Boston expects second baseman Dustin Pedroia to make his exhibition debut on Thursday against Minnesota.
Coming off knee surgery, the 35-year-old Pedroia crossed his last major pre-competition hurdle on Tuesday when he completed a workout at the Red Sox complex in Fort Myers.
“The way the texts sounded, he’s ready to play now,” Cora said after receiving an update from Pedroia.
A four-time All-Star and the 2008 AL MVP, Pedroia had left knee surgery on Oct. 25, 2017. He played in five injury rehabilitation games at Triple-A Pawtucket from May 14-24 and three games for the Red Sox from May 26-29, then went back on the disabled list for the rest of the season.
Boston has not expressed firm expectations.
“Right now I think it’s more hope,” Boston president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said. “So far he’s been very healthy under his situation coming back. He’s passed all the tests from the medical team and from himself.”
Pedrioa played in more than 105 games only once in the past four seasons because of injuries.
Eduardo Nunez and Brock Holt have been the primary second basemen in Pedroia’s absence.
New York Yankees ace Luis Severino will miss opening day because of an inflamed right shoulder that caused him to be scratched from his first scheduled spring training start.
Severino won’t throw for two weeks, manager Aaron Boone said after Tuesday’s game against Atlanta.
Severino was slated to face the Atlanta Braves but was replaced by Stephan Tarpley.
“When he was getting warmed up for the game, he just threw a pitch and felt something around the lat or back of the shoulder and just didn’t feel right, so he walked off,” Boone said during the telecast on the Yankees’ YES Network. “He’s going to see the doctor and get an MRI this afternoon and kind of hope for the best.”
Masahiro Tanaka, James Paxton, CC Sabathia and J.A. Happ are also projected to be in the Yankees’ rotation, and Luis Cessa, Jonathan Loaisiga and Domingo German are possible replacements.
Dallas Keuchel and Gio Gonzalez are available as free agents.
Severino avoided an arbitration hearing with the Yankees and agreed to a $40 million, four-year contract, a deal that includes a team option and could be worth $52.25 million for five seasons.
Severino has a 41-25 career record with a 3.51 ERA.
The 25-year old right-hander is a two-time All-Star. He went 19-8 with a 3.39 ERA last year, winning 14 of his first 16 decisions but then five of his last 11. He came out early in both of his postseason starts, going 0-1 in seven innings.
Center fielder Aaron Hicks, who agreed to a $70 million, seven-year contract, was out of the lineup for the second straight day due to a back injury. Acquired from Minnesota in November 2015, Hicks has been on the disabled list in all six of his big league seasons, nine trips in all for hamstring strains (three times), oblique strains (twice), shoulder, forearm and intercostal strains, and a concussion.
A 29-year-old switch-hitter, Hicks took over as the Yankees primary center fielder last year and set career highs with 137 games, 27 homers and 79 RBIs.
Pitcher Clay Buchholz and the Toronto Blue Jays have finalized a $3 million, one-year contract.
The 34-year-old right-hander is expected to join a starting rotation that includes Marcus Stroman and Aaron Sanchez.
Buchholz signed with Kansas City late in spring training last year, was released on May 1 and signed with Arizona three days later. He made his first big league appearance on May 20 and was 7-2 with a 2.01 ERA in 16 starts and 98 1/3 innings. He strained the flexor tendon in his right elbow while warming up at Colorado on Sept. 13 and did not pitch again.
A two-time All-Star, Buchholz is 84-64 with a 4.78 ERA in 12 big league seasons for Boston (2007-16), Philadelphia (2017) and the Diamondbacks. He pitched a no-hitter against Baltimore in his second major league start.
To make room for Buchholz on the 40-man roster, the Blue Jays designated outfielder Dwight Smith Jr., for assignment on Tuesday.