Red Sox: Jason Varitek possibly umpiring intrasquad scrimmage

Jason Varitek possibly umpiring a Red Sox intrasquad scrimmage.

Jason Varitek might be returning to a familiar position behind the plate this afternoon. No, the long-time Boston Red Sox catcher isn’t joining the depth chart at the catcher position but the team has considered using him as an umpire for their first intrasquad scrimmage.

The Red Sox are taking the next step toward preparing for the regular season by scheduling their first live game action of Summer Camp on Thursday afternoon beginning at 2:00 p.m.

They won’t have an actual umpire crew on hand at Fenway Park to call the game but manager Ron Roenicke hinted that a certain Red Sox Hall of Fame catcher may be tasked with calling balls and strikes.

"“We’ll try to keep it as game-like as we can. Don’t be surprised if you see (Jason) Varitek behind the plate umpiring. That’s a possibility,” Roenicke said, per NESN. “Any time we can get the closest to game condition, we’ll do.”"

Varitek has been an asset to the Red Sox in camp by sharing his vast knowledge of the game. The organization has been grooming him for a coaching career and there were some clamoring for him to be named as the new manager before the job ultimately was given to Roenicke. Varitek’s mastery of the strike zone makes him an ideal choice to serve as the umpire for these scrimmages.

Nathan Eovaldi is expected to start opposite Chris Mazza in today’s scrimmage. Roenicke indicated that the game would only last 5 1/2 innings. Eovaldi will pitch four or five innings while Mazza will probably only work two.

We’ve already seen Eovaldi dialing up the velocity since training camp restarted last week. If he can maintain that upper-90s heat while remaining sharp through five innings, he’ll be fairly close to being ready for the season.