Problems still hound Dombro
Sox prez tries to clear air
ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Dave Dombrowski is a busy man in these last anxious days before the Red Sox open the season against the Pittsburgh Pirates tomorrow at Fenway Park.
On the roster front, the Sox president of baseball operations opted to bestow the 25th roster spot (at least temporarily) to Steve Selsky, an offseason pickup from the Cincinnati Reds who provides depth and defense at first base while the club waits and hopes Hanley Ramirez can log some time at the position.
And speaking of defense, Dombrowski also used some time yesterday to clear the air over the team’s awkward explanations regarding the status of reliever Tyler Thornburg, whose shoulder impingement will land him on the disabled list to start the season.
Let’s start with first base. Since Ramirez has yet to take any grounders at first base this spring, the Red Sox find themselves with a depth issue at the position. The plan was for the lefty-hitting Mitch Moreland to log the bulk of the time at first base, giving way to the right-handed hitting Ramirez when there’s a lefty on the mound. Under that scenario, a right-handed hitter would fill Hanley’s DH slot.
Infielder Marco Hernandez might have been a better roster fit overall, but Selsky gets the spot, for now, because he’s a right-handed hitter who can play first base.
In other words, he’s Hanley insurance.
Manager John Farrell remains confident Ramirez, who has been battling a shoulder injury, will be able to play first base once the Sox move on to Detroit following the season-opening three-game set against the Pirates.
Does Dombrowski have concerns? Does he worry that maybe Ramirez would prefer to trade in his first baseman’s mitt and be a full-time DH?
“No, not really,” was the response. “I mean, we’ve talked to him about it. He knows the importance of it for us. He threw up to 100 feet, I think, a few days back. He felt good, so he’s driving in the right direction.”
Perhaps. But Steve Selsky is on the Opening Day roster as defensive insurance at first base. And Tyler Thornburg? Nobody paid any attention to the Red Sox’ “shoulder program” until Thornburg and Farrell brought it up early in spring training.
When it was reported that Thornburg has a shoulder impingement and that he was getting accustomed to Boston’s “shoulder program,” this somehow got the Red Sox to thinking that their training methods were under attack, which I don’t think was ever the case. Whatever, the Sox got snippy about it, and snippy is not something a team wants to be as it’s rolling out the crisp, new home whites and prepping for Opening Day.
So early yesterday afternoon, before the Red Sox took on the Washington Nationals in a preseason tuneup at Max Bishop Stadium on the stupendous campus of the United States Naval Academy, Dombrowski was provided an opportunity to defend a program that really doesn’t need defending.
“The program is fine,” he said. “It’s an outstanding program. The difference is every club has their own program.
“Basically, though, most programs (are from) Dr. Jobe’s 10 shoulder exercises from years ago,” he said, referring to the late Dr. Frank Jobe, the pioneering orthopedic surgeon who, among many other contributions to sports medicine, performed the first-ever ligament replacement surgery, now known as Tommy John surgery. (Idle thought: Shouldn’t it be called Frank Jobe surgery? Nothing against John, who won 288 games in his career, but Jobe pretty much did the heavy lifting here.)
Sounds like this was a communications issue, not a medical issue. It’s something the Red Sox need to work on as they enter the new season.
Did Dombrowski speak with Farrell about this?
“He said shoulder program and so, yes, we did, and that’s why he corrected himself and said it’s just not the shoulder program,” he said.
“There is sometimes some difficulty in transition to a new program,” said Dombrowski. “I’d say there’s a great deal of communication on it, but it’s (with regard) to transition to the program. However it comes out, the important part is there’s a little bit of weakness there (for Thornburg) that we’re dealing with.”
The Red Sox will open the season with Thornburg and lefties Drew Pomeranz and David Price on the disabled list, and with Hanley Ramirez still limited to DHing.
Once all these problems are solved, the Red Sox are the best team in the American League.
For now, though, to use Farrell’s word, they are “fluid.” There’s some work to be done — with game-preparedness, with health, with communications..