here’s a look at how the team could be assembled:
ROTATION
Heading north: LHP David Price, RHP Clay Buchholz, RHP Rick Porcello, RHP Joe Kelly.
Pleading the fifth: RHP Steven Wright, LHP Roenis Elias, LHP Henry Owens.
Breakdown: The loss of lefthander Eduardo Rodriguez to a knee injury opened a spot, and Wright has done the most to deserve it, posting a 3.07 earned run average over 14? innings.
Elias has not been as consistent and would be a fit in the bullpen or in Triple A as starter depth. It has been a disappointing camp for Owens, whose control has been erratic.
The rotation is largely a question mark behind Price, although Kelly has looked ready to make his long-awaited step forward.
BULLPEN
Heading north: RHP Craig Kimbrel, RHP Koji Uehara, RHP Junichi Tazawa, LHP Tommy Layne, LHP Robbie Ross Jr.
Pick two: RHP Matt Barnes, LHP Roenis Elias, RHP Noe Ramirez, RHP Heath Hembree, RHP Anthony Varvaro.
Breakdown: Kimbrel has been almost untouchable in his appearances. It also has been an encouraging camp for Tazawa, who has regained his fastball after being worn down a year ago. Uehara has appeared in only two Grapefruit League games so far and needs more work.
Layne fits best as a one-batter specialist, with Ross available for lower-leverage situations.
With Wright in line for a rotation spot and Carson Smith headed to the disabled list with a flexor muscle strain, two spots have opened up. Barnes (8? scoreless innings, 9 strikeouts) is the leading contender to take one.
The decision with Elias comes down to whether it would make more sense to keep him starting in Triple A. Ramirez, who pitched well as a rookie last season, has looked better than Hembree or Varvaro.
LINEUP
Heading north: RF Mookie Betts, 2B Dustin Pedroia, SS Xander Bogaerts, DH David Ortiz, 1B Hanley Ramirez, LF Rusney Castillo, C Blake Swihart, CF Jackie Bradley Jr.
The battle is on: Pablo Sandoval, Travis Shaw.
Breakdown: The Sox could score 800 runs with this lineup. Betts has six extra-base hits in 43 at-bats and looks poised for the kind of season that will draw MVP votes. Pedroia is healthy again. Bogaerts (6 for 35) and Ortiz (4 for 24) haven’t hit well but their track records suggest that is not a concern. Ortiz traditionally is awful in March.
Ramirez is the most pleasant surprise in camp, having adapted well to first base with a consistent effort that was missing last season. Castillo has a .559 OPS in 13 games and shows few signs of being an impact player.
Swihart is still developing as a catcher. Expect a jump forward with what he can contribute offensively.
He had a slash line of .303/.353/.452 in his final 44 games last season.
Bradley has quietly had a strong spring at the plate. A full season of his glove in center field will greatly help the pitching staff.
The question comes at third base. Shaw (.450/.488/.700) is making it impossible not to put him in the lineup. He’s also a better defensive player than Sandoval, although not above average for the position by any means.
Sox officials have said that spot will be determined on merit, not contracts. Still, it would be unusual to give up on a player in the second year of a $95 million deal.
BENCH
Heading north: C Ryan Hanigan, UTIL Brock Holt, OF Chris Young.
Consolation prize candidates: 3B Pablo Sandoval, 3B-1B Travis Shaw.
Breakdown: The Red Sox have a solid bench. Hanigan’s ability to frame pitches and bring out the best in pitchers (probably Buchholz) is valuable. Holt, an All-Star a year ago, remains an important piece. Young was a key addition and could end up playing more than Castillo.
Shaw has value as a reserve because he can play multiple positions and offers a late-inning defensive upgrade at first base. Outside of perhaps pinch hitting against righthanders, Sandoval has little use off the bench.
INJURY CASES
To the disabled list: LHP Eduardo Rodriguez, RHP Carson Smith.
To Triple A: C Christian Vazquez.
Breakdown: Rodriguez has yet to appear in a game. At the slow rate he is progressing, missing all of April is almost a certainty. Smith is sure to miss at least one month and probably more.
Smith, a pitcher with a high strikeout and ground-ball rate, is a significant loss in that it gives John Farrell fewer late-inning options. Or ones he knows he can trust, at least.
Vazquez has done all he can to be ready for Opening Day after undergoing Tommy John surgery 50 weeks ago. But the prudent move will be to option him to Triple A with the idea of bringing him back later. With Swihart and Hanigan, the Sox have enviable catching depth.
