PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. -- Right-hander Jason Adam was a late addition to the Rays’ roster, signing a split contract on March 17, but he has made a strong case to be included in their Opening Day bullpen.

Adam showcased some wicked stuff while striking out the side in the seventh inning of the Rays’ 9-3 win over the Red Sox on Friday afternoon at Charlotte Sports Park. The reliever whiffed Alex Verdugo, Christian Vázquez and Rob Refsnyder in order, impressing his teammates and manager Kevin Cash.

“We’ll take that. Anytime we can get out of there with three quick outs, we like that,” Adam said, smiling. “We like strikeouts. Obviously [there’s] still stuff to work on with every outing, but overall very pleased.”

The Rays have encouraged Adam to use his breaking and offspeed pitches more often -- he threw his slider only 18.3 percent of the time last year, his curveball 13.8 percent and his changeup 10.6 percent -- and get ahead in the count. It’s a strategy Tampa Bay has used to get the most out of a lot of pitchers the past few years, and Adam could be another success story for pitching coach Kyle Snyder, bullpen coach Stan Boroski and the rest of the Rays’ pitching group.

Adam is competing for a spot in the Rays’ bullpen, which will have more options than spots despite what’s likely to be a 15-man pitching staff with expanded rosters to begin the season. Whether he cracks the Opening Day roster or not, he seems likely to make a big impact at some point this season.

“I'm pleased with how I've been throwing, the adjustments I've been making,” Adam said. “So whatever that leads to is what it leads to.”

Hittin’ Harold
Playing in his second game since the Rays acquired him from the Cubs, Harold Ramirez hit leadoff as the Rays’ DH and went 2-for-4 with a two-run single.

It has been a strange Spring Training for Ramirez -- even more so than most players -- as he reported late to Cubs camp due to visa issues then was almost immediately sent across the country to the Rays. But he can feel his swing coming along, as evidenced by some of the hard contact he made Friday, and he expects he’ll be up to speed by Opening Day.

“My body feels ready. Today, you could see my swing is going to start to feel better,” Ramirez said. “We have five more games, so I know I'm going to be ready to play.”

Ramirez, more of a DH/corner outfielder, is also getting some work at first base. He fielded ground balls there on Thursday morning, and Cash relayed that third-base/infield coach Rodney Linares was encouraged by how comfortable he looked. Ramirez said he will practice there again on Saturday and could play in a game there Sunday against the Pirates.

Game notes
• Ramirez wasn’t the only Rays player who came out hitting. Brandon Lowe, Manuel Margot, Austin Meadows and Taylor Walls each had two hits as part of a 12-hit day for Tampa Bay. Hitting coach Chad Mottola said on the Bally Sports Sun broadcast that the Rays encouraged hitters to ramp up the intensity of their work coming back from Monday’s off-day, with an eye on preparing for the regular season.

“That was impressive. Just a lot of good at-bats, a lot of deep counts where guys were fouling off pitches, stayed in there against a very good pitcher in Rich Hill,” Cash said. “I know it's Spring Training, but you'll always take the positive outcomes. … We don't want guys changing their routine or what they've been doing, but let's dial the intensity a little bit.”

• Left-hander Ryan Yarbrough allowed just one run on two hits and one walk while throwing 70 pitches in 4 2/3 innings, with the only drawback being the three batters he hit. Yarbrough is expected to get one more outing, most likely Wednesday at Tropicana Field, before the regular season begins. Cash noted that Yarbrough, nearing the end of a “really good spring” that has seen him tick up his velocity, could be their most built-up starter in terms of workload at the start of the season.

“Especially with so many unknowns about how guys were going to feel in being built up, the fact that I've been feeling good -- knock on wood -- and that they've been letting me kind of continue to build up that way is very encouraging,” Yarbrough said.

Up next
The Rays will play a second straight home game Saturday as they return to Charlotte Sports Park to host the Twins at 1:05 p.m. ET. Left-hander Shane McClanahan will start for Tampa Bay in the final tuneup before his Opening Day start against the Orioles next Friday. Mike Zunino (right shoulder inflammation) will start as the Rays’ DH. Lefties Jeffrey Springs and Colin Poche and right-handers Chris Mazza and Luke Bard are also scheduled to pitch. The game will air on Bally Sports Sun, MLB.TV, WDAE 95.3 FM/620 AM and the Rays Radio Network.