Boston relief pitcher Ryan Brasier, expected to be in Boston’s bullpen, had his arrival to spring training delayed due to personal reasons and has not yet appeared in a spring training game. Carlos Osorio/Associated Press
The Red Sox might not be at full strength for on Opening Day against the Orioles in just over three weeks.
Reliever Ryan Brasier and outfielder Franchy Cordero might not be ready to break camp with the team at the end of March. Both players arrived to Fort Myers late and have been behind in their progressions, Manager Alex Cora said.
Brasier, who is expected to be in Boston’s bullpen, had his arrival delayed due to personal reasons and has not yet appeared in a spring training game. The Red Sox are working their other key relievers into game action and Cora isn’t sure if Brasier has enough time to catch up with the group.
“That’s something we’re going to talk about in the upcoming days, but obviously, we’re not going to rush him,” Cora said.
Cordero, who was acquired in the Feb. 10 trade that sent Andrew Benintendi to the Royals, remains on the COVID-19-related injured list after being placed there Feb. 22. Despite arriving in Fort Myers nearly a week ago, Cordero hasn’t been cleared to work out with the team.
“Still waiting on one more step out of this process,” Cora said. “He’s here, he’s with the group. He cannot join the group on the field but not because of us. Somebody has to approve it, so we’re just waiting on that.”
Cordero has been at the Fenway South complex as he waits for clearance and has gotten a chance to meet Cora and some teammates. Cora believes Cordero’s athleticism might help him get ready in time for the season but acknowledged that time is running out.
“You’ve got to see this kid, it’s impressive,” Cora said. “But he hasn’t been able to do too much the last week, to be honest with you. We’ve got to be careful. Hopefully, we can get the green light today. It’s going to be catch up but I do believe we still have time for him. If it takes longer, then we’ll have to regroup and see what we can do.”
12 PLAYERS REASSIGNED: The Boston Red Sox made their first round of spring training roster cuts Tuesday. They reassigned 10 pitchers and two catchers (Roldani Baldwin and Austin Rei) to minor league camp.
Thaddeus Ward, who Baseball America ranks the No. 10 prospect in the system, was among those reassigned. MLB Pipeline has Ward ranked the No. 9 prospect in the system.
The righty has pitched 1 2/3 scoreless innings in two spring training outings. He still is scheduled to pitch in Tuesday’s big league spring training game against the Tampa Bay Rays despite being reassigned.
Frank German, who Boston acquired from the Yankees with Adam Ottavino, and Josh Winckowski, the pitching prospect the Red Sox received in the Andrew Benintendi trade, also were reassigned.
Winckowski pitched a scoreless inning in Sunday’s game.
“I was standing right next to him as he was warming up,” Red Sox reliever Matt Barnes said about Winckowski on Sunday. “The ball was coming out good. Obviously he had a really good inning. Commanded the ball in the zone. Got ahead of guys, attacked hitters. It looks like he’s got firm, good stuff. It looks like the ball jumps out of his hand – really heavy fastball. That’s what it looks like to me.”
Other pitchers reassigned were Seth Blair, Matt Carasiti, Raynel Espinal, Durbin Feltman, Zac Grotz, Kaleb Ort and A.J. Politi.
Politi has mid-90s velocity. He threw a perfect inning and struck out the side in an outing last Tuesday.
“Good breaking ball,” Manager Cora said about Politi last week. “The fastball, he got some swing-and-misses. He seems like he was overthrowing it but you can see the separation. He’s one of those guys that he has a vertical attack. Fastball up, breaking ball down. It’s a good one. He throws it from the same window. He’s one of the guys that watching on video impressed me. Mature and he’s a good athlete, too. So that was good to see.”
SHORTSTOP XANDER Bogaerts (shoulder soreness) is still progressing and will take batting practice on the field Wednesday. He has been playing long toss and is expected to make his Grapefruit League debut as a designated hitter over the weekend.
FIRST BASEMAN Triston Casas (non-baseball medical issue) is back in camp with the Red Sox and has been cleared to work out with the club. The Red Sox have not shared much about why Casas, the organization’s top prospect, had to travel to Boston for a medical evaluation last week.
“We’re going to take it easy with him,” Cora said. “He hasn’t done a lot in the last week or week and a half. The fact he’s here is a positive for us. We’re going to start building him up and let’s see if we can get him some at-bats in big-league camp. We need to make sure we do the right thing with him.”
INFIELDER HUDSON Hudson Potts (oblique strain) has not yet appeared in a spring training game. Potts, who was acquired in the deal that sent Mitch Moreland to the Padres in August, suffered his injury right before arriving in Fort Myers for camp.
“He’s going through his progression,” Cora said. “He’s taking ground balls and playing catch. He started swinging the bat this week.”
UTILITY MAN Danny Santana worked out with the Red Sox on Tuesday. He was officially signed to a minor-league deal over the weekend and is expected to battle for a bench spot.
Santana underwent elbow surgery in September and is building back up at this point. It’s unclear if he’ll be ready for Opening Day.
“He’s a utility guy, so he throws from different angles and different positions,” Cora said. “We’ve got to make sure his arm strength is there.”
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