Do you think Tanner Houck will be in the starting rotation along with Chris Sale and Eduardo Rodriguez at some point this season? – @chootieswu

That would be an exciting front three to the rotation, for sure. However, the first thing you have to do is make sure Sale is fully healthy and stretched out before he returns. Also, I’m fearful that the Houck hype train is moving a little too fast. I like him a lot as a pitcher, but he hasn’t even had much experience at Triple-A. There also hasn’t been enough time for MLB hitters to get a “book” on him. It is a constant game of adjustments.

It’s early but is there any buzz that Bobby Dalbec might get sent down? -- @NJDestro

I have a research project for you. Look up what Dustin Pedroia was hitting on April 30 of his rookie season. Also, look up which player was getting increased at-bats in April of that season while Pedroia struggled.

Oh, wait. We’re dealing with immediacy here in this format, so I’ll do the project for you. On April 30, 2007, Pedroia, Boston’s rookie second baseman, was hitting .182 with a .544 OPS. On that same date, a Red Sox utility infielder named Alex Cora was hitting .360 with a 1.207 OPS.

Terry Francona and Theo Epstein stayed the course with Pedroia and he was the AL Rookie of the Year. Cora went back to being a valuable utility player. In other words, Cora knows better than anyone not to give up on a good prospect in such a short sample size.

When is Sale expected back? -- @beatnyy

Not a minute before he is ready. If anything, the Red Sox are going to slow-play this to make sure he is 100 percent the Sale they want him to be when he is back. The year 2021 is for Sale to get on his feet. The plan for 2022-24 -– the final three years of his contract –- are for Sale to be at full throttle.

Assuming that the true identity of this team is somewhere in the middle between the two streaks thus far, what type of a Sale return would it take to make the Sox a playoff contender in 2021? Do you foresee the team being buyers at the deadline? -- @always100816

The one thing the Red Sox almost don’t want is for Sale to feel like he has to be the weapon that puts this team over the top down the stretch. They are going to be conservative with him both for the rest of his rehab and for the games he pitches this season. Look for him to be on a pitch count and perhaps get extra rest between starts. The whole idea with Sale is to make sure he is a 100 percent, full go, the final three years of his contract. They don’t want to do anything to jeopardize that by rushing him this year. As for being buyers at the Trade Deadline, if this team plays well enough between now and the end of July to justify that, I’m sure Chaim Bloom and ownership will invest in the team down the stretch.

Is E-Rod well enough to be offered a long-term deal? Would Chaim do it? Would Eddie take it? -- @MaddMacs

Rodriguez appears to be over all the effects of the myocarditis that wiped away his 2020 season. I think the Red Sox will monitor him a little over the next few weeks before extending him a contract. Keep in mind that Rodriguez has only made one start in the time Bloom has been the team’s chief baseball officer. I think Rodriguez loves Boston and playing for Cora and would be interested in an extension with the Red Sox.

What do think about putting Garrett Richards in the ‘pen and Houck in the rotation? Also, how is Jay Groome, what is Bryan Mata doing and when do you see them making the big leagues? -- @AnthonyCarlil12

In all my time covering the Red Sox, I don’t think I’ve ever seen people overreact more to a bad start to open the season than the one Richards had on Easter Sunday. The Red Sox signed him to a one-year, $10 million deal that includes an option for next year, so there must be a lot they liked to give him that deal. You don’t write off all of the things you liked after one bad start. He pitches again Saturday night. Let’s see if he rebounds. And see above about the Houck hype train. Groome is at the alternate site getting ready for the Minor League season. Hopefully he can make a leap this year and stay healthy. Mata is in the early stages of a throwing program in his recovery from the arm injury he had earlier in Spring Training.

Which Sox pitcher has been the biggest surprise to date? -- @WentzMatt

Without a doubt, the answer is Garrett Whitlock. The Rule 5 pick has been outstanding, both in Spring Training and in the regular season. He has poise that nobody expected and he is fully recovered from the Tommy John Surgery he underwent two years ago. Though Whitlock is a starter by trade, he is thriving in middle relief.

Do you envision Michael Chavis being needed soon? How do you feel Christian Arroyo has fared? -- @seanfox11

Arroyo has had a limited sample size of at-bats so far. I wouldn’t read much into it either way. They like his defense. Chavis is a good player to have on call in case there is an injury or under-performance at first or second base. If Chavis can get back on his feet a little either at the Minor League or Major League level, the Red Sox could also use him as trade bait.