The infielder' wrist flareup was a reminder of the need for backup.
FORT MYERS, Fla. – Will Middlebrooks took batting practice Thursday and said he will be ready to return to the Red Sox lineup Friday night against Pittsburgh.
Middlebrooks left Wednesday night's game against Baltimore at Sarasota. The third baseman took an awkward swing in the first inning against Chris Tillman, tried to check it and felt what manager John Farrell described as a "zinging'' sensation in his right wrist.
The wrist had been broken in August, ending Miiddlebrooks' rookie season. He left Wednesday's game without finishing the at-bat.
He said the soreness was in a different area from the previous injury, which he considered a good sign. On Thursday, he said he was without pain or discomfort, and after going through a medical exam, was cleared for all baseball activities.
He will also be fitted with a special batting glove to support the wrist. The Red Sox hope this is an isolated incident, and feel the soreness was to be expected after the infielder's first hard, checked swing.
The episode has nonetheless exposed Boston's vulnerability at third base. Even if Miiddlebrooks is healthy, the Red Sox have to take the matter of backups seriously.
The most intriguing involves Xander Bogaerts, a 20-year-old shortstop who began playing third base last week. The Red Sox want him to gain experience in case an immediate need develops.
Bogaerts left last weekend to play for the Netherlands in the World Baseball Classic. He will be used at third base or designated hitter, according to an understanding between the Dutch baseball federation and the Red Sox.
Playing in the WBC will give Bogaerts experience under tournament pressure and before big crowds. It will not allow the repetitions he would receive at training camp, where Red Sox coaches could hammer hundreds of ground balls to him at third.
Bogaerts looked remarkably polished at third base, despite his inexperience there.
Another option is Pedro Ciriaco, who has had the inside track for the job of backup infielder. Ciriaco can play every infield position except first base, but he is not as skilled at third as in the middle infield.
Ciriaco has made eight errors in 37 career games at third. He's exciting and popular, but extended playing time would likely expose his flaws.
Rookie Brock Holt is another middle infielder who will get spring training time at third. That was planned even before Middlebrooks' injury.
Holt has never played third. The only other viable candidate in camp is Drew Sutton, a 29-year-old journeyman whose 128 games since 2009 have been spread among five teams.
That includes Boston, where Sutton played 31 games with 60 at-bats in 2011. He hit .315 for the Red Sox, but is a career .256 hitter.
Sutton has the plate patience the Sox like. He had four walks against Pittsburgh Thursday and is a contrast to Ciriaco, an effective aggressive hitter.
Sutton has played 22 games in the majors at third base, fewer than Ciriaco. A second baseman by nature, he played eight games at third for the 2011 Red Sox.
His brief stint in Boston included time at all four infield positions, the outfield and DH.
Of all the choices, Bogaerts has the highest upside by far. If Middlebrooks is healthy, though, the Red Sox will keep Bogaerts in Triple A, rather than having him languish on the bench in Boston
They also know the risk in rushing even such a talented young player, especially at an entirely new position.
That makes it likely Bogaerts will play in Triple A, while another player would claim a roster spot as a backup. If Middlebrooks were sidelined for any length of time, Bogaerts could leapfrog past the backup and be called up to be the starter.