FORT MYERS, Fla. - The Red Sox continue to hold onto the option of placing righthander Joe Kelly on the disabled list to start the season, lining up Kelly to pitch in a minor league game Wednesday, rather than in a major league setting.
By keeping Kelly out of a major league exhibition game, the Red Sox could still backdate Kelly 10 days at the end of the spring, ensuring that he could return by the second series of the year.
Kelly came out of a game almost two weeks ago with biceps soreness. He's since made several appearances and, as recently as Friday, maintained that the soreness in the area is gone.
Still, the Sox are intent on holding off on a decision regarding Kelly's availability for the first week.
"We'll continue to make sure that he's answering the physical questions,'' said John Farrell. "With the number of pitches thrown and a progression that's outlined for him...We're keeping their options open.''
If Kelly were to be backdated on the DL, that would allow the Sox to carry eight relievers instead of seven for the first five games of the season.
That could especially valuable, since the Sox could benefit from having a third lefty - beyond Craig Breslow and Tommy Layne - to face the Phillies and Yankees, two teams with a lot of lefty presence in their lineups.
Boston Red Sox
There could be two bullpen spots open in the final week - one to serve as a placeholder for Kelly, and one to replace Koji Uehara (hamstring). Uehara threw in a bullpen session Saturday, but still felt some tightness in the hamstring, making him ''not likely'' for the April 6 opener in Philadelphia.