FORT MYERS, Fla. — More than any player in camp, even Pablo Sandoval, Rusney Castillo should be motivated to prove his worth to the Red Sox.
Former Sox general manager Ben Cherington signed Castillo to a seven-year, $72.5 million contract in 2014 and raved about his power and speed. Castillo has since played 99 major league games and hit .262 with seven home runs and seven stolen bases.
The Sox sent Castillo outright to Triple A Pawtucket last season after 29 other teams declined to claim him off waivers.
Castillo, who turns 30 in July, could salvage his career, or at least create some trade value, by playing well in spring training. But Thursday was another step back.
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In the third inning of a game against Northeastern, Castillo grounded to shortstop with a runner on first base and one out. He casually jogged to first and the Huskies turned an easy double play.
Even a few of the usually friendly fans at JetBlue Park booed Castillo’s indifference.
“Disappointing for a couple of reasons,” manager John Farrell said. “One, he lost the number of outs. But still, regardless of the number of outs, getting down the line is controllable.
“For a player in his situation, where every little aspect of the game is important, that’s something that was addressed in the moment. He needs to execute the game situation.”
Castillo has four years and $46 million remaining on his contract. If the Red Sox leave him in the minors, Castillo’s salary would not count in how Major League Baseball calculates payrolls for the purposes of the competitive balance tax.
If the Red Sox were to activate him, Castillo counts at an average annual value of $10.36 million and that would put the Sox over the limit.
Castillo is stuck in baseball purgatory. But that does not excuse Thursday’s lack of effort, particularly given similar mistakes in the past.
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“Game situations, play to them,” Farrell said.
Castillo was 0 for 2 at the plate in a game the Sox won, 9-6.
Owens gets the nod
The Sox will start Henry Owens on Friday against the Mets with Roenis Elias starting on Saturday. Both games are at JetBlue Park.
The plan for Sunday at Tampa Bay in Port Charlotte is to start righthander Hector Velazquez, who was purchased from a Mexican League team last week. Velazquez pitched in the Mexican Pacific Winter League earlier this month and is prepared to start.
Velazquez had an immigration issue cleared up on Thursday.
Brian Johnson, who pitched two innings on Thursday, would return to the mound on Monday with Owens and Elias going Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively.
The Sox will not pitch Rick Porcello, David Price, or Chris Sale until the end of next week. It is likely they will pitch in a simulated game first.
Drew Pomeranz and Steven Wright each threw 30 pitches in the bullpen and reported no issues.
“Steven’s [session], to me, looked normal,” Farrell said. “When I say normal, that’s regular-season normal with the finish to both his fastball and his knuckleball.”
Pomeranz and Wright will need at least two throwing sessions before they face hitters in batting practice.
Craig Kimbrel and Eduardo Rodriguez are scheduled to throw live batting practice for the first time on Saturday. Kimbrel was pushed back as he worked on adjusting his delivery. The Sox held Rodriguez back to ensure he had recovered from offseason knee injury.
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Pedroia takes it slow
Dustin Pedroia did not play Thursday and will not play on Friday. He is scheduled to start on Saturday and go every other day for a bit.
Farrell and Pedroia met and agreed on a plan to have the second baseman build up gradually through what is a longer than usual spring training because of the World Baseball Classic.
“It just makes sense,” Pedroia said. “It’s a long spring and a long season. I need to take days here and there.”
Pedroia is 33 and has come to accept that he needs time off to take care of his body. There was a time he fought that.
“He’s relenting in a way,” Farrell said. “Even last year he was much more open in conversation about how he felt physically, the benefit of a day off and what he was feeling like when he got a recovery day. Maybe that’s a sign of experience.”
A long way to go
Counting spring training and exhibition games, the Red Sox are scheduled for 201 games this season . . . Of the 58 players in camp, only Matt Barnes was born in New England. Barnes is a native of Danbury, Conn. . . . First base coach Ruben Amaro Jr. coached third base in place of Brian Butterfield, who had knee-replacement surgery in December . . . A group of Sox players went to see the Stetson-Florida Gulf Coast basketball game. The school is about 6 miles away from Fenway South.
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Peter Abraham can be reached at pabraham@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @PeteAbe.