PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. -- Sandy Leon, obtained from the Washington Nationals Monday, is set to make his Red Sox debut here Tuesday against the Tampa Bay Rays, with the goal for his new team to learn as much about him as quickly as possible.
"There will be a lot of conversation,'' said John Farrell, "in addition to the game reps. He'll get four of our bullpen arms (Tuesday) and we've got him slated to catch Clay (Buchholz on Wednesday). It's a little bit of a crash course in a number of ways -- that's us getting familiar with him, non-verbal communication with him from the dugout, the signs and everything . . . trying to get his arms around names and faces first and just seeing the ball travel through the strike zone for him to receive.''
In a perfect world, the Sox could have Leon catch every game the rest of the week, but they need to get No. 1 catcher Ryan Hanigan some work, too, along with continuing to evaluate Humberto Quintero.
"There's a number of things we have to balance,'' said Farrell, "in a very limited amount of time. But in addition to in-game repetition, there's going to be some video review, some in-game conversation on the tendencies, on the teams, what makes a given pitcher most effective.
"But ultimately, it's going to come down to what he handles between the lines."