FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Last September, lifted from a major league debut that could best be described as inauspicious (five runs allowed over two innings), Kutter Crawford was understandably downcast.
But Alex Cora had a message for him, attempting to cut through the disappointment the rookie felt. Cora advised Crawford to look around before he departed the mound, to soak in the atmosphere and remind himself that, despite the outcome, he was indeed a big leaguer.
On Monday, that status became solidified when Cora announced that Crawford had made the Red Sox' Opening Day roster as a multi-inning reliever.
"We've been talking about him the whole camp,'' said Cora. "Velocity-wise, he's up there. The action on his pitches are really good. He worked hard and he earned it. Coming into camp, he had no chance, probably. But he kept pushing and pushing and the more we talked about our rotation and what we're trying to accomplish early on in the season, he made a lot of sense.
"We're going to keep using him in multiple innings. Where? We don't know. Hopefully we can do the same thing we did with (Garrett Whitlock) last year, but we'll use him. He did an amazing job and we're very proud of him. And Player Development is proud, with the work that everybody put in. This kid breaking camp with us is one of those accomplishments that the organization feels good about.''
Crawford has had a meteoric rise in the organization, rebounding from Tommy John surgery and starting last season at Double A.
"He adds a different mix,'' said Cora, noting that Crawford has been up to 97 mph this spring while also featuring a quality split-finger pitch.
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Rich Hill was named the No. 5 starter, edging out Whitlock, who will remain as a multi-inning reliever and be used to piggy-back Hill's starts.
"We have to keep six guys stretched out because of the nature of the schedule,'' said Cora. "I think we can be creative. Both are going to be a big part of what we're trying to accomplish. (Pairing them together) is something we've talked about since we signed Rich. Seventy innings (last year from Whitlock) now is not enough for us. He's one of the best we have and we're going to try to maximize his talent and maximize his innings and put him in a spot where he can give us innings throughout the week without putting him in a bad spot physically.''
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Rob Refsnyder didn't make the team and will start the year with Worcester, available for positional depth if needed. One obstacle he couldn't overcome was not being on the 40-man roster as a non-roster invitee. The Sox had two players claimed on waivers in recent weeks (Jeisson Rosario by the Yankees and Kyle Tyler by the Padres) and didn't want to risk exposing any more talent in the closing days of spring training.
Basically, there's one position player spot available -- likely going to Jonathan Arauz -- and one bullpen spot remaining, assuming that Hansel Robles did enough with his inning of work Monday to convince the Sox he was ready.
In somewhat of a surprise move, the Sox announced after the game that reliever Tyler Danish would be added to the major league roster. Danish was a non-roster invitee to camp, but impressed the Sox, In six innings pitched this spring, Danish allowed four hits, walked two and struck out five.
Danish appeared in 11 games for the Chicago White Sox from 2016-2018, but then spent 2019 and 2021 in Triple A -- first for Seattle and then the Angels.
The Sox also re-assigned Franchy Cordero and righty John Schreiber.
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Tanner Houck finished strong with his final spring outing, allowing two solo homers over six innings while fanning seven and walking just one. "Positive way to end,'' said Houck. "I feel like I've gotten better each time out. (A goal) was to not being so antsy and being able to repeat my delivery. I was able to control my body.'' Houck likes the improvement he's seeing with his splitter, and is now comfortable throwing it to both righties and lefties ... Alex Cora noted that Houck's progression was "very similar to last year. He was all over the place (early) and toward the end, he got it locked in.'' ... Hansel Robles, who didn't arrive in camp until last Thursday thanks to a late signing and then visa delays, made his debut in Grapefruit League action, tossing a scoreless inning in which he allowed one hit and a walk while fanning two. "I felt really good out there,'' said Robles. Said Cora: "His velocity was really good, 96-97 mph. We'll sit down (Tuesday) and see where we're at. We've got 15 pitchers, so if we decide to put him on the roster, there's ways to protect him. Stuff-wise, he looks like the same guy.''