Red Sox's Blake Swihart: Still in the mix, per Farrell

Swihart, who is expected to start the season at Triple-A Pawtucket, could still snag a roster spot, according to manager John Farrell, Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe reports. "We haven't made a final decision as of yet," Farrell said. "We're targeting the early part of this coming week to make that call. [Swihart's] had a strong camp."

Analysis:

Swihart is hitting .325, much better than Christian Vazquez (.231) and Sandy Leon (.261), though Farrell added that the final 25-man roster "can't be based solely on batting average." That means Swihart still has some work to do defensively, and because he has minor league options remaining, he'll perform that work in Pawtucket. Still, it's interesting that Farrell would make this statement. Perhaps the manager said it to motivate Leon and Vazquez.