Henry Owens Still Searching For Control

FORT MYERS, Fla.—Just two years ago, it would have been difficult to imagine lefthander Henry Owens being among the first round of cuts from big league camp.

Yet his performance in the early stages of the Grapefruit League—a 15.95 ERA with 12 walks in just 6.2 innings—made it clear that the 24-year-old has work to do.

An offseason of strength gains allowed the 6-foot-7 Owens to arrive at a solid 230 pounds and had him working with better velocity—he pitched at 90-94 mph in his final spring outing—than in recent years. Nonetheless, inconsistent mechanics, particularly out of the windup, resulted in a return trip to Triple-A Pawtucket.

“To Henry’s credit, he didn’t mince words,” Red Sox manager John Farrell said. “He knows he’s capable of more. He knows he needs to pitch better. When a player articulates it clearly, it may be the first step toward making real change and adjustments.”

Owens estimated that 10 of his 12 spring walks came while pitching from the windup. As such, he started working on a windup that more closely approximated his delivery out of the stretch.

If Owens can discover a delivery that permits him to unlock some of the raw materials still evident in glimpses, he still possesses a swing-and-miss changeup along with a slider and curveball that flash the same potential.

A 2011 supplemental first-round pick out of high school in Huntington Beach, Calif., Owens recognizes that the future needs to become the present.

“You wait so long for it to click and it hasn’t happened,” Owens said the day before the Red Sox optioned him, “but I know I have confidence in my abilities. I have confidence in myself that eventually everything is going to sync up. I just keep that mentality, that same attitude, and hopefully it happens sooner rather than later.

“I think it’s just patience. Just being patient with your own game.”

SOX YARNS

• As the Red Sox reassigned third baseman Rafael Devers to minor league camp, they emphasized that commitment to conditioning will be critical for him to remain at third base.

• Lefthander Jalen Beeks impressed team officials during a two-inning outing. He worked at 92-94 mph with a sharp cutter and a changeup that elicited swings and misses.

— Alex Speier covers the Red Sox for the Boston Globe