NORTH PORT, Fla. — Justin Turner is going to be OK.
Turner took to social media on Tuesday to offer thanks “for all the messages and prayers,” one day after he was struck in the face by a pitch.
“I’m feeling very fortunate to come out of yesterday with no breaks & all my chiclets in tact,” Turner wrote on Twitter. “The @RedSox medical staff and @Lee_Health have been absolutely amazing & I’m going to be back out on the field as soon as possible!”
In the first inning of Monday’s game against the Tigers, Turner was struck by a pitch from righthander Matt Manning and immediately dropped to the dirt in the batter’s box, bleeding from his nose area. He eventually was able to get to his feet and walked off the field with head trainer Brandon Henry, a towel pressed to his face.
The designated hitter/infielder was taken to a local hospital, where he received 16 stitches.
Turner’s wife, Kourtney, issued an earlier update via Twitter: “Thank you to everyone that reached out about Justin and sent prayers. We’re home now and he’s resting (okay — maybe listening to the replay of the game). 16 stitches and a lot of swelling but we are thanking God for no fractures & clear scans.”
Prior to Tuesday night’s game against the Braves, manager Alex Cora said that the Sox escaped what could have been a terrible outcome for Turner.
“We were lucky,” Cora said. “I don’t know how long [his recovery] is going to take, but the fact that there’s no fractures [is huge]. He’s in a good place and we feel good about it.”
From the stretch
Spring training is a gradual buildup for every player.
But especially if you’re Chris Sale.
Sale pitched in his first game Monday since fracturing his left pinkie on a comebacker against the Yankees last July. Sale has dealt with a plethora of injuries, including Tommy John surgery, limiting him to 48⅓ innings over the last three seasons.
So, naturally, the Red Sox have kept a keen eye on him throughout camp by managing his workload and recovery.
That progression extends to the mound, too. During Monday’s game, Sale pitched from the stretch even with the bases empty.
“It’s all about cleaning up my mechanics,” Sale said. “Even talking with [pitching coach] Dave Bush and some other guys, I really wanted to get the nuts and bolts of my mechanics down. It felt weird with nobody on, going out of the stretch, but I just really want to work on really getting everything sound mechanically. Without that it’s going to be all over the place and you’re going to be chasing your tail a little bit.”
Perhaps in his next start Sale might incorporate his windup, he said. But pitching from the stretch allows Sale — at least for now — to have a clear and concise mechanical approach, staying on his back side long enough to not open up too quickly. Sale also mentioned that he wants to make certain he keeps his hands up, just above the letters, before releasing the pitch.
“I just wanted to cement that before I start adding things,” he said.
Playing catch
Lefthander James Paxton played catch for the first time since straining his right hamstring in last Friday’s game against the Twins. He came out of Tuesday’s session without incident and seems to be progressing.
“We’re just continuing to build the length there,” Paxton said. “Hopefully we’ll get on a mound fairly soon.”
Paxton, who suffered a Grade 1 hamstring strain, acknowledged there’s still general soreness in the area. However, the hamstring didn’t grab or tighten up on Tuesday, as Paxton stretched out to roughly 30 feet.
“We’re working to get some inflammation out right now,” Paxton said. “There’s still some fluid in there. But we’re moving and working and eventually we’ll feel normal again. Eventually, I’ll get back off the bump and we’ll feel normal again.”
Said Cora: “If he’s able to get on the mound by the end of the week or somewhere in [that range] then we’re in a better spot than what we thought a few days ago.”
Testing well
Adalberto Mondesi went through testing on his surgically repaired knee Monday, and he said early Tuesday that the knee was stronger than when the Sox tested it at the beginning of camp … The Red Sox came out of Brayan Bello’s bullpen session Tuesday very encouraged by the righthander’s progress. Bello, who has dealt with forearm tightness since the start of camp, threw 40 pitches. The next step will be live batting practice … Catcher Connor Wong (hamstring strain) is progressing well … Team Puerto Rico practiced at Fenway South Tuesday as it prepares for the World Baseball Classic. Cora, the general manager for Puerto Rico during the 2017 WBC, caught up with a lot of players and staff members. “It was awesome,” he said. “Just talking baseball and catching up with those kids. They mean so much to us back home. Having them in the same locker room and batting cages was great.”
Julian McWilliams can be reached at julian.mcwilliams@globe.com. Follow him @byJulianMack.