Red Sox Notes: Cora willing to be patient on Martinez debut; Sale and Ramirez welcome new teammate

FORT MYERS, Fla --  Having waited all winter to see J.D. Martinez in a Red Sox uniform, the team will have to wait a while longer to see him in his first game.

“We haven’t sat down and talked,’’ said manager Alex Cora, “but one thing for sure, I know, offensively, he’s probably as close (to being ready) as anyone here. He works hard and he has his routine.  It wouldn’t surprise me if it’s like a week or ten days. I’m not going to rush him.’’

Martinez has been working out and hitting in his hometown of Miami all winter. But that’s different than facing live pitching in a Grapefruit League setting.

The majority of position players have been in camp for nearly two weeks, and gone through multiple rounds of batting practice, live batting practice and cage work. Martinez will need some time to catch up, but there’s little doubt he’ll be game-ready in a relatively short period of time and still have time to get him timing down before the regular season opener on March 29.

Cora projected that Martinez will likely hit either third or fourth in the Red Sox lineup. Cora has stressed the need for the Sox to have “instant offense’’ – the ability to jump on teams early.

He has Mookie Betts slated for leadoff and Andrew Benintendi second. After that, there’s some combination of Martinez and Hanley Ramirez in the third and fourth spots, with, presumably, Rafael Devers and Xander Bogaerts following.

“Whether he hits in the first inning (third) or hits with men on (cleanup), we’ll see,’’ said Cora.

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Not surprisingly, there was a positive reaction to Martinez’s signing becoming official. The hitters were glad to have him joining the attack, while the pitchers were glad they wouldn’t have to face him as an opponent anymore.

“Now, we’re going to step on everyone’s neck,’’ said Ramirez of the suddenly vastly improved Red Sox lineup.

So, Ramirez was asked, do the Red Sox have their sights set on the World Series?

“That’s our (expletive) goal,’’ said Ramirez. “Every year. To win. To beat everybody.’’

“I think he’s going to wear out that Wall,’’ said ace Chris Sale. “You’re adding a .300 hitter, home runs, all that stuff. But it just kind of takes pressure of everybody else. Not only that, it makes our bench that much better.’’

Sale, who faced Martinez plenty when Sale pitched for the White Sox and Martinez was with Tigers in the A.L. Central, recalled Martinez joining a Tigers lineup that already had Miguel Cabrera, Victor Martinez and Ian Kinsler.

“He just made it that much tougher, kind of like what he’s going to do here,’’ Sale said. “We have a hell of a lineup without him and you put him in the heart of it, it makes everyone else that much more dangerous. They’re going to have to pitch to somebody. It will be funny watching baseballs go over the fence.’’

When someone jokingly told Sale not facing Martinez any more might help his ERA, he responded: “It will help our trainers, too. They won’t have to rub down my neck as much.’’

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The Red Sox improved to 4-0 in Grapefruit League play with a 13-2 pounding of the Pittsburgh Pirates in Bradenton.

Rusney Castillo had a two-run homer in the second, while Blake Swihart continued his torrid streak, with two more hits – including his third double of the spring – and two RBI.

Later in the game, infielder Chad De La Guerra (solo) and outfield prospect Cole Sturgeon (three-run shot) smacked back-to-back homers.

Justin Haley started and allowed one run on two hits.