Red Sox begin Summer Camp with rotation in flux

BOSTON --- Martin Perez and Ryan Weber were first on the bullpen mound Friday morning at Fenway Park.

Red Sox starters will be forced to ramp up quickly with less than three weeks to go until their new Opening Day of July 23 or July 24. Perez, a left-hander, figures to have one of the five rotation spots sewn up after being signed away from the Twins as a free agent this offseason. Weber, a right-hander, impressed at the first version of spring training in February and March. [...]

BOSTON --- Martin Perez and Ryan Weber were first on the bullpen mound Friday morning at Fenway Park.

Red Sox starters will be forced to ramp up quickly with less than three weeks to go until their new Opening Day of July 23 or July 24. Perez, a left-hander, figures to have one of the five rotation spots sewn up after being signed away from the Twins as a free agent this offseason. Weber, a right-hander, impressed at the first version of spring training in February and March.

Boston plans to remain on the same schedule employed by a five-man rotation, but they could utilize an opener or two to fill the back end. Solving that equation falls to chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom and pitching coach Dave Bush, who enters his first season.

"We still have openings at the back end of the rotation," Bush said. "None of that has changed as of right now. We’re fairly confident the guys are ready for the workload at this point."

Eduardo Rodriguez has yet to report this week after possibly being exposed to the coronavirus at his home. Rodriguez will not travel to join his teammates until he tests negative for the virus. Any extended absence for Rodriguez would leave Nate Eovaldi and Perez to front a rotation that could also include Weber, right-hander Collin McHugh, left-hander Brian Johnson and more.

"Hopefully starting tomorrow there are a couple guys who could face hitters," Bush said. "It will pick up in intensity quite a bit by the beginning of next week. We’re starting right away, and they’ve known that for a while."

Bush said starters could stretch out to as much as seven innings by the start of the season. Bloom and manager Ron Roenicke said starters were throwing bullpens of up to four innings prior to reporting this week.

bkoch@providencejournal.com

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