Brasier set down the side in order, striking out one, in the fifth inning of Wednesday's spring game against the Rays.

EDGE Analysis

Brasier is on the bubble, competing with several relievers for the final few bullpen spots, but he has thrown this spring like the pitcher that surprised Boston in 2018. He's allowed three hits and one run while striking out four without a walk over five spring innings. "Certainly our goal and his goal is to get back to the guy he was in 2018, because he was very, very good that year and really important," Red Sox pitching coach Dave Bush told Ian Browne of MLB.com. "It's not to discount the year he had last year, but he wasn't quite himself most of the year." He was an important setup piece for the Red Sox in 2018, when they won the World Series, but a toe injury in 2019 led to kinks in his mechanics.