SARASOTA, Fla. -- With opening day now less than three weeks away and the likelihood that the Red Sox will move one of their catchers by that time, Alex Cora and his coaching staff are doing the best they can to evaluate the three major catchers on hand until they hear otherwise.
By the end of the month, it's likely that someone from the trio of Sandy Leon, Christian Vazquez and Blake Swihart will be shipped out as the Sox look to decrease the logjam that existed all of last year behind the plate.
"We know that all three are good,'' said Cora. "It's just a matter of which route we take. Honestly, I don't get caught up in (someone going) 4-for-10 or 0-for-10. We trust them. We know the three guys and what they bring to the table. I don't think one is better than the others -- they all have their strengths and we know what we can do. It's just a matter that time will let us know.''
For now, Cora is trying to get all three ready. On Friday, Vazquez was the starting catcher while Leon was the DH. On Saturday, Swihart will get the start behind the plate as the Sox host the New York Mets.
"I already told them that most likely (next week), somebody is going to catch the first part of the game and another is going to come in for the second part of the game. It's not about being the starter or the backup; it's about them getting them repetitions. If you start spreading them out too much, they're not going to be ready for Opening Day and we need them ready.''
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