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TORONTO -- Red Sox outfielder Shane Victorino will not play in the remainder of the Toronto series, which will make it seven games since he last played, but manager John Farrell said he is optimistic Victorino will be in the lineup when the Sox play the Rangers in Texas on Friday night.

Victorino did some hitting against soft toss Wednesday and is scheduled to take regular batting practice Thursday, Farrell said. If that goes well, the expectation is that he will return to the lineup.

Victorino told reporters that an MRI taken of the affected region of his lower back showed some inflammation in the disk but that it “feels a lot better day to day."

The possibility remains, of course, that the Sox could place Victorino on the disabled list and date it to April 25, the first day he missed.

“It’s getting to the point where a decision has to be made," Victorino said. “My goal is to play the first game in Texas."

TORONTO -- With outfielder Shane Victorino missing a fifth straight game Tuesday because of back tightness, the Red Sox are fast approaching a decision on how much longer they can continue to play short-handed.

Manager John Farrell indicated that if Victorino is not ready to play by the end of this three-game set, the Sox would likely to have to make a move.

Victorino hit off a tee Tuesday, the first swings he's taken since his back flared up and forced him out of last Wednesday's game against Oakland, and he did some other exercising in the gym.

"While he is unavailable tonight," Farrell said, "improvement continued to be made."

But it sounded unlikely that he'll be ready to play Wednesday, and if he is a no-go Thursday, the Sox may be forced to place him on the DL.

"We stated before it would be great to get him to the point where he is ready to go, then give him one more day to ensure that," Farrell said. "While he's making progress, we've got to be cautious. It flared up twice in an eight-day period."

BOSTON -- Red Sox left-hander Franklin Morales has been shut down with a pectoral strain, manager John Farrell said Saturday.

Morales, originally placed on the 15-day disabled list with a lower back strain, was well into a rehab that began with extended spring training games and included a three-inning appearance for Class A Greenville on April 17. However, he was scratched from a scheduled rehab outing for Double-A Portland earlier in the week, and an MRI later revealed the strain.

Farrell said that the shut-down period will last five days. Thursday was the first day, meaning Morales may be able to start a new throwing program by Tuesday. Given Morales' shoulder issues at the end of the 2012 season and various ailments this spring, there will be no rush to the process.

"How long it takes remains to be seen," Farrell said.

As Morales progressed earlier this month he was a nice candidate, along with Alfredo Aceves, to pick up spot starts in the event of injuries. Aceves has since been demoted to Triple-A Pawtucket on the heels of a miserable outing, leaving Allen Webster, who made his major league debut Sunday against Kansas City, as a more likely candidate.

None of that matters if the Opening Day rotation remains intact once John Lackey returns Sunday for his first start since an injury-shortened outing in Toronto on April 6. The right-hander, who threw 3 2/3 innings Monday at Portland, is completely clear of any symptoms related to the biceps strain that shelved him.

Farrell would not put a number on how many pitches Lackey can throw but said he should be good to reach the middle innings, provided Lackey is effective.

As for that effectiveness, Farrell expects to see it. He said that Lackey, in the limited time since his return from Tommy John surgery, has looked a lot like he did in a solid second half of 2010.

"Whether in spring training or the first start back in Toronto, I see a guy who's pitching much like he did in the second half of that year," Farrell said.

Lackey had a 3.97 ERA in 15 starts after the All-Star break in 2010, eventually leading the staff in starts and innings pitched.

In other injury news:

* Right fielder Shane Victorino remains out of the lineup for the third straight game and is questionable for Sunday as he wrestles with a back issue. Farrell indicated that there is a good chance that Victorino will sit again Sunday and the team can then utilize Monday's day off to give him an extended break and "get ahead of this" injury.

The assumption is that Ryan Lavarnway will be sent down to make room on the roster for Lackey, but nothing is set in stone until Victorino improves.

"[Lavarnway's] spot could be the one that's adjusted for John. We have to get through the next 48 hours with Shane as well to determine any other moves," Farrell said.

Jackie Bradley Jr. made a rare start in right field for Triple-A Pawtucket on Friday and was penciled into that spot again Saturday, a strong indication that the organization is making preparations for a more extended period of time without Victorino.

* Right-hander Joel Hanrahan, sidelined with a hamstring strain, felt a slight twinge on one pitch in his rehab outing with Pawtucket on Friday, but otherwise got through his one inning of work just fine. He allowed two runs on two hits, including a homer, and struck out one. Hanrahan will make one more rehab appearance Sunday and could rejoin the team when it begins a six-game road trip in Toronto on Tuesday.

* Also continuing to rehab this weekend is Craig Breslow, who will throw both Saturday and Sunday as he works his way back from a shoulder issue. Breslow failed to record an out and gave up three runs in his first outing Tuesday in Portland.

BOSTON -- Outfielder Shane Victorino, who came out of Wednesday’s 6-5 win over Oakland in the sixth inning after jogging down to first base on a groundout, remains day-to-day with what manager John Farrell described as lower-back stiffness.

This was the second time in five games that Victorino was forced out midgame by back issues, having departed early Saturday, and he subsequently sat out Sunday’s double-header against the Royals.

Victorino has experienced back tightness in the past, but never missed more than a game on three previous occasions.

The Sox are noticeably weaker in the outfield without Victorino, who has made several outstanding plays in right field, most recently on Monday night, when he ran down Eric Sogard’s bid for extra bases with two on in the eighth inning and made a nice over-the-head catch.

The Sox didn’t have the option of recalling Jackie Bradley Jr., since he was just optioned back to Pawtucket and can’t be recalled for 10 days (unless the Sox plan to place Victorino on the DL, which is not in the works). They opted instead for catcher Ryan Lavarnway, who Farrell said would be used as a right-handed hitter off the bench.

Thursday night, Daniel Nava was in the lineup in right field, with Mike Carp in left. Remaining on the bench is outfielder Jonny Gomes, who has yet to knock in a run in 15 games this season and is batting .188 overall. The Astros are starting Philip Humber, a right-hander, but Gomes has actually fared better against righties this season (4 for 18, .222) than lefties (2 for 14), .143.

With runners in scoring position, Gomes is 0 for 3, though he also has drawn five walks (one intentional).

Lavarnway’s stay is expected to be a short one, Farrell saying that the catcher’s roster spot will be used when John Lackey comes off the disabled list. Farrell said all signs point to Lackey starting against the Astros on Sunday after a robust bullpen session here Thursday.

BOSTON -- Red Sox outfielder Shane Victorino, who missed both games of Sunday’s doubleheader with a back ailment, was penciled into Monday’s lineup against the Oakland Athletics (6:35 p.m.). Here’s the full lineup:

1. Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
2. Shane Victorino, RF
3. Dustin Pedroia, 2B
4. David Ortiz, DH
5. Mike Napoli, 1B
6. Daniel Nava, LF
7. Will Middlebrooks, 3B
8. Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C
9. Stephen Drew, SS
SP -- Felix Doubront, LHP

BOSTON -- There wasn't a lot of offense Saturday at Fenway Park. A perfect game for Red Sox manager John Farrell to push the envelope the moment he had the opportunity.

A contest that saw both Farrell and Tampa Bay Rays manager Joe Maddon make their fair share of maneuvers came down to a situation perfectly designed for Farrell to uphold his insistence on aggressive baseball.

A litany of options opened up the moment Jacoby Ellsbury reached on a single with one out in the bottom of the 10th and the score tied 1-1. With Shane Victorino at the plate, Ellsbury stole second and easily raced to third when the throw by catcher Jose Lobaton sailed into center field. Lobaton had replaced starting catcher Jose Molina that inning and is not known to have the arm of his elder, which prompted Farrell to salivate over the possibilities.

Ellsbury figured even without the error the Sox were set up nicely.

"I knew if we got to second we had a pretty good shot at winning that game," he said.

And from third? Even with Maddon electing to utilize his drawn-in, five-man infield, the next move was a no-brainer for Farrell.

"The contact play is something we use consistently," he said of instructing Ellsbury to take off on contact.

Having hit second behind Jimmy Rollins hundreds of times in Philadelphia, Victorino knew how to manage the situation. The Sox right fielder waited for the speedster to move up and then focused on avoiding, at all costs, a strikeout. Victorino admitted he had no clue what Ellsbury had been instructed to do at third base, but understood his only role.

"That's the game right there," Victorino said. "Just trying not to strike out, put the ball in play."

Once Victorino grounded one to a spot that ruled out any play at home, the Sox poured from the dugout with their first walk-off win of the year.

"That's the type of game we want to play. Force the defense to make a play," Farrell said.

Ellsbury knew that his speed severely impacts that play-making capability.

"It almost has to be hit right at them and they have to execute a perfect throw home," he said.

They didn't, and the Sox had justification for pushing the envelope.

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Takeaways from the Jet, where it was a good night to be Daniel Nava, even if his line in the box score (0-for-1, 1 run, 1 RBI) might not have led you to believe as much.

First, there was what happened before the game, when GM Ben Cherington dropped a pretty big clue that there will be a big league job awaiting the 30-year-old with the independent-league pedigree.

"He's done a good job," Cherington said. "He's had good at-bats, he's done well defensively. He seems more and more comfortable at first base, not that that would be a primary part of his role, but he has the ability to go there if needed."

Then there was the game itself, in which Nava started at DH against Phillies ace left-hander Cole Hamels -- on the face of it, a curious choice, given that Nava's splits were heavily tilted toward success against right-handers (.797 OPS), failure against lefties (.613 OPS, .185 BA).

But it was by design, John Farrell saying he wanted to see Nava have more at-bats against lefties this spring, and Daniel delivered in the second inning with a sacrifice fly that scored Will Middlebrooks, who had doubled and advanced to third on a single by Jonny Gomes.

"I thought it was outstanding," Farrell said of Nava's plate appearance. "He gets down in the count, works back deep into the count, then finally puts up a sac fly, particularly on his right side, when he's been a better performer from the left side of the plate.

"But we've seen him a number of good at-bats from the right side of the plate."

Nava grounded out in his only other at-bat against Hamels, but with two out in the seventh, he received the second of consecutive two-out walks issued by right-handed reliever Michael Stutes. Jose Iglesias then hit what appeared to be an inning-ending grounder to shortstop Yuniesky Betancourt, but Nava beat the flip to second on the attempted force, while another independent-league refugee, pinch runner Matty Johnson, scored the tiebreaking run from second.

Shane Victorino followed with a triple over the head of the right fielder (No. 4, Orr, Pete) and the Sox scored five times in the inning en route to a 6-1 win over the Phillies.

Victorino is still batting just .160, but he has now drilled an extra-base hit in three consecutive games.

* Other good nights? How about the Sox infield. The middle guys, Jose Iglesias and Dustin Pedroia, handled 10 ground balls between them, six for the Cuban shortstop, four for the California second baseman. Iglesias also laid down a beautiful bunt single, while Pedroia was on base four times with a double, single and two walks. The corner guys had their moments, too. Converted catcher Mike Napoli made a diving snag of Jimmy Rollins' hot smash in the second, while third baseman Middlebrooks made a nice barehanded pickup of Orr's bunt and threw him out in the third.

* And finally, there was the pitcher, John Lackey, who gave up a run in the first on a ground-ball single, popup double and infield out, then put up four zeroes in his five-inning, 73-pitch stint. Lackey's fastball was sitting at 92 mph in the first inning, but he wasn't impressed.

"There'll be more," Lackey promised. "You put a third deck on a stadium, and things happen."

Lackey did not walk a batter, and his good control this spring, despite a yearlong layoff, Farrell attributed to Lackey's new body beautiful.

"I think a lot of that stems from the reshaping of his body," Farrell said. "It's freed his body up. He's got better body control, more consistent in the outings he's pitched, and he repeats his delivery very well, when you consider that he's thrown pitches to both sides of the plate further emphasizes his body control and delivery being repeated."

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- The Team USA jersey Shane Victorino wore four years ago, the one he got signed by all of his teammates at the World Baseball Classic, is hanging on a wall in his home.

Soon, he should have a matching set.

Victorino, who left here Sunday morning for Arizona, is one of six players on Team USA returning for another go-round in the WBC. Heath Bell, Ryan Braun, Jimmy Rollins and David Wright were among his teammates in 2009; Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira played in the inaugural WBC in 2006 and is back seven years later.

Victorino was a late addition to the ’09 team, added in late February after Indians center fielder Grady Sizemore was injured. This time, he was on Joe Torre’s list of players the manager sought to invite. He was not a tough sell. Unlike many players, who view the WBC as an unwanted disruption to their preparation for the season, a sentiment shared by plenty of front offices who don’t want to see their prized commodities depart from camp, Victorino embraces the whole experience.

“To represent your country is something you dream of as a child,’’ Victorino said. “Putting on a USA jersey, I never thought growing up in Hawaii I’d wear a USA jersey and put on No. 50, to represent my state. I’m excited to wear 50 again. I’m pumped.’’

While there are numerous big names missing from the US roster, including aces Justin Verlander and Clayton Kershaw and emerging stars such as Bryce Harper and Mike Trout, Victorino chafes at the notion that this is a B-movie cast for what is touted as a premiere event.

For all the omissions, this team still features three former MVPs -- Braun, Joe Mauer and Jimmy Rollins -- and a Cy Young Award winner, R.A. Dickey, plus All-Stars such as Wright, Rollins and Adam Jones, and young slugger Giancarlo Stanton.

“Will you ever get all the best players in the world on the field? I don’t think you’ll ever get that,’’ Victorino said, noting there is no ideal time to stage the event, “but you put together the best team you possibly can.

“We arguably are the best players, when you look at the accolades we’ve won. We may not be the top premier [players], but we’re not far from that. I’m not knocking down anyone who is going for the chance to represent his country. That’s why I do it, and the other guys do it.’’

Victorino in recent days has crossed paths with both Mauer and Jones, and he said they were as excited as he is about playing. And he said Torre has assured him he’ll get his at-bats and playing time, though he probably projects as the fourth outfielder behind Braun, Jones and Stanton.

In 2009, Victorino shared the outfield with Braun, Curtis Granderson and Brad Hawpe. He had six hits, all singles, in 19 at-bats.

“Joe promised us we’d get our at-bats and playing time,’’ Victorino said. “Being versatile and playing all the outfield positions will help me get at-bats.’’

How much is Victorino into this thing? He said after the Sox game Friday night, he went home and watched some of the Taiwan-Australia first-round game on TV.

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Takeaways from the Fort, where Clay Buchholz made it through his first formal spring exercise, Allen Webster brought the most heat on an unseasonably cool Florida day, and Shane Victorino and Alfredo Aceves prepared to leave camp for a little flag-waving -- Victorino for Team USA, Aceves for Team Mexico -- both playing in the World Baseball Classic.

Buchholz, with his first exhibition start having been delayed by a tweaked hamstring sustained in a fielding drill on the first official day of camp, ran up a high pitch count in Saturday's 2-1 Sox win over the Twins, throwing 40 pitches to register four outs before manager John Farrell pulled him with one out in the second. That's what happens when you go to a three-ball count on five different hitters, but for Buchholz, that was of far less import than the fact he was able to throw all three of his pitches, felt good doing so, and actually threw first-pitch strikes six times.

With camp running longer than usual because of the WBC, Buchholz will have plenty of time to refine his mechanics and his stuff. He can ill afford to start this season the way he did last, when he gave up five or more earned runs in each of his first six starts, and surrendered a whopping 10 home runs in just 32⅔ innings. Until he finally righted himself, Buchholz was turning every hitter he faced into a potential Hall of Famer, which is where a batting line of .343/.428/.613/1.041 would get a hitter. That's what everyone was hitting collectively against Buchholz into May.

"It's sad it had to take that long to get in the right form," Buchholz said of his awful start, "but I felt as good as anybody in the game for a 2½-to-3-month span [after that]. I was confident. The team was confident."

The numbers underscore why he had every reason to be confident. Over a span of 15 starts that took him through mid-August and a bout with esophagitis that sidelined him for three weeks, Buchholz's 2.69 ERA ranked 10th among big league starters with at least 75 innings, and he surrendered just eight home runs in 107 innings.

With the memory of his early-season struggles still fresh, Buchholz said he is determined to not measure his expectations by the numbers.

"If you're able to go deep into the game every time you go out there, that alone should take care of everything else," he said. "The numbers will come if you do everything right."

Buchholz had 13 starts in which he went at least seven innings and gave up three runs or fewer. That was the most on the staff, but 21 big league pitchers had more, led by Tampa Bay's David Price, who went 15-1 in 22 such starts. It's a great barometer of true ace status: The next five names on the list are R.A. Dickey and Clayton Kershaw, with 21 apiece, Felix Hernandez with 20, and Justin Verlander and Johnny Cueto with 19 apiece.

That's what a top-of-the-rotation starter does; it's what the Sox want to see more of from Buchholz and Jon Lester, who made 10 such starts in 2012.

* While the Boston media corps was engaged in clubhouse conversation with Victorino prior to his departure to join Team USA in Arizona, Webster registered a scintillating encore to his first appearance last Monday in Dunedin, touching 99 on the radar gun again while throwing three scoreless innings.

"You missed Webster?" Farrell said. "You missed the highlight of the day. Ask the umpires. It was an impressive performance."

But as with fellow newcomer Rubby De La Rosa, Farrell says the plan is for Webster to begin the season in the minors as well, assuming the five starters he has slotted in the rotation remain healthy. "Our rotation is spoken for," he said. But there is every reason to believe both pitchers will be called upon at some point this summer, and the early returns promise far better than run-of-the-mill call-ups.

* Aceves had a hefty workload, throwing 3⅔ innings and giving up a long home run to Justin Morneau that accounted for Minnesota's only run.

* Juan Carlos Linares hit an opposite-field home run to right, and Ryan Sweeney singled home the other Boston run.

* Jose De La Torre, who is leaving to pitch for Team Puerto Rico, which is scheduled to visit the Fort on Tuesday night to play the Sox, had a seven-pitch ninth inning, including two whiffs, for the save.

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- The Rule 5 draft is one of those little-understood procedures in baseball where mostly fringe talent every winter is transferred from one organization to another.

For Shane Victorino, it was much more. It was a career-changer.

"I'm a big advocate, a big fan of that draft," Victorino said. "I'm an advocate for anything where a kid gets an opportunity. For me, it happened twice."

That's right. Victorino was selected in the Rule 5 draft twice after being left unprotected twice by the team that drafted him, the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The first time was in 2002, when he was selected by the San Diego Padres and made the big league team but was returned to the Dodgers less than two months into the season. Rules stipulate that a Rule 5 player must remain on the major league roster for a full season or be offered back to the team from which he was selected.

It happened again, after the 2004 season, when he was taken by the Phillies. The Dodgers declined an invitation to take him back. Victorino won the International League MVP in 2005 and was in the major leagues to stay the following season.

"Look at some of the names of guys who have gone Rule 5," Victorino said. "Jose Bautista was a guy. Johan Santana was a guy. Dan Uggla was a Rule 5 guy. Fernando Vina was another guy. I pay attention to little things like that."

Victorino was drafted in the sixth round by the Dodgers in 1999. It wasn't until his second year of pro ball that he was persuaded to try switch-hitting. He was in Yakima, Wash., playing Class A ball where he said the first person to suggest he become a switch-hitter was hitting coach Damon Farmar, a former minor leaguer who switch-hit himself. Farmar is the father of Jordan Farmar, the former Laker.

"Jordan used to come all the time to be the bat boy," Victorino said.

Victorino, who had grown up batting from the right side, was receptive to the idea, but at 19, the Dodgers also were asking him to switch from the outfield to second base. That's a lot of information to process at the same time.

"I struggled with it," Victorino said. "I went to Instructional League, and then they called me that winter and said, 'Shane, we're moving you back to the outfield.'"

Victorino stuck to hitting right-handed in Class A ball in Wilmington, N.C., in 2001, but the topic was raised again the following season in Double-A by Jacksonville hitting coach Gene Richards, the former big league outfielder. Batting from the left side, Richards said, would make best use of his speed.

(Read full post)

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Officially, all Red Sox players are now accounted for as outfielder Shane Victorino has arrived at camp.

All position players will have their physicals today, while full-squad workouts will begin on Friday.

Victorino was all smiles and full of energy early Thursday morning.

“I’m excited,” he said. “It’s a storied franchise and I’m excited to be part of this organization.”

Victorino and new teammate Dustin Pedroia will share the classification as the most energized players in the Red Sox clubhouse.

“I’m just going to be myself and have fun,” said the speed-talking Victorino. “The guys who have been here -- [Jon] Lester, [Clay] Buchholz and [David] Ortiz -- those guys are the backbone of this organization, and guys like myself, Jonny Gomes and David Ross, we’re coming in to be a part of this team. We’re not trying to change the culture. If anything, we’re adding to the pieces of that puzzle. More importantly, we need to have fun. Winning heals all.”

A center fielder by trade, Victorino will play right field for the Red Sox and has no issues with that.

“I’m excited,” he said once again. “We have a great center fielder who’s been playing for a long time. He’s one of the best players in the game. Jacoby needs to stay healthy. He’s had some unfortunate injuries, but when he’s healthy he’s one of the best center fielders in the game. It’s going to be fun playing alongside of him.”

DURHAM, N.C. -- Outfielders Ryan Braun of Milwaukee, Giancarlo Stanton of Miami and Adam Jones of Baltimore and Cy Young Award winner R.A. Dickey headline the United States' provisional roster for the upcoming World Baseball Classic.

USA Baseball is allowed up to 28 players on the provisional roster and has 27. The roster can change due to injuries etc., but each country's federation must submit a final 28-man roster, including a minimum of 13 pitchers and two catchers, by Feb. 20. Team USA's roster, by position, is as follows:

Pitchers: Dickey, Toronto; Derek Holland, Texas; Craig Kimbrel and Kris Medlen, Atlanta; Chris Perez and Vinnie Pestano, Cleveland; Glen Perkins, Minnesota; Ryan Vogelsong and Jeremy Affeldt, San Francisco; Heath Bell, Arizona; Mitchell Boggs, St. Louis; Steve Cishek, Miami; Tim Collins, Kansas City; Luke Gregerson, San Diego.

Outfielders: Braun; Stanton; Jones; Shane Victorino, Boston.

Infielders: David Wright, Mets; Brandon Phillips, Cincinnati; Jimmy Rollins, Philadelphia; Mark Teixeira, Yankees; Ben Zobrist, Tampa Bay; Willie Bloomquist, Arizona;

Catchers: Joe Mauer, Minnesota; J.P. Arencibia, Toronto; Jonathan Lucroy, Milwaukee.

The Red Sox announced they will hold a press conference Thursday at noon to introduce outfielder Shane Victorino, but still aren't talking about the status of Mike Napoli.

Victorino agreed to a three-year, $39 million contract with the Sox, according to sources, on Dec. 4, one day after Napoli agreed to a deal with the same terms. The Red Sox haven't confirmed either deal because both were pending physicals. It seems safe to assume Victorino came through his OK, but we're left to wonder about Napoli.

Red Sox media relations director Pam Kenn told ESPNBoston.com on Wednesday afternoon that she had no new information regarding Napoli, which leaves us to speculate that something came up in his physical that concerned the team enough to delay the finalization of his contract.

Napoli was in town earlier this week and was still being examined Tuesday, according to a team source. The press conference to introduce Napoli was expected to be Tuesday, but the announcement never came.

Victorino was scheduled to undergo his physical with the Red Sox on Wednesday, according to a major league source.

NASHVILLE -- Some quick hits after meeting Wednesday afternoon with Red Sox GM Ben Cherington:

• He all but ruled out trading Jacoby Ellsbury. "That's not our intent. We're expecting Jacoby to have a really good year and he's a huge part of what we're doing. ... Our expectations are that Jacoby will be here and be our center fielder."

Cherington would not say how many teams inquired about Ellsbury.

"We had a number of guys that were really wanted by teams. We're not looking to move guys off our roster. We're looking to add guys on to our roster. But you have to listen and learn and have communication."

• Even though Shane Victorino tweeted out a picture of himself in a Red Sox cap, Cherington still did not confirm the deal, as he's awaiting the physical that makes it official. "I'm glad he feels that way," Cherington said.

He said he has not talked with either Cody Ross or his agent since news of the Victorino agreement hit Tuesday, but insisted Ross remained an option.

"Any time you potentially add a player with a significant contract and dollars," he said, alluding to Victorino, "it becomes a little tougher to add more. But I don't want to rule anything out."

• Cherington admitted he met with a player this week, as ESPNBoston.com's Joe McDonald reported Monday, and while he did not acknowledge that it was Josh Hamilton, there is little doubt it was with the free-agent outfielder.

• Cherington would not say whether the Red Sox were looking to add an every-day shortstop or a backup to Jose Iglesias.

"We're just trying to be opportunistic on that," he said. "We feel Jose is ready to compete for the job. We're not ready to give it to him."

• Cherington said he was unsure whether the Sox would make any more moves before he leaves here Thursday. Asked whether he thought the Sox were more likely to add pitching through free agency or a trade, he said: "We're not close enough to anything to handicap. But we're definitely talking both."

ESPN MLB Insider Keith Law wrote a brief piece with his analysis of the Red Sox's 3-year, $39 million deal with free-agent outfielder Shane Victorino (Insiders can read it HERE). Here's an excerpt:

Victorino is a platoon outfielder at this point, and paying him $13 million a year, even with the rapid salary escalation we're seeing this offseason, is mad as pants. His bat speed was noticeably slower in 2012, especially later in the season, and despite being a switch-hitter, he doesn't really hit right-handed pitching:

Against RHP
2012: .230/.295/.332
2011: .271/.333/.456
2010: .235/.306/.386

That's a .244/.311/.390 composite line over 1,388 plate appearances, and at age 32 he's extremely unlikely to suddenly learn how to hit from the left side. Victorino delivers the bulk of his value in the 150 or so plate appearances he gets against left-handed pitching each year and should be platooned against most right-handers, which means the Red Sox just paid $13 million a year for the equivalent of a fourth outfielder.

Your take: Do you agree with Law's assessment? Vote in the poll above and share your thoughts in the comments section.