SPRING TRAINING BASEBALL NOTES

Lucroy returning to form, Red Sox consider using three catchers

Jonathan Lucroy is changing the way the Red Sox look at their 26-man roster. An MVP candidate when he played for Sox interim manager Ron Roenicke when Roenicke managed the Milwaukee Brewers in 2014, the 33-yearold Lucroy was a late signing this spring and looked like he had only an outside chance at the backup catcher job after an injury-plagued season in 2019. At the time Lucroy was signed, Roenicke said he did not plan on carrying three catchers. Christian Vazquez is the clear starter and Kevin Plawecki was signed to be the backup. Lucroy has played some first base before, but Roenicke said he'd only be competing as a backstop this spring. A few weeks later, Roenicke changed his mind. The skipper said Tuesday that Lucroy has played himself into contention for a roster spot and the Sox will now consider carrying three catchers. They don't have an obvious choice as their 26th man, with Rule 5 pick Jonathan Arauz trying to prove himself worthy despite having just 28 career games above High-A. "The thing that's different about that is, who that 26th player is going to be?" Roenicke said Tuesday. "Is it going to be a guy that can swing it offensively, also? Can it be a pinch hitter? Lucroy plays a little first base. Vazquez plays first base — we had him at third some last year; we won't try to do that a lot — so they're not just a catcher." The concept of a utility catcher, someone who can catch and play the field, is one that's trending in MLB. "Because our catchers are good offensively, it allows us to maybe carry three," Roenicke said. "I think ideally, you always think about two, but that 26th man really allows you to go three." Offensively, Lucroy was once an elite catcher while with the Brewers. But he's slowed down the last few years and had surgery to repair a herniated disk in his neck. His swing is starting to look good again. He's 4-for-17 with two doubles, five walks and five strikeouts in Grapefruit League action. "Getting back to the good hands that I saw when I had him in Milwaukee," Roenicke said. "This guys is a really good offensive player, and he's starting to swing better. He had a couple of hits early and then didn't do much, and now he's starting to swing the bat again.” Catching instructor Jason Varitek has helped Lucroy develop a new one-knee set-up that Roenicke hopes will make him an elite pitch-framer again. If Lucroy keeps hitting, he could open the year on the big league roster. "Results are important, because the last couple of years, he hasn't been the same player," Roenicke said. "So we need to see results. And when I saw results, it doesn't mean that he needs to hit .300. Are his swings getting back to where they were? Is he squaring up a lot of baseballs? Is he framing the balls better now? Is he blocking better? "A couple of days ago, it was unbelievable. He was 9 for 9 blocking balls in the dirt. When we see those things, that tells us that he's getting back to the type of player that we hope he will get to."

Mets' Conforto strains oblique muscle, opening day not clear

Mets outfielder Michael Conforto strained an oblique muscle on his right side, and it's too early to determine whether he will be able to play in New York's opener against World Series champion Washington on March 26. Conforto was injured Saturday against the Nationals and returned to New York on Monday night to meet with Mets medical director Dr. David Altchek. “We're going to back him off here from activities the next couple of days and then reassess him next week,” Mets general manager Brodie Van Wagenen said Tuesday. Conforto, an All-Star in 2017, set career highs last season with 33 homers and 92 RBIs while batting .257 with an .856 OPS in 151 games. He was hurt while catching a fly ball. “Awkwardly in the wind, in the sun, he sort of fell to the ground, and he was sore on his right side," Van Wagenen said. “He was feeling better day over day over the course of last couple of days, but we wanted to be smart about it, get an MRI done."