FORT MYERS, Fla. — The parade of returning Red Sox pitchers is ready to step off Friday, with James Paxton leading the way. Scheduled for his first start in nearly two years, Paxton precedes an expected Sunday start by Corey Kluber and a Monday one by Chris Sale. Much understandably has been made this spring about the potential return of those three aging aces.
Which leaves one question: What about Saturday?
Well there, sandwiched among the three returning warriors, sits Nick Pivetta, a pitching workhorse. Set to make his own spring debut after a delay due to a nasty bout with COVID, Pivetta deserves to be recognized for his last two seasons in Boston, which stand out not so much for their dominance (he went 19-20) but for his durability.
With a league-best 33 starts last year — yes, you read that correctly, the 30-year-old Pivetta tied three other starters, the Yankees’ Gerrit Cole among them, for taking the mound the most times — he gives the Sox a level of dependability they do not take for granted. But as the towering righthander returns for a seventh major league season, having avoided arbitration in agreeing to a $5.35 million contract, both sides want to see more from his strong right arm.
“I think I have a higher ceiling than I have right now,” Pivetta said the day after throwing his first live bullpen session of the spring. “I think it’s all in due time. And I’m still very young. Even though I’m 30, I have a lot left in me.
“I just think where I’m at, I just want to focus on what I need to do to help the team win. That’s where I’m at, and believe in myself. I’m with a good organization. This is a hefty league but I enjoy the challenge.”
The Sox need results, more of what Pivetta was doing midway through last season, when he hit the break with an 8-7 record. But he went 2-5 in the second half, with another troubling stat found in his 1-8 combined record against the AL East, though this year’s balanced schedule will at least reduce the number of those matchups. Yet it’s also fair to note that Pivetta logged a career-high 179⅔ innings, a team high by more than 50 innings.
“I think it’s more about consistency, to be honest with you,” manager Alex Cora said. “Preparation going into games, just be consistent. Doesn’t matter if it’s October or April, do the same thing over and over again every five days and the results will be there.
“Stuff-wise he’s one of the best in the league if you look at the characteristics of his pitches. HIs curveball, his fastball is one of the best in the big leagues.”
Pivetta, originally a fourth-round pick by the Nationals who broke into the majors with the Phillies, grew up in Victoria, British Columbia. As part of Canada’s national baseball program since the age of 16, he was excited to participate again in this year’s World Baseball Classic, only to have his hopes dashed by COVID.
“I got walloped,” he said, a reference to his third bout with the virus.
The disappointment was real, given Pivetta’s anticipated role as an ace and leader of the Canadian team. For a guy whose frustration had built in Philadelphia because of usage in and out of the bullpen, getting traded to Boston in August 2020 to be used as a starter was a welcome relocation. Now he’s intent on staying in the rotation.
Though some roster predictions have Pivetta penciled into the bullpen thanks to a potential overflow of starters, the ongoing recoveries of Garrett Whitlock and Brayan Bello likely will demand otherwise.
“I feel like I’ve done a pretty decent job with what I’ve been given,” said Pivetta. “I’ve had two seasons where I’ve made 32-33 starts, pitched in the playoffs, started in the playoffs. I’m a starting pitcher, that’s who I am, what I’m capable of doing.”
An offseason spent on increasing his velocity, utilizing Driveline techniques like throwing a weighted ball and using motion-capture technology, and an offseason that started earlier thanks to the WBC plan, had put Pivetta ahead of his normal plan. Now, fully recovered and past the disappointment, he seems right on time.
“I joked around that I was going to call the prime minister because of the COVID situation,” Cora said. “But all kidding aside, he wanted to pitch. But he understood that he wasn’t bouncing back the way he wanted. It got him pretty good. So we talked to him and he decided this is the smart thing to do.
“Although it was hard for him to say no, he’ll pitch in another one, I think. He’s young enough. He’ll be more established by the next one and he’ll be able to participate.”
He usually is.
Tara Sullivan is a Globe columnist. She can be reached at tara.sullivan@globe.com. Follow her @Globe_Tara.