Red Sox Notebook: Steven Wright still not 100 percent; Jackie Bradley seeks improvement with defense

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Some 19 months after he first underwent surgery on his left knee, Steven Wright hopes that he's finally fully recovered. But he also understands there are no guarantees.

Wright, along with the rest of the Red Sox pitchers and catchers, underwent his spring training physical Tuesday morning and was encouraged. But thanks to a follow-up arthroscopic surgery performed last November, there's still some recovery necessary.

"It's still kind of in the early stages,'' Wright said. "I had a pretty big cleanup (to remove scar tissue). I started throwing last week and I'm trying not to do too much, too soon. It's a long year, so I just want to make sure than when I do come back, I don't have to worry about on-and-off the DL and I'm good to go.

"I've still got some strength to build up. I'm not babying it, but I want to make sure we do it right. We've got a pretty good game plan and it's just the workload. I think it's a day-to-day thing. I don't think I'm ever going to feel 100 percent again from before I hurt my knee, but we're trying to get as close to that as we can and staying consistent with it.''

Wright would like to think he's cleared his biggest hurdle already, but as he noted, 'I thought that last year, too.''

The knee periodically limited Wright, with a delayed start to his season, a trip to the DL during the year, and then, hours before Game 1 of the ALDS, yet another setback.

"I think we have a better understanding of what we can and can't do,'' said Wright. "A lot of it is trial and error. We can try to minimize risk vs. reward, as far as what I've got to do to get ready. Like, I don't have to run (in between starts). There's ways to get around it and just do it when I need to, which is covering first and backing up bases.

"So if we can keep that stuff, the high impact stuff at a minimum, it will be a better way to stay healthy.''

The key, Wright has learned, is to monitor any swelling in the knee. That's a sure sign that he's pushed himself too hard. He's also resigned to wearing a knee brace when he pitches to help minimize the impact on the knee joint.

"It's never going to be 100 percent,'' said Wright, "because it was a significant injury. But once you have the swelling, your muscles shut down and things go awry.''

Almost two years removed from his original surgery, Wright couldn't have forecast back then that he would still be dealing with the after-effects.

"I had no idea,'' he conceded. "You hear guys all the time having knee injuries, ACLs, (coming back after) 10 or 12 months. They kind of (warned) me, but I didn't really want to believe it, that it's going to probably be (something to monitor) for the rest of my career. But yeah, it's been tough. It's been tough mentally more than physically.''

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Jackie Bradley Jr. finally got recognized for his defensive excellence this offseason when he was named the American League Gold Glove winner for center field. It was a validation of Bradley's fine play and a chance to be celebrated.

"It was amazing,'' Bradley said. "It's something that I've always worked hard for. It's something I've always wanted to be a part of, something I've dreamed of getting one day and to finally have one, I'm honored to join an elite group.''

Just one problem: Bradley thought his Gold Glove came in the wrong year.

"Last year was probably my worst, in my mind,'' said Bradley. "It goes to show that something what you think might not be accurate. I feel I have to get better and I learned some things and I'll still continue to grow.''

In the past, Bradley had taken issue with some defensive metrics which failed to properly credit him for his range and ability to save runs. Those disagreements, coupled with his surprise at finally being chosen for a Gold Glove, has Bradley doing his own self-evaluations.

"There's a lot of things that I judge (my defense) by,'' he said. "The overall number of balls I get to, or don't get to. In certain situations, I might feel like I can get to (a ball), but the situation in the game might not dictate how aggressive I'm going to be. I feel like they don't look at things like that. Let's say you're up by three runs and there's a guy at first base -- you're going to do everything you can to keep the ball in front of you then to go all-out to make a great play and the ball can possibly get by you.

"There's a lot of things that go into it. I have a feel. There was room for improvement for me. But I'm very (hard) on myself.''

Last year, Bradley and right fielder Mookie Betts were both Gold Glove winner and Bradley believes they could soon be joined by left fielder Andrew Benintendi, who was a finalist last year but was beaten out by Kansas City's Alex Gordon.

"Absolutely,'' said Bradley. "The guy's a stud. You saw those plays he was making in big-time moments (in the postseason). He was a finalist, so he's right up there and I'm really hoping he pulls it out this year.''