FORT MYERS, Fla. -- There are three available bullpen spots up for grabs in manager Alex Cora’s mind.
One of the candidates may be a bit of a surprise.
Asked if there were any player in minor league camp with a chance to make the major league roster for Opening Day, Cora replied: “I think Mejia’s in the hunt.”
That would be Jenrry Mejia, the 32-year-old right-hander who hasn’t pitched in the major leagues since 2015 with the Mets after a three-strikes, lifetime ban for using PEDs. The ban was rescinded in July.
Cora will start the season with eight relievers. Right-handers Matt Barnes, Ryan Brasier, Tyler Thornburg and Heath Hembree, and lefty Brian Johnson are fairly safe bets for bullpen jobs. That would leave right-handers Brandon Workman, Hector Velazquez, and Marcus Walden and left-hander Darwinzon Hernandez -- and possibly Mejia -- competing for the remaining three spots.
Mejia, who joined the Red Sox on a minor league deal in January, has appeared in seven Grapefruit League games, spanning seven innings, striking out nine. He had been solid in his outings before getting banged up by the Orioles on Wednesday, allowing two runs on three hits with two strikeouts, facing six batters in one inning. That bumped his ERA from 3.00 to 5.14.
“He’s been throwing the ball well,” Cora said before Thursday night’s game against the split-squad Rays. “(Wednesday) he got hit, but what that means?
“He was around the plate. The stuff got better, probably being too much around the plate didn’t help him. But Jenrry’s a guy that we like the way he’s been throwing the ball. The stuff is getting better, crisper and velocity’s getting up there.”
Union meeting: Representatives of the players’ association, including executive director Tony Clark, were in camp Thursday afternoon for the annual spring training meeting with the players. The meeting lasted about two hours.
Clark met with reporters after the session, addressing -- among other topics -- Mookie Betts’ contract status in light of extensions that have been signed recently by other players.
“He’s one of the best players in the game and has been for some time,” Clark said. “And much like any of his teammates or players on other teams, we are there to support him and equip him along with his individual agent so that he can make the best decision for him. But rest assured, as a face of a game and as a fan, I’m excited to watch him and glad we all have an opportunity to appreciate what he’s doing now and what we hope he does for a long period of time.”
On Wednesday, Betts met with the media to address his status, saying that he had a good understanding of his own value as it relates to his free agency after the 2020 season.
“We’ve always had an appreciation for the fact that educated players make educated decisions,” Clark said. “And so our responsibility is helping to support that. The individual agent's responsibility is the same. And being able to speak to that in the fashion that Mookie was able to speak to it, I think is a testament to that.”
- David Price has made just one Grapefruit League start this spring, going three innings against the Tigers, one of his former teams, on March 12. The Red Sox were bringing him -- and the other veteran starters -- along slowly and then he missed his next start because of illness. Price threw a bullpen session Thursday afternoon and is scheduled to start Tuesday against the Cubs in Arizona. Cora was pleased with what he saw from Price on Thursday. "He was good," Cora said. "He was actually really good." Cora was unsure how deep into the game on Tuesday he expected Price to go or when the lefty would make his next start after that. But said he trusts Price to let him know. "If he tells me he's ready," Cora said, "he's ready."
- Although he will open the season on the injured list, Dustin Pedroia continues to progress. He played six innings at second base on Thursday, going 2-for-3 with an RBI.
- Tyler Thornburg has made six appearances this spring, spanning six innings, giving up seven earned runs on 10 hits and six walks with six strikeouts.
- Former Red Sox first baseman and 1995 AL MVP Mo Vaughn was at the game on Thursday, watching with his family in the stands just in front of the press box.