Some roster battles still raging for Sox

Injuries to Lugo, Kotsay open door to 24th, 25th spots

While Terry Francona and the Red Sox brass make their final choices for the Opening Day lineup and pitching rotation, there are roster spots still up for grabs during the final days of spring training.

Injuries to Julio Lugo and outfielder Mark Kotsay have opened up two roster spots, and several players have opened eyes with potential major league employment hanging in the balance.

Infielder Nick Green is likely in for Lugo — he has hit .345 with a pair of home runs and eight RBIs in 19 games this spring. He has even played outfield, enhancing his overall versatility.

“He’s had a good camp at the plate and in the field,” Francona said “We didn’t realize he had that much arm strength.”

The back surgery that has Kotsay out until May originally opened up a three-man competition between Chris Carter, Jeff Bailey and Brad Wilkerson. Wilkerson, the best defensive option of the trio, struggled with the bat and won’t be in the mix for the open spot.

So it comes down to Bailey, a veteran of 30 games with the Sox over the last two seasons, and Carter, who has scorched pitching to the tune of a .359 batting average and a Grapefruit League-best six home runs this spring.

The left-handed hitting Carter and right-handed hitting Bailey have both worked diligently on their defense, but Carter, in particular, is an intriguing offensive possibility at the plate after hitting .300 with 24 home runs and 81 RBIs at Pawtucket last spring.

With many regulars at the World Baseball Classic, the team was able to evaluate each player with plenty of innings to be played and numerous extra at-bats.

“We were able to get a long look at each of them this spring, and that has been very helpful,” Francona said.