Red Sox trim roster to 29

Boston made six personnel moves on Saturday and appears to have only a couple of decisions remaining as its travel party shifts west to finish up spring training.

FORT MYERS, Fla. - The Red Sox continue to close in on their 25-man roster ahead of Opening Day.

 Boston made six personnel moves on Saturday and appears to have only a couple of decisions remaining as its travel party shifts west to finish up spring training. The Red Sox and Cubs will play exhibition games on Monday and Tuesday ahead of Opening Day on Thursday afternoon in Seattle.

 Infielder Tzu-Wei Lin and relief pitchers Bobby Poyner and Marcus Walden have all been optioned to Triple-A Pawtucket. Darwinzon Hernandez was optioned to Double-A Portland, with Boston intent on developing its current top pitching prospect as a starter. Outfielder Gorkys Hernandez and catcher Juan Centeno were reassigned to minor league camp.

 “They’re making the decision harder,” manager Alex Cora said prior to the 12-3 blowout of the Pirates, the fourth straight victory for the Red Sox and their sixth in their past eight games. “That’s what you want – make it hard on us.

 “At the same time, we know whoever we take that there are going to be some good guys who are not there with us. We can count on them throughout the year. We’re in a good spot.”

 Matt Barnes, Ryan Brasier, Heath Hembree, Brandon Workman, Tyler Thornburg, Brian Johnson, Colten Brewer and Hector Velazquez look set for roles in the Red Sox' bullpen. Barnes and Brasier figure to compete for the closer role while Johnson and Velazquez would serve as the long men. Hembree, Workman, Thornburg and Johnson are each out of minor league options.

 “Like I’ve been saying all along, we’ve got guys who have stuff,” Cora said. “Hard-throwers, cutters, breaking balls, sinkers – now it’s up to me and the coaching staff to find the matchups and use them. I’m very comfortable.”

 The 22-year-old Hernandez impressed throughout most of his stint with Boston this spring before walking three batters in his final outing. His 124 strikeouts in 101 innings at Class-A Salem last year put Hernandez on the rise within the Red Sox system.

 “He’ll keep working on a few things he picked up in camp,” Cora said. “This is a guy that we know at one point during the season is going to contribute.”

 Boston leaves JetBlue Park with 29 players in camp. Dustin Pedroia (left knee) will begin the season on the injured list, Marco Hernandez (left shoulder) hasn’t played regularly for the better part of two seasons, and Sam Travis appears blocked at first base. The Red Sox are also likely to move a catcher off the roster, and Sandy Leon was behind the plate in a minor league game on Saturday.

 Eovaldi impresses: Leon was the receiver for Nathan Eovaldi, who turned in five strong innings and some additional side work against the Class-A affiliate for the Twins.

 Eovaldi allowed four hits and one earned run while striking out five. He threw 43 of his 63 pitches for strikes and added 15 more tosses in the bullpen. The right-hander is a candidate alongside David Price to start the second game of the season against the Mariners on Friday.

 “I’m right where I need to be,” Eovaldi said. “Whatever they need – I don’t know if we’re going to have an innings limit or any limit or a pitch count or what.”

 Rick Porcello is set to start Monday’s game against the Cubs with Eduardo Rodriguez in reserve. Price will start on Tuesday, but the length of his outing has yet to be determined. Cora said he’d like to keep Price and Rodriguez away from each other in the rotation due to their similar fastball-changeup combinations.

Pedroia looks good: Pedroia doubled to right field in the first inning on Saturday and is hitting a flashy .385 this spring. He’ll travel with the club to his offseason home, host a social event for his teammates and the coaching staff on Sunday night and play in Tuesday’s game.

 “The buildup, the innings – not every game is the same,” Cora said. “I think our medical staff is doing an outstanding job building him up. He’ll play Tuesday, then he’ll come back here and keep working.”

 Cora said Pedroia would likely go out on a minor league rehab assignment after wrapping up his work at extended spring. The second baseman managed just three games in the regular season in 2018.

 Pearce still ailing: Travis could be granted a reprieve due to Steve Pearce’s lingering calf problems.

 Pearce took some swings in the batting cage again on Saturday but hasn’t played in an organized game over the last week. Cora is hoping the reigning World Series Most Valuable Player will be available on Monday, but he wouldn’t rule out placing Pearce on the Injured List to begin the season.

 “We’re not going to rush him either,” Cora said. “It’s 162 games. I know how important Opening Day is for everybody, but if he’s not ready then he’s not ready.”