SEATTLE -- In a very real way, all of the Red Sox are playing for 2013.

That’s what a 62-74 record on Sept. 4 does for you. Any hope to make the final month of the season relevant has long since passed.

Clayton Mortensen, however, never really had much of a "this year." His "this year" is next year.

When the Red Sox brought Mortensen up from Double-A Portland on Tuesday, it was the sixth time he’d moved between the minor leagues and the big club. And this time, like the five times before, it’s all about showing that he’s a team player, showing what he can do and showing that he should be a legitimate candidate for a full-time roster spot in 2013.

"Coming into the year, I knew I’d be the swing guy," Mortensen said with a nod to the reality that he had options left when the bulk of Boston's pitchers did not. That meant the Red Sox could send him to the minor leagues without exposing him to waivers.

But now he’s back with one more opportunity to make an impression if not an impact.

"When I was sent down before, sometimes it was after I’d just pitched really well," Mortensen said. "Because of that, I knew I wasn’t being sent down because of (performance). But this was my last year of having options, so I had to just wear it for a year.

"There was no need for (manager Bobby Valentine) to sugarcoat it when I was sent down. It’s the way it was."

There won’t be any more demotions this season with the roster limit expanded to 40, and there won’t be any demotions next year unless the club is willing to risk losing Mortensen. He’s pitched well in 25 games in the minors (5-3, 2.33) and in 19 big-league games (1-1, 2.25).

The big question for next season will be whether to leave him in the bullpen, where he’s been all year, or to move the 6-foot-4, 225-pound 27-year-old back to the rotation, where he spent most of his pre-2012 professional baseball life.

"I just hope I’ve shown them I’m a hard worker and a competitor," Mortensen said. "I’m not a stubborn guy. If you want me in the bullpen, I’ll be in the bullpen. I don’t care."

Valentine said there was never any real desire on Boston’s part to send Mortensen down. But because Mortensen had options, he drew the short straw.

"We never wanted him to leave," Valentine said. "And it seemed like every time he did, we suffered after.

"He’s got what baseball used to call a herky-jerky delivery. That deals with the timing of the hitter. He’s very effective when he keeps the ball down."

NOTES: Valentine said he would consider using newly added infielder Ivan DeJesus Jr. in left or right field if the need arises. "He says he can play the corners," the manager said. … It’s been a long week for Mortensen, who was sent down by the Red Sox on Aug. 29 when Zach Stewart was promoted. In that span he’s flown from Boston to southern California to New Hampshire to Seattle. And he will be on the team charter back to Boston on Wednesday night. "I’ve read 2 1/2 books on planes in the last week," Mortensen said. "That’s more than I’ve ever read in my life."