Could be Opening Day starter Boston manager Alex Cora said Pivetta is one of two choices to start Opening Day, Julian McWilliams of The Boston Globe reports. The other in consideration is Brayan Bello. Impact Pivetta, who was relegated from the rotation to the bullpen last May, re-established himself as a starter after adding a sweeper midseason. In the final two months, the right-hander appeared in 12 games (seven starts) and compiled a 3.98 ERA while striking out 73 over 54.1 innings. "Nick is a workhorse. He's a strong kid," Cora said. "He has his goals, and we all know what he wants to accomplish. He worked hard in the offseason to keep getting better repertoire-wise and body-wise, and he's in a good spot." Pivetta made his second spring start Thursday, giving up two runs on three hits and one walk while striking out four over three innings in a loss to Atlanta.
MARCH 8 • ROTOWIRE
