BOSTON -- Though recently acquired righty Nick Pivetta remains at the alternate training site in Pawtucket, R.I., to get stretched out and work on mechanical issues, he has remained in close contact with the Red Sox and is thrilled with the fresh start that has been presented to him.
“It’s great to be with the Boston organization. They’ve made it really prevalent that they value me as a starting pitcher,” Pivetta said. “That’s what I believe I am. Obviously I wasn’t pitching well enough out of the bullpen in Philly to put myself in that opportunity to be a starter and they chose to go with some other arms over me. So being traded and having that opportunity is really important for me. I’m looking very much forward to that.”
Pivetta was traded to the Sox along with righty prospect Connor Seabold for veteran relievers Brandon Workman and Heath Hembree on Aug. 21.
Getting Pivetta to reach his considerable potential -- something he wasn’t able to do in Philadelphia -- is a major goal going forward for Red Sox pitching coach Dave Bush.
“I just talked to him again this morning,” said Bush. “He threw yesterday in Pawtucket, so I talked to him this morning. We’re getting him built up still. He’s had a little bit of time off, so it’s a matter of getting his innings and length built up. But we talked quite a bit about his pitch mix and his style and the different things he wants to do on the mound and some changes he’s made in the past year or so.”
Though there are just 25 games to go, the Red Sox expect Pivetta will make some starts by the end of the season.
Pivetta doesn’t dispute that some fresh voices could be just what he needs to get out of the rut he’s been in since 2019.
“It definitely hasn’t gone the way I’ve wanted it to, but I’ve been given an opportunity here for a fresh new beginning,” Pivetta said. “So it’s just taking what I’ve learned from my past experiences, moving forward and developing into the pitcher that I know that I can be and that the Boston Red Sox believe that I can be. There’s a lot of things that happened, especially last year in 2019, that were out of my control.”
That is all in the past now.
“A change of scenery is going to be good for him,” Bush said. “It happens to a lot of guys where they get in a situation where they haven’t performed or they’re not in the role they like and for whatever reason it just doesn’t work out. And sometimes a change of scenery can be the little push they need to really untap their potential and reach what they can do. So from that standpoint I’m glad to have him.”
Bush studied a lot of film of Pivetta before the Red Sox made the trade for the 27-year-old.
“I like his stuff. I think he’s got a lot of potential,” Bush said. “He’s got a good mix of pitches, he’s got a nice fastball with some breaking balls to go with it and it’s a matter of putting it together and performing. The goal is still going to be the same on the field for us as it was when he was in Philadelphia, which is to get out on the mound in the big leagues and be a good big league pitcher.”
J.D. could return Wednesday
For the second straight game, the Red Sox didn’t have slumping slugger J.D. Martinez in the lineup on Tuesday against the Braves.
Martinez was hit on the left hand with a pitch late in Sunday’s win over the Nationals.
“He’s doing better, for sure,” said Red Sox manager Ron Roenicke. “They’re treating him now. He’ll try to get a bat in his hands later on and see what he can do. Hopefully we can use him tonight in a pinch-hit situation and then hopefully back in the lineup tomorrow.”
Benny iffy
Left fielder Andrew Benintendi has been slow to recover from the right ribcage strain that sent him to the injured list on Aug. 13.
At some point, Benintendi will have to start making some significant progress if he is to play again this season.
“He’s still a ways away. He’s still on the treadmill, he’s doing some incline walking,” said Roenicke. “He’s sleeping better now. He doesn’t have as much pain as he did before, but it’s still there. Any rotational activities, it’s still painful, so unfortunately this thing is slow like we thought it could possibly be and it’s keeping him away from really doing anything with baseball activities.”
Walden working his way back
After becoming one of Boston’s most surprisingly effective relief pitchers last season, righty Marcus Walden struggled enough at the outset of this season that he was sent down to the alternate training site on Aug. 19.
There is still hope he can make the necessary adjustments and become a factor again in the bullpen before the season ends.
“Yes, he’s getting there,” said Bush. “He had to get back to being the guy he was the last couple years, which was being able to pound the zone with his sinker and cutter. He used his slider as more of an out-pitch, a strikeout pitch. He was having trouble commanding the ball. The sinker kind of was lost for him when he was still up here.”
Bush noted that Walden’s outings have looked much better in Pawtucket.