{"id":37852,"date":"2025-03-01T14:15:24","date_gmt":"2025-03-01T14:15:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=37852"},"modified":"2025-03-01T14:15:24","modified_gmt":"2025-03-01T14:15:24","slug":"alex-bregman-at-third-brayan-bello-on-the-mound-plus-other-takeaways-from-red-sox-camp","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=37852","title":{"rendered":"Alex Bregman at third, Brayan Bello on the mound, plus other takeaways from Red Sox camp"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

FORT MYERS, Fla. \u2014 The calendar has flipped to March, and the Boston Red Sox are 2-4 (unless you count the win against the college kids). They haven\u2019t hit or pitched especially well so far, but consider these team leaders:<\/p>\n

\u2022 Most home runs: Trayce Thompson
\n\u2022 Most innings\u00a0(tie): Richard Fitts, Quinn Priester, Robert Stock
\n\u2022 Most runs scored: Nate Eaton
\n\u2022 Most saves: Hobie Harris<\/p>\n

So, yeah, it\u2019s early. The only presumptive big leaguers who have thrown more than two innings are Garrett Crochet and Josh Winckowski. The only everyday veteran with more than eight at-bats is Trevor Story. Marcelo Mayer has been terrific (1.236 OPS, a lot of that in one game), and Kristian Campbell is hitless in his first nine at-bats.<\/p>\n

Read into those numbers if you must, but we\u2019d advise against it. The season opener is 26 days away. For now, here are a few notes and observations from Red Sox camp.<\/p>\n

Bregman is sure acting like a third baseman<\/h2>\n

When the Red Sox signed Alex Bregman, the immediate reporting and analysis suggested a position change to second base. Then camp opened and manager Alex Cora said the Red Sox would wait a while to determine Bregman\u2019s position. Opening Day is less than four weeks away, and Bregman isn\u2019t training like a guy who\u2019s on the verge of an unfamiliar role.<\/p>\n

The past two days, Bregman and Rafael Devers have been together at third base for fielding drills. The situation has not appeared to be particularly awkward \u2014 players share positions all the time in spring training drills \u2014 but everyone is well aware that this particular split has to come to a head at some point.<\/p>\n

But if Plan A is to have Bregman move to second, why isn\u2019t he doing it already? The Red Sox have played seven spring training games, and the starting second basemen have been Vaughn Grissom (three times), David Hamilton (twice) and Campbell (twice). Bregman has played only third, and when Cora was asked this week when Bregman might play second, he said only, \u201cAt one point.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s also interesting that the Red Sox have told Grissom \u2014 a bat-first player with experience at multiple positions \u2014 to focus only on second base. He could fit as a right-handed utilityman, but Cora has told him to keep working at second. Maybe that\u2019s to narrow his focus, or maybe it\u2019s because second base is the position of actual competition: either the veteran Grissom or the prospect Campbell (with Hamilton as the left-handed alternative to either).<\/p>\n

Maybe things will change when Devers starts playing in games \u2014 he\u2019s been doing pretty much everything else \u2014 but so far Red Sox camp holds little physical evidence to suggest Bregman is anything but a third baseman.<\/p>\n

Bello says Opening Day is possible<\/h2>\n
\n
\n

\"Alex<\/p>\n

\n

Brayan Bello went 14-8 with a 4.49 ERA in 2024. (Kevin C. Cox \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Four days after Cora said Brayan Bello was scheduled for a \u201chuge\u201d bullpen on Friday, Bello actually threw said bullpen, and it went fine. Recovering from shoulder inflammation, Bello was told to keep his fastball below 90 mph, so he threw at 70 to 75 percent effort, and he reported no problems. Bello will presumably throw a few max-effort bullpens and at least one live batting practice before getting into games, but he said Opening Day remains a possibility.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe trainers are telling me that I\u2019m right on track,\u201d Bello said.<\/p>\n

Lucas Giolito seems even more on track for Opening Day as he returns from elbow surgery, and the rest of the rotation players \u2014 Crochet, Tanner Houck and Walker Buehler \u2014 are actively pitching in games. That means, despite Kutter Crawford being all but certain to open on the injured list because of a knee issue, the Red Sox could still break camp with a proven five-man rotation.<\/p>\n

Amazing, though, how quickly this camp went from talk of a six-man rotation to having only three of the top starters building up without any lingering issues or concerns. Depth will matter at some point, and Cora has said Priester was an early spring standout. Plus, Fitts is up to 97-98 mph with his fastball, and veteran Michael Fulmer is being stretched out as a starter on a minor-league deal.<\/p>\n

More from the infirmary<\/h2>\n

For the first time since being sidelined with a gastrointestinal illness, Wilyer Abreu was able to take batting practice and play catch Friday. He\u2019s just now restarting baseball activities, but Abreu still expects to be ready for Opening Day.<\/p>\n

Catcher Connor Wong also seems to be trending in that direction and could play in a Grapefruit League game as early as Saturday. He was dealing with some tightness but said that\u2019s been worked out, and he\u2019s been doing full baseball drills, including bouncing between two fields and three live BP sessions to get extra at-bats Friday.<\/p>\n

Devers also hit against every available live BP pitcher Friday. He\u2019s been ramping up his workouts as well \u2014 he\u2019s been doing fielding drills with the primary infielders \u2014 and seems to be trending closer to playing in games. Masataka Yoshida has been hitting, but his timetable is also unclear, and the Red Sox have been clear about wanting Yoshida to play more outfield this year. Strictly a hunch, but if I were creating an Opening Day roster projection, at least for now, I\u2019d probably have Yoshida on the IL to start the year.<\/p>\n

Energy and velocity out of the pen<\/h2>\n

Liam Hendriks has a small desk in front of his locker for doing puzzles and building models. This is the same guy who pumped his fist and let loose some choice language when he got out of a relief inning in his spring training debut earlier this week. He\u2019s an interesting guy, and he brings an edge to the bullpen.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou come across as kind of a (jerk) when you do it in the fourth inning of a spring training game,\u201d Hendriks said. \u201cBut it\u2019s nice to get that going, as far as just the mentality of having it in you and doing it that way.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hendriks is one of several ninth-inning candidates in a Red Sox bullpen that should have a far different feel this season. Gone are veterans Kenley Jansen and Chris Martin, and in are the fiery Hendriks, hard-throwing Aroldis Chapman, versatile Garrett Whitlock \u2014 who threw live BP this week and says he\u2019s on track for Opening Day \u2014 and veteran lefty Justin Wilson. Last year\u2019s Rule 5 standout, Justin Slaten, could also see his role heightened.<\/p>\n

From the back fields<\/h2>\n

A good number of minor leaguers are already in Red Sox camp, and while watching workouts this week, one team executive noted that Mikey Romero \u2014 a first-round pick in 2022 who has been slowed by injuries \u2014 has added weight and strength and has looked good in the early going. \u2026 The Red Sox have been using Trackman to call automatic balls and strikes during live batting practice sessions. A staff member watches his laptop and yells \u201cball\u201d or \u201cstrike\u201d from behind the chain-link fence. \u2026 David Ortiz and Brock Holt arrived in camp Friday, joining Pedro Martinez (who\u2019s been watching bullpens most of the week), Jim Rice and Dwight Evans (both spring training staples). Sad not to see Luis Tiant this year, though.<\/p>\n

Moving on<\/h2>\n

We\u2019re approaching the fifth anniversary of the COVID-19 shutdown in spring training and the ensuing misery of the 2020 Red Sox season. It\u2019s not exactly a topic worth discussing, but even if it were, who would discuss it?<\/p>\n

Devers and Houck are the only Red Sox players remaining from 2020, which means Houck is the second-longest-tenured player on the roster. The third longest? Whitlock! Roster turnover is a heckuva thing.<\/p>\n

(Top photo of Alex Bregman: Maddie Malhotra \/ Boston Red Sox \/ Getty Images)<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Chad Jennings<\/strong> is a staff writer for The Athletic covering the Boston Red Sox and Major League Baseball. He was on the Red Sox beat previously for the Boston Herald, and before moving to Boston, he covered the New York Yankees for The Journal News and contributed regularly to USA Today. Follow Chad on Twitter @chadjennings22<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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