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Citius – Altius – Fortius – Ranius – Bucketius

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By TERRY LYONS

BOSTON – Citius – Altius – Fortius – Ranius – Bucketius.

The weather forecasters tried to ruin the best day of the year in Boston. They couldn’t. When they threw a misty mountain top of a morning at us, Boston answered with the 9:00am start of the men’s wheelchair race and Swiss racer Marcel Hug primed to win his sixth Boston Marathon.

Workers lay down a Boston Marathon decal on Boylston Street with sponsor John Hancock logo, the final time they will sponsor the race. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

When they threw some headwinds at the racers, Boston countered with women’s wheelchair racer Susannah Scaroni, who finished in the Top 5 on five previous marathons, and she finally broke through for the win this year.

They threw dangerous cells of rain and some lightning at the runners and Boston countered with former NHL Bruins captain Zdeno Chara at ’em, and then doubled-down with Boston College and pro football legend Doug Flutie running the marathon yet again. It was Flutie’s fifth Boston Marathon and he raised $350,000 for autism research while he ran his 26.2 with a tweaked hamstring that kept him away from his final training runs for the past six weeks.

If that weren’t enough, Flutie was also nursing a pulled groin, suffered in a recent ice hockey game.

As the Marathoners got serious and the weather cleared, Evans Chebet and Hellen Obiri took honors in the men’s and women’s elite/professional categories for the 127th running of the Carnegie Hall of Marathons.

The New England weather got tough and Boston got tougher until late afternoon when the novice marathoners saw only slight drizzles as they took a right on Hereford Street and a left to Boylston.

While the marathoners ran to Boston from the starting line out in Hopkinton, the Los Angeles Angels were throwing the great Shohei Ohtani against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. The Sox won the first three games of their series against the Angels, but Boston chose to throw Brayan Bello back at ’em, and that proved disastrous as former Sox outfielder Hunter Renfroe plopped a 3-run homer into the lap of some Green Monster seat ticket holder in the very first inning of a game that was to be delayed for 56 minutes to start and a total of 2:21 on the day before Red Sox DH Masataka Yoshida popped up to LA’s Gio Urshela at third base to end the 5-4 Boston loss.

 

Sox Adjust 40-Man Roster

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BOSTON – (Staff report from official news release) – The Boston Red Sox made the following roster moves on Sunday, April 16:

  • Placed right-handed pitcher Chris Martin on the 15-Day Injured List (retroactive to April 13) with right shoulder inflammation.
  • Selected right-handed pitcher Jake Faria from Triple-A Worcester. He will wear number 32.
  • Transferred right-handed pitcher Wyatt Mills to the 60-Day Injured List.
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Chief Baseball Officer Chaim Bloom made the moves..

Martin, 36, last pitched Wednesday in Tampa Bay, allowing one run in the eighth inning. The right-hander has allowed two runs in 7.0 innings pitched across seven outings with the Red Sox this season, his first games with the club. He was signed by Boston as a free agent on December 8, 2022.

Faria, 29, has made three relief appearances with Triple-A Worcester this season, allowing six runs over five innings, with six walks and five strikeouts. The right-hander owns a 4.70 ERA (106 ER/203.0 IP) in 72 career Major League appearances (29 starts) with the Tampa Bay Rays (2017-19), Milwaukee Brewers (2019), and Arizona Diamondbacks (2021). He was signed by the Red Sox as a minor league free agent on February 3, 2023.

Mills, 28, began the season on the 15-Day Injured List with right elbow inflammation. The right-hander made five Grapefruit League appearances with the Red Sox during 2023 Spring Training, posting a 7.50 ERA (5 ER/6.0 IP) with 10 strikeouts. He was acquired from the Kansas City Royals in exchange for minor league right-handed pitcher Jacob Wallace on December 16, 2022.

Red Sox Take Advantage of LA Angels

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Reports) – Boston shortstop Yu Chang went 2-for-4 with a home run and the game-winning single as the Boston Red Sox defeated the Los Angeles Angeles for the second consecutive game. Both Boston wins were the result of unforced mental and physical fielding errors by the Angels.

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After Enrique Hernandez hit a leadoff single and two catcher’s interference calls loaded the bases to begin the eighth inning, Chang flipped the score Boston’s way with a two-run knock through the left side. Angels reliever Ryan Tepera (1-1) walked Rob Refsnyder to force in an insurance run as Boston earned its second straight win to begin the four-game series.

Refsnyder and Rafael Devers, who homered in the first inning, had two RBIs apiece. Ryan Brasier (1-0) earned the win after a scoreless eighth inning. Kenley Jansen recorded his second save in as many days. Gio Urshela hit a first-inning grand slam and had five RBIs to lead the Angels. Mike Trout was 3-for-4 with two doubles, including the 300th of his career.

Duvall Sidelined with Broken Left Wrist

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BOSTON – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – The Boston Red Sox placed outfielder Adam Duvall on the 10-day MLB injured list due to a left distal radius fractured wrist. To fill Duvall’s spot on the active roster, the club recalled infielder Bobby Dalbec from Triple-A Worcester, said Chief Baseball Officer Chaim Bloom.

Duvall, 34, started in center field in eight of the Red Sox’ first nine games, making his debut with the club and batting .455 (15-for-33) with five doubles, one triple, four home runs, 11 runs scored, and 14 RBI. The right-handed hitter is tied for the MLB lead in RBI while leading qualified players in slugging percentage (1.030), on-base plus slugging (1.544), extra-base hits (10), and total bases (tied, 34). He was signed by Boston as a free agent on January 24, 2023.

Dalbec, 27, began the season with Triple-A Worcester, batting .261 (6-for-23) with one double, one triple, one home run, six runs scored, and five RBI over seven games. The right-handed hitter played in 18 Grapefruit League games for the Red Sox before being optioned to Worcester on 3/27. During spring training, he hit .235 with an .814 OPS (12-for-51, four doubles, two triples, two home runs), 11 runs scored, and six RBI. Dalbec has hit .232 (189-for-814) with 45 home runs and 133 RBI over 273 career MLB games, all with Boston from 2020-22.

TL’s Sunday Sports Notebook | April 2nd

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By TERRY LYONS

BOSTON – There are two days on our calendar that bring hope and optimism wrapped-up in a ball. First is New Year’s Eve/New Year’s Day which comes with a ball that falls so gradually in Times Square as hundreds of thousands, maybe millions count down the final ten seconds of the year. Resolutions are made, but rarely kept as the New Year rolls in. Couples kiss and wish each other “Happy New Year” with hopes for a great year ahead. It’s a wonderful day.

Then, there’s Opening Day in Major League Baseball. Nothing brings hope like the first crack of the bat, the sound of the umpire or some promo winner screaming, “Play Ball,” or the sights and smells of the ballpark, the beautiful green grass of Fenway Park and 29 other ballparks across the USA and Toronto, Canada – all the envy of any homeowner and weekend gardener.

We experienced Opening Day at Fenway this week, complete with pregame ceremonies with F-16 jet fighter fly-over, a giant-sized American flags, a roster full of brand new Red Sox players along with a pitching crew that needs to make some resolutions of their own.

While Opening Day for the Red Sox resulted in the Big “L” there was excitement in the chilly New England air as the game went right down to the last at bat. The second game of the season brought on sheer joy of loyal fandom for the Sox faithful who hung-on to witness a game-winning home run by OF Adam Duvall, lined right into the first row of the Green Monster seats. It came after oft-injured SP Chris Sale spotted the Baltimore Orioles a 7-1 lead after three innings, so the hope of MLB’s Opening Day can go only so far in New England. Sox fans will have to judge their team on one and only one criteria this season: They won’t give up.

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: The topic of gender equality and the lack thereof surfaced during last year’s NCAA Final Four basketball tournaments for Men and Women. It is a topic that new NCAA President and former Governor of Massachusetts Charlie Baker must address in much deeper and efficiency than his predecessors. This week sports commentator Bomani Jones nailed it with his op-ed video that best explains the situation. It’s provided here for your viewing and 2023 education via HBO’s YouTube: CLICK HERE.

This season, Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes have made as big a statement as possible in the women’s Final Four. They’ll take on LSU at 3:30pm (ET) on ABC Sports and ESPN+ with Iowa favored by 3.5 points. Tune in for a treat.

PREDICTIONS FOR THE 2023 MLB SEASON: It’s only two games into the 2023 Baseball season and my sample size is personally witnessing two games between the visiting Baltimore Orioles against the Boston Red Sox at our downtown bandbox known as Fenway Park.

Opening Day saw the Orioles defeat Boston, 10-9, and Game 2 – Saturday, April 1 – saw Boston come back from that disastrous Sale start (allowed seven runs in three innings, including three Home Runs) but the Sox won the game in grand fashion as described above, an entertaining 9-8 victory.

The 18-18 runs produced/allowed ratio is a quick snapshot, but it might be revealing for what might come in the early month(s) of the season.

It seems the new MLB “Pitch Clock” might have a side effect – call it a severe reaction if you’d like. The lack of time for a pitcher – with runners on base – to:

  • Receive the ball
  • Step to the pitching mound/rubber
  • Make eye contact with the catcher
  • Adjust his grip on the baseball
  • Check the runner on base
  • Re-establish his pitching stance and prepare to throw a pitch (giving or getting a sign)
  • Get into his wind-up before a clock violation

All of the mechanics for each pitch give the pitcher little time to truly focus on the business at hand: Eye and aim for the desired location of his upcoming pitch. The time restraints force the pitcher – at times – to simply hurl the ball much more quickly than he would’ve done a year ago.

This should result in much higher scoring games.

That said, athletes are very quick to adjust and Major League pitchers will gradually adjust to the new rules, maybe in another two weeks – maybe two months – of regular season, so there’s no cause for alarm or panic for those who call themselves traditionalists or like to bet the “under.”

Here’s a quick and personal look at what the MLB Standings might look like, come October 1, 2023:

AL EAST

Toronto Blue Jays
New York Yankees
Baltimore Orioles
Tampa Bay Rays
Boston Red Sox

AL CENTRAL

Cleveland Guardians
Chicago White Sox
Minnesota Twins
Kansas City Royals
Detroit Tigers

AL WEST

Houston Astros
Seattle Mariners
Texas Rangers
LA Angels
Oakland A’s

NL EAST

Atlanta Braves
New York Mets
Philadelphia Phillies
Miami Markins
Washington Nationals

NL CENTRAL

St. Louis Cardinals
Milwaukee Brewers
Chicago Cubs
Cincinnati Reds
Pittsburgh Pirates

NL WEST

Los Angeles Dodgers
San Diego Padres
Arizona Diamondbacks
San Francisco Giants
Colorado Rockies

World Series: The Houston Astros to defend their title with a 4-games-to-2 series win over the San Diego Padres.

STRAT-O-MATIC: When the folks at the Strat-O-Matic game company on Long Island crunched their numbers and played out their own games, they came up with some 2023 Baseball Predictions they promoted as their own.

Strat’s simulation tabbed the Cleveland Indians with an MLB-best 111 wins to earn the AL No. 1 seed, with the NY Yankees at No. 2 and Houston (with 101 wins each).

In the NL, the San Diego Padres’ 100 wins led the circuit, with the Atlanta Braves (96) and St. Louis (94) as the other NL division winners.

The Strat-O-Matic Postseason ended with the New York Yankees topping the Los Angeles Dodgers, 4-games-to-2 to win the MLB title.

Other predictions included:

  • NY Yankees Aaron Judge to earn AL MVP honors with 52 home runs, 132 RBI and .313 batting average.
  • The American League Cy Young Award winner was predicted to be Shane Bieber of Cleveland (20-6, 2.80 ERA, 228K).
  • St. Louis’ Nolan Arenado was promised to excel with a .293 average, 46 home runs and 116 RBI to earn the National League MVP honor.
  • Strat Says Yu Darvish of San Diego might claim the NL Cy Young Award with his predicted total of a 17-4 record, 2.55 ERA and 221 strikeouts

Strat-O-Matic has an interesting back story as the company and its games were invented by then-11-year-old Hal Richman in his bedroom in Great Neck, N.Y. in 1948 as a result of his frustration with the statistical randomness of other baseball board games. He discovered that the statistical predictability of dice would give his game the realism he craved. Over the next decade, he perfected the game at summer camp and then as a student at Bucknell University. After producing All-Star sets in 1961 and ‘62, he parlayed a $5,000 loan from his father (and made a deal that if it didn’t work out he would work for his father’s insurance company) into the original 1962 Strat-O-Matic Baseball season game. Needless to say, Hal never had to take a job with his father.

The Company publishes baseball, football, basketball and hockey games to play both on and off-line and they’re capable of going low to the mobile screen. “Strat-O” games are known throughout the sports community for their statistical realism and accuracy.

YouTube player

 

SHINING MOMENTS FOR 37+ YEARS: Why does the (basketball only) retirement of a guy the vast majority of the general public doesn’t know and hasn’t met strike such an emotional chord? Simply stated, it’s the time well spent. The time CBS Sportscaster Jim Nantz has dedicated to the game of college basketball. The time we – the viewers – have enjoyed spending with him. The time that flies by and adds up to make us all count the years and face our own mortality. The time shared. The time we’re amazed by the efforts of Nantz and the players he covers. Nantz is the face of a thousand people working behind the scenes and directly alongside and behind him who create every broadcast.

It’s not easy doing live remote sports television. It’s impossible to explain why. It’s difficult to explain because the networks producing the major sports in North America make it look so damn easy. It’s not. It’s hard and the games – the EVENTS – are unpredictable and move quickly.

Some look at the most visible signs of the broadcast. The announce table – with the Final Four, it’s been Nantz anchoring for the rsolid former Dukie turned USA Basketball guru Grant Hill and the irreplaceable and greatest of ‘em all, Bill Raftery, the former Seton Hall coach turned broadcaster who remains one of the few, great characters of the sporting world. As Raft ages, we age with him, but he does so and somehow remains “cooler” than anyone in the building. The secret is that Nantz knows exactly how to cue Raft up and exactly when to stay the hell out of the way.

Nantz knows when to praise the game winning shot, often with a single word. He knows when to stay silent and let the work of those thousand people – all behind the lenses of 60 cameras (16 used to be the norm). The great people at Sports Video Group (MUST READ) can give you the “inside stuff” on what goes on behind the scenes. But, the human element is the key to a good broadcast morphing into greatness. Actor-director and so many of us default to calling it – STORY TELLING – but I contend that it is much, much more.

It’s research. It’s knowledge and perspective. It’s relationships and knowing who to speak with and when to drop in a tidbit of information from that source right into the broadcast at the perfect time, a tidbit to be heard by 20+ million people. In that case, the factoid better be accurate. Nantz perfects it by way of building such solid relationships – culled over those 37+ years so his sources are impeccable. Nantz delivers.

For those of us who’ve had the pleasure of working with Jim Nantz over many, many years, he’s been the consummate professional. When Nantz would oversee a Basketball Hall of Fame press conference, it would flow like the Danube River – strong and steady. Just hearing his voice made it a big time event or announcement.

The good news? We’ll still have Nantz visiting our living/TV rooms come this week at The Masters golf tournament- A TRADITION UNLIKE ANY OTHER, his patented catch phrase first uttered in 1986 when Nantz was 26 years old and shooting promos and vignettes for CBS’ legendary golf producer Frank Chirkinian.

What’s a TL Sunday Sports Notebook without a story from an insider’s view to close it out for the week?

Knowing Jim Nantz as a local sports television guy who covered the Utah Jazz for KSL-TV in Salt Lake City, this observer was quite surprised when bumping into Nantz and then-CBS Sports Executive Producer Ted Shaker as they entered a 52nd Street restaurant back in 1985.

Together with colleague Brian McIntyre, our eyes were wide open but we kept our mouths shut at the sign that Nantz was being courted to join CBS and then – over time – be groomed to be the replacement for the face of CBS Sports in the ‘80s, Brent Musburger.

It wasn’t an immediate changeover, as Musburger remained as the lead anchor for CBS Sports until the 1990 Final Four. Nantz told the story in a 2015 conference call for sports television reporters:

Nantz said at the time, “Musburger was CBS Sports.”

“He called the NBA Finals, he hosted the Masters, he was hosting the NFL Today and did play-by-play on both college football and basketball,” Nantz said. “It was shocking. For people who weren’t around at that time, it was just unimaginable. It was front-page news in every newspaper in America.”

“The semifinal games were on March 31 that year and we had our broadcast and then there was an obligation for CBS Sports that Brent, Billy [Packer] and I had to attend after the doubleheader,” Nantz said. “It was at the Petroleum Club in Denver and we talked about what we had just seen and what we expected on Monday night. We went to that and then the three of us went out to dinner.

“We walked back to the hotel and Brent’s assistant met him at the door and said he needed to talk to him right away. We all said good night and we said we’d see each other on Sunday.

“At about 8 o’clock Sunday morning, I got a call from Ted Shaker, our executive producer, and he told me what had come down overnight. Brent had walked in and was told that CBS wasn’t going to renew his contract. My first thought was that this was April 1st, and this was some really dumb April Fool’s joke. And that’s what a lot of people thought.”

Nantz said at the time that CBS wanted him to do a short, live commentary after that Monday night championship game – a 103-73 UNLV win over Duke.

“They wanted me to deliver a commentary to express appreciation to Brent for his remarkable career at CBS,” Nantz said. “And at the time, it was a very difficult thing for me. I looked up to Brent and still do and had such deep respect for him and I had to sum up his career in about a minute-and-a-half commentary and then go back to Brent, standing on the court, for his last word.

“It was very difficult to do and there was a very empty feeling leaving the arena that night for all of us.”

That one moment was the transition for Jim Nantz to do the Final Four until tomorrow – Monday, April 3, 2023. There will be a shining moment for the NCAA Men’s Final Four, but this year, it will come as tears well in our eyes.

TL

 

 

Land of Hope & Dreams

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By TERRY LYONS

BOSTON – There are two days on our calendar that bring hope and optimism wrapped-up in a ball. First is New Year’s Eve/New Year’s Day which comes with a ball that falls so gradually in Times Square as hundreds of thousands, maybe millions count down the final ten seconds of the year. Resolutions are made, but rarely kept as the New Year rolls in. Couples kiss and wish each other “Happy New Year” with hopes for a great year ahead. It’s a wonderful day.

Then, there’s Opening Day in Major League Baseball. Nothing brings hope like the first crack of the bat, the sound of the umpire or some promo winner screaming, “Play Ball,” or the sights and smells of the ballpark, the beautiful green grass of Fenway Park and 29 other ballparks across the USA and Toronto, Canada – all the envy of any homeowner and weekend gardener.

We experienced Opening Day at Fenway this week, complete with pregame ceremonies with F-16 jet fighter fly-over, a giant-sized American flags, a roster full of brand new Red Sox players along with a pitching crew that needs to make some resolutions of their own.

While Opening Day for the Red Sox resulted in the Big “L” there was excitement in the chilly New England air as the game went right down to the last at bat. The second game of the season brought on sheer joy of loyal fandom for the Sox faithful who hung-on to witness a game-winning home run by OF Adam Duvall, lined right into the first row of the Green Monster seats. It came after oft-injured SP Chris Sale spotted the Baltimore Orioles a 7-1 lead after three innings, so the hope of MLB’s Opening Day can go only so far in New England. Sox fans will have to judge their team on one and only one criteria this season: They won’t give up.

Sox Slumping but Ready to head North

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FT. MYERS – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – The Red Sox (14-12-4; .560) currently rank 5th in the Grapefruit League. The Sox are 5-12-1 in their last 17 games following a 14-game unbeaten streak (11-0- 3), including wins over Northeastern University and Puerto Rico at the start of Spring Training. Prior to this year, the longest spring training unbeaten streak for the Red Sox against any opponents was 12 games (11-0-1 in 1949).

Fans hold a sign outside of Fenway Park to honor the Marathon bombing victims

Sox first baseman Triston Casas ranks in the top 5 among qualified Grapefruit League players in AVG (2nd, .346), OBP (T-5th, .396), SLG (2nd, .615), OPS (3rd, 1.040), hits (T-5th, 18), and runs scored (T-4th, 11).

Sox oft-injured SP, Chris Sale, made the start on Sunday and threw 5.0 innings of ball, allowing five hits and two earned runs. Sale struck out three and walked two batters.

Red Sox Sign Non-Roster Camp Invitees

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BOSTON – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – The Boston Red Sox have added 10 non-roster invitees to the team’s 2023 Spring Training roster: right-handed pitchers Dan Altavilla, Taylor Broadway, Durbin Feltman, Victor Santos, and Chase Shugart; infielders Christian Koss and Matthew Lugo; infielder/outfielders Ryan Fitzgerald and Nick Sogard; and catcher Stephen Scott. Red Sox Chief Baseball Officer Chaim Bloom made the announcement.

Dan Altavilla, RHP – Altavilla, 30, did not pitch in 2022 while recovering from Tommy John surgery performed in June 2021. The right-hander last pitched in 2021, making two relief appearances with the San Diego Padres. He owns a 4.03 ERA (52 ER/116.0 IP) in 119 career Major League outings with the Seattle Mariners (2016-20) and San Diego (2020-21), holding opponents to a .220 batting average (93-for-423) and .388 slugging percentage. The Pennsylvania native was selected by Seattle in the fifth round of the 2014 First-Year Player Draft out of Mercyhurst University. He pitched for the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox of the Cape Cod Baseball League in the summer of 2013.

Taylor Broadway, RHP – Broadway, 25, will be attending his first Major League Spring Training camp. The right-hander was acquired by Boston from the Chicago White Sox on August 30, 2022, completing the August 1 trade for Jake Diekman. In five outings with Double-A Portland after joining the Red Sox organization, he allowed one earned run over 6.0 innings with 10 strikeouts and no walks. Broadway spent most of 2022 at the Double-A level, going 4-2 with a 4.39 ERA (27 ER/55.1 IP) and 84 strikeouts between Birmingham (37 outings) and Portland. The Texas native was selected by the White Sox in the sixth round of the 2021 First-Year Player Draft out of the University of Mississippi.

Durbin Feltman, RHP – Feltman, 25, will be attending his third consecutive Major League Spring Training camp with Boston. He spent all of 2022 with Triple-A Worcester, posting a 7.63 ERA (41 ER/48.1 IP) with 56 strikeouts in 40 outings. The right-hander has made 144 career minor league appearances, all in relief, going 14-10 with a 4.79 ERA (93 ER/174.2 IP) and 208 strikeouts. Named Red Sox Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Year by the organization in 2021, the Texas native was selected by Boston in the third round of the 2018 First-Year Player Draft out of Texas Christian University.

Victor Santos, RHP – Santos, 22, finished his first full season with the Red Sox organization in 2022 after being acquired from the Philadelphia Phillies in July 2021. He posted a 4.97 ERA (80 ER/145.0 IP), setting career highs in strikeouts (126), appearances (28), and starts (25) between Double-A Portland (19 appearances/16 starts) and Triple-A Worcester (nine starts). Following the season, he pitched for Leones del Escogido of the Dominican Professional Baseball League, recording a 1.88 ERA (3 ER/14.1 IP) in 11 appearances (three starts). Signed out of the Dominican Republic by Philadelphia in November 2016, the right-hander owns a 3.72 ERA (184 ER/ 445.0 IP) with 0.97 home runs allowed per 9.0 innings over 101 career minor league appearances (71 starts).

Chase Shugart, RHP – Shugart, 26, will be attending his first Major League Spring Training camp. The right-hander split the 2022 season between Double-A Portland and Triple-A Worcester, going 5-5 with a 5.31 ERA (37 ER/62.2 IP) in 45 appearances (one start) while making his debut at each level. Following the season, he pitched for Estrellas Orientales of the Dominican Professional Baseball League, allowing six runs in 3.1 innings over four appearances. Selected by Boston in the 12th round of the 2018 First-Year Player Draft out of the University of Texas at Austin, Shugart is 17-16 with a 4.13 ERA (122 ER/265.2 IP) in 87 minor league appearances (43 starts).

Christian Koss, INF – Koss, 25, will be attending his second Major League Spring Training camp after appearing in seven Grapefruit League games last season. In 2022, he batted .260 (127-for-488) in 125 games with Double-A Portland, setting career highs in doubles (22), home runs (17), RBI (84), and stolen bases (16). Following the season, he played for Criollos de Caguas of Liga de Béisbol Professional Roberto Clemente, batting .230 (20-for-87) with three doubles, one triple, and nine RBI in 29 games. A California native, Koss was traded to the Red Sox from the Colorado Rockies on December 3, 2020. The right-handed hitter has batted .277 (306-for-1,106) over 282 career minor league games, making 179 starts at shortstop, 49 at second base, 41 at third base, three in center field, and one in left field.

Matthew Lugo, SS – Lugo, 21, will be attending his first Major League Spring Training camp. In 2022, he batted .282 (135-for-478) with 26 doubles, 10 triples, 18 home runs, and 79 RBI with High-A Greenville (114 games) and Double-A Portland (3 games), leading the South Atlantic League in hits (134), extra-base hits (tied, 53), and triples (tied, 10). Following the season, the Puerto Rico native played for Criollos de Caguas of Liga de Béisbol Professional Roberto Clemente, earning Co-Rookie of the Year honors after batting .275 (33-for-120) with six home runs and 19 RBI in 39 games. A right-handed hitter, Lugo was selected by Boston in the second round of the 2019 First-Year Player Draft. He has made 197 starts at shortstop, 26 at third base, and 15 at second base.

Ryan Fitzgerald, INF/OF – Fitzgerald, 28, will be attending his second Major League Spring Training camp after hitting four home runs in 11 Grapefruit League games last season. The left-handed hitter batted .219 (99-for-452) with 26 doubles, four triples, 16 home runs, and 72 RBI in 127 games for Triple-A Worcester in 2022. Signed by Boston as a non-drafted free agent in 2018, the Illinois native has appeared at every defensive position except pitcher and catcher during his minor league career, playing 442 games and making 298 starts at shortstop, 56 at third base, 40 at second base, 18 in right field, 10 in left field, 10 at first base, and nine in center field.

Nick Sogard, INF/OF – Sogard, 25, will be attending his first Major League Spring Training camp. In 2022, the switch-hitter batted .254 (102-for-401) with 22 doubles, two triples, four home runs, and 43 RBI with Double-A Portland (60 games) and Triple-A Worcester (65 games). Following the season, he played for Gigantes del Cibao of the Dominican Professional Baseball League, batting .250 (7-for-28) in eight games. Acquired from the Tampa Bay Rays on February 17, 2021, the California native has played in 268 career minor league games and made 107 starts at third base, 73 at second base, 59 at shortstop, nine in right field, three in center field, and two in left field.

Stephen Scott C – Scott, 25, will be attending his first Major League Spring Training camp. The left-handed hitter spent 2022 with Double-A Portland (59 games) and High-A Greenville (37 games), batting .219 (73-for-334) with 19 doubles, 10 home runs, and 45 RBI while making 67 starts at catcher and 28 as the designated hitter. Following the season, he played for the Scottsdale Scorpions of the Arizona Fall League, batting .298 (17-for-57) with five home runs and 16 RBI in 15 games. Selected by Boston in the 10th round of the 2019 First-Year Player Draft out of Vanderbilt University, the North Carolina native has hit .255 (207-for-813) with an .812 OPS in 235 career minor league games. Scott has made 85 career starts at catcher, 57 at first base, 48 as the designated hitter, 19 in left field, and 17 in right field.

BOSTON RED SOX 40-MAN ROSTER (40)

Pitchers (21): Brayan Bello, Richard Bleier, Ryan Brasier, Kutter Crawford, Tanner Houck, Kenley Jansen, Zack Kelly, Corey Kluber, Chris Martin, Bryan Mata, Wyatt Mills, Chris Murphy, Kaleb Ort, James Paxton, Nick Pivetta, Joely Rodríguez, Chris Sale, John Schreiber, Brandon Walter, Garrett Whitlock, Josh Winckowski

Catchers (2): Reese McGuire, Connor Wong

Infielders (7): Triston Casas, Bobby Dalbec, Rafael Devers, David Hamilton, Adalberto Mondesi, Trevor Story, Justin Turner

Outfielders (6): Wilyer Abreu, Jarren Duran, Adam Duvall, Rob Refsnyder, Alex Verdugo, Masataka Yoshida

Infielder/Outfielders (4): Christian Arroyo, Kiké Hernández, Ceddanne Rafaela, Enmanuel Valdez

Fire Sale: Are Sox Cleaning House?

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report; Originally Reported in New York Post) – Boston left-hander Chris Sale is not on the trade block, but the Red Sox are reportedly listening to inquiries about his availability.

The team’s willingness to field offers is based on the belief that its starting rotation has depth, the New York Post reported Saturday.

After the loss of shortstop Xander Bogaerts in free agency, and the expected move of Trevor Story to the position, the Red Sox have a big infield hole to fill and could use a pitcher as trade collateral.

The Red Sox have six potential starter candidates less than two months before the start of spring training: Sale, left-hander James Paxton, and right-handers Nick Pivetta, Garrett Whitlock, Tanner Houck and Brayan Bello.

Sale signed a five-year, $145 million contract with the Red Sox in March 2019 and is under contract through the 2024 season. It includes a full no-trade clause.

Still, the Red Sox haven’t gotten much return from their investment in Sale, who will turn 34 just before the start of the 2023 season, because of injuries.

The seven-time All-Star underwent Tommy John surgery and missed the 2020 season, not returning to MLB action until August 2021.

In 2022, Sale missed time due to a rib stress fracture, a finger fracture and a broken right wrist. The latter resulted from a bicycle accident and ended his season.

As a result, he has pitched just 48 1/3 innings over the past three seasons combined.

Sale is 114-75 lifetime with a 3.03 ERA in 323 games (243 starts) for the Chicago White Sox (2010-16) and Red Sox. His rate of 11.07 strikeouts per nine innings is the highest all-time.

–Reporting from Field Level Media

Sources: Sox to Sign Kenley Jansen

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SAN DIEGO – (Staff and Media Reports via ESPN) – The Boston Red Sox are reportedly signing free-agent reliever Kenley Jansen to a two-year, $32 million deal, ESPN reported Wednesday.

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The closer of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Jansen spent the 2022 season in the bullpen role with the Atlanta Braves, posted a 5-2 record with a 3.38 ERA and a National League-leading 41 saves in 64 innings pitched. He signed a one-year, $16 million contract with the Braves as a free agent for 2022..

Jansen, 35, spent his first 12 seasons with the Dodgers, where he was a three-time All-Star and won the Hoffman National League Reliever of the Year Award twice (2016 and ’17). In his career, Jansen has a 42-28 record and a 2.46 ERA with 391 saves. His 573 games finished are most among active players.