Red Sox Gonzalez Arrives At Spring Training
BOSTON (CBS)- The Red Sox newest slugger has arrived a few days early.
Adrian Gonzalez reported to Fort Myers, Florida Wednesday morning, taking in his first Spring Training with Boston.
"I'm very excited, it's something I've been looking forward to since the trade was made," Gonzalez told WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Jonny Miller. "I'm here now so it's time to put that emotion aside and get to work and do what I do."
What does he do? Gonzalez hits for power (31 home runs in 2010), drives in runs (averages 99 RBIs per season) and plays a stellar first base (NL gold glove 2008 and 2009).
But Gonzo will not be picking up a bat any time soon. Not for a couple of weeks at least, as he recovers from off-season shoulder surgery. Gonzalez will see doctors throughout Spring Training, and will start hitting when he receives clearance to do so. Not much has changed otherwise.
"I'm not holding anything back," he said. "I'm just taking it like I would have if I was with the Padres. Getting my work in, getting ready for the season. Doing what I have to do to be 100 percent when the season starts."
Gonzalez cannot give a day when he expects to return, just that he will be ready for opening day. For his first day of Spring Training, he did some infield drills, ran some laps, and hit the weight room for a couple of hours.
The Red Sox were unable to sign Gonzalez to a long-term extension after completing the blockbuster trade that put him in a Boston uniform. If no deal is reached during the season, he will become a free-agent. This is something that concerns Red Sox fans, especially with St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols putting a February 16th deadline on his contract extension. Unlike Pujols, Gonzalez says the situation will work itself out.
"We don't have any deadline or anything like that," he said. "When I'm healthy and they see that I'm healthy, we'll all sit down and talk about it at that point. No rush. Just for me to get healthy."
