Red Sox look for – and to – relief to round out early rotation

FORT MYERS » The pupil isn’t always younger than the teacher. Sometimes, the one learning is 26 years younger.

That will be the case when Red Sox chief of baseball operations Chaim Bloom, 37, leads a discussion about the concept of games covered by the bullpen, aka “openers,” Sunday at JetBlue Park. Red Sox interim manager Ron Roenicke, 63, and pitching coach Dave Bush, 40, will be seated in the classroom doing more listening than talking.

“He’s obviously familiar with it, so as a staff he’s going to address us,” Roenicke said. “It’ll help us see what the thinking is for all these scenarios that do come up. I’m looking forward to listening a little bit more on, if we end up this way, how to go about it the best way.”

Until recovering ace Chris Sale joins the rotation, it’s likely the Red Sox will fill one, possibly two

spots in the rotation behind Eduardo Rodriguez, Nate Eovaldi and Martin Perez.

Several pitchers, including Ryan Weber and Chris Mazza, are competing to earn a spot in the rotation in case Bloom doesn’t trade for a starting pitcher during spring training, a difficult time to shop for pitching because nearly every club is looking to fortify its rotation.

“I’m hoping we find a fourth and fifth guy (from within the organization),” Roenicke said. “And if we don’t, that’s fine. We’ll just go to the next step and maybe we have an opener.” Or two. Sale to throw BP Sunday Sale is scheduled to pitch live batting practice for the equivalent of two innings, taking a rest between innings, Sunday. Each inning will be based on a pitch count, probably somewhere in the range of 15-to-20 pitches, Roenicke said. Sale hasn’t pitched against batters since he was forced onto the injured list in mid-August by elbow inflammation. A bout with pneumonia put him two weeks behind schedule at spring training, which is why he will start the season on the IL. He’ll be eligible to make his first start April 7. Yankees 5, Red Sox 2 Rodriguez was sharp in his exhibition debut Saturday at JetBlue Park. He struck out six and allowed two hits in three shutout innings against a Yankees’ split-squad lineup stocked mostly with minor leaguers.

If last season’s 19-game winner pitches every fifth day throughout the rest of spring training, he’ll be lined up to pitch Opening Day in Toronto on five days’ rest.

“If it happens, it happens,” Rodriguez said. “For me, it’s just going out there every five days, if it’s Opening Day, or if it’s the fifth starter.”