SARASOTA, Fla. – Righty Chris Mazza had pitched in the Minors for parts of eight seasons before at last making his Major League debut at age 29 for the Mets in 2019.

When Mazza was claimed by the Red Sox just before Christmas, it meant he was joining his fifth professional franchise. But this opportunity could be just the one for the 27th-round pick of the Twins in the 2011 Draft.

The Red Sox have wide-open competitions for the final spot in the rotation and multiple spots in the bullpen, and Mazza formally entered the competition by starting in Sunday’s 11-5 loss to the Orioles.

It looked like the righty was doomed for a forgettable afternoon when he loaded the bases with nobody out in the first. But he turned things around quickly, striking out Pedro Severino and then starting a 1-2-3 double play off the bat of Dwight Smith Jr.

“It’s always good to get out of a little jam like that,” said Mazza. “With the way that I throw, if I have one out, and I have runners on, I have a chance to get a double play. I always know that I’m one pitch away, and I was fortunate to make a play and give a good feed to [Kevin] Plawecki and ended up turning the double play and that was big.”

There was more trouble to start the second with two on and none out. But Mazza again was able to minimize the situation, giving up a fielder’s choice RBI.

The two innings were effective enough to keep him in contention.

Red Sox interim manager Ron Roenicke, who had to battle for every Major League at-bat he got in his career, appreciates Mazza’s journey.

“You know, we had [Ryan] Brasier a couple of years ago, and he opened up our eyes in Spring Training coming over from the Minor League side, and Braze ends up being who he [was in 2018],” Roenicke said. “I like it. I just think that guys that hang in there, you hope eventually they get their opportunity somewhere and when they come through, that’s pretty cool.”

When Mazza was first claimed by the Red Sox, his sole thought was to try to win a bullpen spot. But his options became more wide-ranging on Feb. 10, when David Price was traded to the Dodgers, leaving a vacancy in the back of the rotation.

The Red Sox have no obvious candidates to fill the role, leaving Mazza as one of many deemed to be in the mix.

“Yeah, I definitely feel like I’m in the mix and he’s got a lot of other guys to choose from,” Mazza said. “We’re all teammates, we all want each other to do well. At the end of the day, the best guy is going to get the job, and that’s how it should be.”

Duran dazzles
With Jackie Bradley Jr. eligible for free agency at the end of the 2020 season, center-field prospect Jarren Duran is a player you should keep an eye on this spring.

The 23-year-old out of Long Beach State (seventh-round Draft pick in 2018) certainly turned heads on Sunday against the Orioles. In the bottom of the third, he made a tremendous over-the-shoulder catch in front of the wall to take a hit away from Trey Mancini. And in the top of the fourth, Duran ripped one off the wall in right-center and turned on the jets for a triple.

“Exciting player. Tool-wise, as good as it gets,” said Roenicke. “And that type of player, he’s thrilling to watch. Went back a long ways to get that one. Saw him run a little last year because he hit a couple of gappers for us. But today was pretty fun to watch him run to third. He’s just, [with] the tools, he’s just one of those special guys. You know if it all comes together, you’ve got a superstar.”

While splitting time between Class A Advanced Salem and Double-A Portland, Duran stole 46 bases last season and slashed .303/.367/.408.

Another step for Sale
Ace Chris Sale continues to progress after an illness led to his late arrival in camp. The lefty threw a bullpen session on Sunday in Fort Myers. Pitching coach Dave Bush stayed back to monitor the session before driving to Sarasota for the game against the Orioles.

“Yes, I talked to [Bush] before the game, and really good bullpen [session]. I think we can move on [to the next step],” said Roenicke.

Roenicke and Bush hope to meet with Sale on Monday to outline his program for the rest of Spring Training. That could be the determining factor in whether Sale is ready to pitch Opening Day.

“It sounds like he’ll probably throw another bullpen [session], but it will be an up and down so we’ll rest in between and keep progressing him, see what he’s thinking and he’ll hear what we’re thinking and we’ll try to come up with something that makes sense,” said Roenicke.

Valdez claimed off waivers; Pedroia to 60-day IL
Chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom, who spent the offseason taking fliers on pitchers via the waiver wire or minor trades, continued that process on Sunday when he claimed righty Phillips Valdez from the Mariners.

To make room for Valdez on the 40-man roster, the Red Sox placed second baseman Dustin Pedroia on the 60-day injured list.

That move was not a surprise. Pedroia is still in shutdown mode after having a significant setback with his problematic left knee in late January, and there are currently no plans for him to report to Spring Training.

“The knee is still not right, so this move was going to be made [eventually],” said Roenicke. “We’ll touch base with him shortly and see how he’s doing.”

As for Valdez, the 28-year-old made his MLB debut for the Rangers last season, notching a 3.94 ERA in 11 relief appearances. In November, he was claimed by the Mariners from the Rangers.

Up next
The Red Sox play two split-squad games on the road on Monday, with Nathan Eovaldi leading the charge in Fort Myers, Fla., against Kenta Maeda and the Twins. Mitch Moreland, Christian Vázquez, Andrew Benintentdi, Jackie Bradley Jr. and Kevin Pillar will make the trek with him. Against the Rays in Port Charlotte, Boston will go with Tanner Houck on the mound, with Michael Chavis, José Peraza, Jeter Downs, Kevin Plawecki and Austin Brice also available in Port Charlotte. First pitch for both games is set for 1:05 p.m. ET, live on MLB.TV.