Red Sox Spring Training Notes: Drew Pomeranz injury update, outfield plans and Eduardo updates

Happy Sunday. Here are a few stories from Red Sox camp to chew on this Sunday morning.

Drew Pomeranz injury update

We already mentioned this a little bit in yesterday’s game recap, but it’s worth talking a little more about the diagnosis Pomeranz received on Saturday. After leaving Friday’s game early, he underwent an MRI Saturday afternoon and told reporters that he has a mild flexor strain in his forearm, or a small tear. That doesn’t sound great, and most of these injuries last year resulted in at least six weeks on the shelf. Despite that, both the pitcher and the team are acting as if there is nothing to worry about here. Those two facts don’t seem to match up, but it’s worth noting that Pomeranz felt some stiffness in his forearm last May but never missed a start because of it. Perhaps, and this is just a theory from someone who is decidedly Not A Doctor, this is something that would not even be tested or formally diagnosed in the regular season. There’s no reason to take chances in spring training, so they aren’t going to push Pomeranz until he’s ready to throw again. We should tread lightly with forearm issues, of course, but right now there is room for cautious optimism until we hear otherwise.

Red Sox outfield plans for J.D. Martinez

Since the Red Sox agreed to terms with J.D. Martinez, and even before that, the assumption has been that he’ll be their full-time DH in 2018. He’s always maintained his desire to play the outfield, though, and the team hasn’t wavered from the fact that they’ll give him time in the field. Alex Cora was asked about that again on Saturday, and here’s what he had to say.

There’s a few things to keep in mind here. For one thing, it’s not ideal to use Martinez in the field much at all given his lack of defensive skill, but it’s worth it to keep him happy. Plus, Cora has indicated how much he wants to keep players rested all year, and there’s no reason to push the young outfielders more than he feels comfortable. The most important thing, though, is that Cora is going to be cognizant of the ballpark when he makes out lineups. That should mean that Martinez will get most of his time in Fenway’s left field, where his deficiencies can be hidden. We’ve seen plenty of lackluster defensive players be saved by the small left field in Boston. On the road, it seems Martinez will go to whichever corner requires less defensive skills, which is a positive sign of flexibility on Cora’s part.

Eduardo Rodriguez is throwing again, Eduardo Nuñez to play soon

We have Eduardo Updates x 2. We’ll start with Rodriguez, who is set to miss the beginning of the season, but hopefully won’t miss too much time. The young lefty could be ready to break out this season, and is one of the things that will determine just how high this team’s ceiling is in 2018. He tossed 45 pitches off a mound on Saturday, and Alex Cora was encouraged about what he saw.

As for Nuñez, the utility player and presumed Opening Day second baseman has yet to play this spring. That should change this week as he is slated to play DH on Wednesday.