FORT MYERS, Fla. -- After Martín Pérez was unable to escape the first inning in an outing against the Yankees last week, the lefty righted himself with four scoreless innings in Sunday’s 7-6 win over the Twins at JetBlue Park. Facing his 2019 teammates, Pérez followed advice he had received early in camp from the great Pedro Martínez, focusing on location, not velocity.

“[Pedro] just told me, ‘You throw hard when you need it, not every time,’” Pérez said. “Move the ball, stay on the line, use your legs and you’ll be fine.”

Pérez was initially projected to be Boston’s No. 5 starter when he signed with the club this winter, but he’s now the No. 3 starter in the wake of the David Price trade and the Chris Sale elbow setback. Though the order is ultimately unimportant, what this means, in real terms, is that the Red Sox will need depth in innings from Pérez in the season proper, lest Nathan Eovaldi and Eduardo Rodriguez have even more pressure heaped upon them.

There are two very big question marks in the Nos. 4 and 5 spots. The newly signed Collin McHugh, who is coming back from surgery to address a flexor tendon strain, is still being evaluated and not throwing.

“Somebody needs to give us those innings as a starter for your bullpen to last,” Red Sox interim manager Ron Roenicke said. “And not always just five innings, sometimes they need to go a little farther. So that’s what I’m hoping for [Pérez].”

The two rotation spots after Pérez are still undecided at this point, but right-handed journeyman Ryan Weber, who pitched primarily in relief for Boston last season and has allowed one unearned run in five innings, has the upper-hand for a rotation spot, at best, or opener opportunities, at worst.

“The other guys we’ve extended out,” Roenicke said, “I wouldn’t say anybody’s shown us, ‘Hey, we can do it.’ Right now, there are two spots where we can give guys the opportunity to do it, and hopefully, we see something.”

Roster trimming
The Red Sox made another round of roster moves prior to Sunday’s game.

Jeter Downs, the shortstop prospect acquired in the Mookie Betts trade, was among eight players who are not on the 40-man roster and who were reassigned to Minor League camp. The others were: catcher Roldani Baldwin, catcher/infielder Connor Wong, first baseman Josh Ockimey and pitchers R.J. Alvarez, Trevor Hildenberger, Tanner Houck and Mike Kickham.

Five players from the 40-man were optioned to Triple-A Pawtucket: infielders Bobby Dalbec and C.J. Chatham and pitchers Kyle Hart, Mike Shawaryn and Phillips Valdez.

Outfielder Marcus Wilson was optioned to Double-A Portland, and left-hander Yoan Aybar was optioned to High-A Salem.

Additionally, right-hander Hector Velázquez, who was designated for assignment when McHugh was signed, was claimed off waivers by the Orioles.

Boston now has 47 players remaining in big-league camp.

Fourth outfield spot unclear
With trade acquisition Alex Verdugo still not swinging a bat as he recovers from a stress fracture in his back, the Red Sox aren’t sure whether they’ll carry a true fourth outfielder or fill that spot with a hodgepodge of guys who will also serve other roles, but can also play in the outfield.

“Because [designated hitter] J.D. [Martinez] can play the outfield, he’s a fourth outfielder,” Roenicke said. “If [infielder Tzu-Wei] Lin is on the roster, he plays center field. And then [infielder José] Peraza plays the outfield. I don’t know if that’s how we’re going to cover it, or if there’s a guy that’s a true outfielder that’s going to be on that roster. We’ve discussed it a lot.”

Roenicke is planning to have center fielder Jackie Bradley Jr. and right fielder Kevin Pillar flip spots on occasion this spring, beginning next week, so that each can get acquainted with the other position.

The plan at first base
The hamstring issue that hobbled Mitch Moreland for a few days is in the rearview, as Moreland was in the lineup for a second straight day on Sunday.

As far as the regular season goes, Moreland will once again primarily be limited to facing right-handed pitchers. Last season, 82% of his 335 plate appearances came against righties.

When Moreland is off, Michael Chavis will face lefties, and Peraza can play second base.

“We’ll see, physically, how they’re doing, but also how they’re swinging the bat,” Roenicke said. “If somebody’s swinging the bat well, you get them out there more often.”

Up next
Night time is the right time for Boston’s second trip to the Braves’ new spring home in the last few days. Weber, who stands a good chance of locking down a regular role on the pitching staff, will start Monday’s 6:05 p.m. ET game at CoolToday Park opposite Félix Hernández. Right-handers Brandon Workman, Colten Brewer and Marcus Walden are also scheduled to throw.