Cordero makes his Sox debut
1-for-2 at the plate, plan is to play in the outfield tomorrow
Franchy Cordero’s first official swing in a Red Sox uniform was a sweet stroke resulting in a line-drive single to left field.
The Red Sox had been waiting for that.
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“Good that he got a hit the other way, make contact, now we move on,” manager Alex Cora said. “The plan is for him to have an off-day tomorrow and hopefully he can play the outfield Monday, hopefully.”
The key player acquired from the Kansas City Royals in the trade for Andrew Benintendi last month, the 26-yearold Cordero has been on training wheels this spring after recovering from COVID-19.
Often injured throughout his four-year big league career, there’s been little choice for the Sox to ask Cordero to take it slow. He was the designated hitter in a 1-for-2 performance during Saturday’s 8-2 loss to the Braves.
“He’s moving well, it’s just a matter of stamina, his conditioning,” Cora said. “It’s not the same running sprints as it is playing seven innings in the outfield, so hopefully we can get there soon enough and he’ll be OK.”
Since entering the league with the Padres in 2017, he’s played in just 95 games while missing time due to injuries related to his wrist, elbow, forearm and abductor.
“I’m very aware of, and I totally understand what the ballclub is trying to do in terms of keeping me on the field,” Cordero said through a translator. “Obviously I’ve had an injury history.”
Cordero said he’s hoping he’ll be ready when the team breaks for Boston on April 1, but is unsure.
“I just want to show everyone that I’m capable of doing all the things to help the team win ball games,” he said. “Whether it’s driving in runs, scoring, running the bases, playing in the field, I just want to be able to help my team win and show that I’m a complete player.”
Lineup taking shape
Cora has revealed the most likely way he’ll write out his batting order to start the year.
It looks like Kiké Hernandez will get first crack at the leadoff spot with Alex Verdugo batting second and some combination of J.D. Martinez, Xander Bogaerts and Rafael Devers in the middle of the order.
“I like the fact I’m able to separate Alex and Raffy, and it creates balance,” Cora said of his two left-handed hitters.
He expects Marwin Gonzalez to hit seventh, Christian Vazquez to hit eighth and Bobby Dalbec to hit ninth, leaving whoever plays left field in the six-hole.
Dalbec could compete for the league-lead in home runs, making him an odd selection for the nine-hole.
“You can say that we’re doing something different,” Cora said. “If other organizations do this, they will be saying they’re ahead of the game. Well, we’re trying to get ahead of the game.
“I think the guys in front of him, they’re going to be getting on base. And this isn’t only Dalbec. I think Franchy when he comes back and he’s in the flow of things, he’s going to be hitting eighth or ninth. We talk about it early in spring training. One third is athletic, the other they’re the run producers, and then we’ve got a lot of chance to do a lot of damage hitting the ball out of the ballpark. That’s how our roster is. That’s what we’re going to do, and we’re very comfortable with those guys hitting in the bottom of the lineup.”
Perez hits 96 mph
Martin Perez struggled with his command while walking five batters, striking out three and allowing five runs against the Braves on Saturday.
“I was rushed with my mechanics a little bit, my front side,” he said. “But I feel strong and that was maybe my upper body was too fast a little bit. But I’ll be OK. Just trying to get ready. Let’s see how my last two are, if I start getting better.”
He has a 4.09 ERA this spring and is penciled in as a back-end starter to begin the year.
“The stuff was actually better,” Cora said. “He hit 96 mph at one point. He was throwing 94, 95 mph. … He just has to get back to being aggressive in the zone and get people out.”
Sophomore struggles
Phillips Valdez, who was claimed off waivers from the Rangers last year and surprised with a 3.26 ERA, is having a rough spring.
He allowed three more runs (two earned) in an inning of work on Saturday and now has a 9.53 ERA with six walks and seven strikeouts in 5M innings.
“He’s struggled with command,” Cora said. “The whole spring, he’s been falling behind hitters. He hasn’t thrown strikes. He needs to be more aggressive.”
Cora said the team will definitely start the year with 14 pitchers and 12 position players for the newly established 26-man roster.
“We know the red flags/ question marks with the pitching staff and we have to protect them,” he said.
Rafael Devers made a nice play at third base, catching a line drive while playing in, then gunning it to second for a double play. … Dalbec was 2-for-4 to push his average to .324. His two fly-outs both landed at the warning track.