Franchy set to debut; Duran puts on a show

There has been much intrigue surrounding talented outfielder Franchy Cordero since the Red Sox acquired him last month from the Royals for Andrew Benintendi.

And on Saturday, Cordero's power bat will at last be on display in a Grapefruit League game, as Boston manager Alex Cora said Cordero will be the club's designated hitter on the road against the Braves.

The tentative plan is for Cordero to start in left field for Monday's road game against the Rays.

Cordero tested positive for COVID-19 prior to Spring Training and wasn't cleared to work out with his new team until March 11.

Though Cordero has been getting a ton of at-bats in simulated games, the Red Sox aren't sure if he will be built up enough to be on the Opening Day roster.

"We'll see how he feels," said Cora. "The concern is playing him too much right away in the outfield. Obviously, we know about his history with injuries, so we have to be careful with that, but as far as the at-bats, he's probably had more at-bats than [anyone]. I think it's [Michael] Chavis who is leading the team with 31 [at-bats in Grapefruit League games]. We feel comfortable with that."

In fact, Cordero's status for Opening Day could impact whether Chavis makes the team. If Cordero is ready, that would leave Chavis and Christian Arroyo fighting for the final roster spot.

Chavis, who still has Minor League options, belted his fifth homer of Spring Training in Friday's 11-7 win over the Rays. In his only other at-bat, he ripped a double down the line in left.

"We're very comfortable with what [Arroyo] can do. He can play second, third, short. The other day he went to [first-base coach Tom Goodwin] and said he wants to start working on left field, which is great," said Cora. "It's something that he thought about it and I guess he looks around and sees Marwin [Gonzalez] and Enrique [Hernández] and thinks, 'You know what? Maybe learning the outfield position can help me throughout my career.' We're very pleased with the way he's swinging the bat.

"We're very pleased with the way Michael is swinging the bat. Being able to catch up with some pitches up in the zone, being disciplined enough. It's fun to see them playing this way, to see them in the clubhouse, in the drills, helping each other out. That's what it's all about."

Duran puts on a show
Though Jarren Duran was reassigned to Minor League camp earlier this week, the center fielder continues to see action in Grapefruit League games.

And on Friday, Duran displayed why he is the team's most exciting prospect.

Batting second and playing center field, Boston's No. 4 prospect went 4-for-5 with two runs, three RBIs and a stolen base.

"He has the physical ability to be not just a good player but a great player," Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom said in an interview with MLB Network Radio on Sirius XM. "And that stands out every time he takes the field. He's strong, he's powerful, he's fast and the athleticism is there. He reworked his swing to where now that strength can play in driving the baseball.

"He's still relatively new to the outfield and all the skills are there to be not just a good outfielder but a great outfielder. He's still developing in that regard. He saw it a little bit this spring, and obviously our fans are very accustomed to seeing every catchable ball in center field caught. So there's some things that he needs to work on to be able to be that type of player, but there's no question he's the type of athlete that can do it, and he really impacts the game in a lot of facets."

NESN beefs up lineup
While there will be plenty of familiarity on NESN broadcasts this season with Dave O'Brien handling most of the play-by-play duties and Jerry Remy and Dennis Eckersley again forming an entertaining analyst team, there are also some exciting newcomers being added to the mix who should resonate with Red Sox fans.

Ellis Burks, who started (1987-92) and finished (2004) his fine career with the Red Sox, will be an analyst for some games and will be in the rotation for studio pregame and postgame shows.

The pregame and postgame show roster is also adding some former fan favorites, including all-time team saves leader Jonathan Papelbon, 1995 American League MVP Award winner Mo Vaughn and 2004 and '07 World Series champion Kevin Youkilis.

Jim Rice, Tim Wakefield and Lenny Dinardo, who have been mainstays for years, will also continue to work pregame and postgame, with Tom Caron serving as the primary host.

Up next
Left-hander Martín Pérez, who didn't allow an earned run in his first two Grapefruit League starts, will be back out there on Saturday on the road against the Braves. Last time out, Pérez allowed two hits over four innings and struck out five. First pitch is scheduled for 1:05 p.m. ET, and fans can catch the action live on MLB.TV and MLB Network.