Boston Red Sox

Red Sox pitchers hold their own spring training amid MLB lockout

Published Feb. 24, 2022 4:45 p.m. ET

No training facilities?

No problem — for these Boston Red Sox relievers.

Since the teams' 40-man roster players aren’t allowed to access Fenway South amid the ongoing MLB lockout, a handful of pitchers decided to go back to college and start their own spring training in order to prepare for whenever the 2022 season might commence.

Matt Barnes took to social media to show he and fellow pitchers Chris Sale, Nick Pivetta, Jay Groome, Kutter Crawford and Josh Winckowski working out at Florida Gulf Coast University's baseball stadium on Thursday.

"We're just over here getting our work in," he shared to his nearly 33,000 followers.

The teammates were on hand to throw bullpens and give a glimpse into live batting practice sessions.

Sale — a Lakeland, Florida native — previously attended FGCU, where he pitched for the Eagles before being selected by the Chicago White Sox with the 13th overall selection in the first round of the 2010 MLB Draft.

Pitchers and catchers were supposed to report to spring training on Feb. 15, with the Red Sox scheduled to begin games on Friday against Northeastern at JetBlue Park. Due to the lockout, spring training has been delayed and there will be no games played before March 5 at the earliest.

That said, the Red Sox will miss at least nine (five home, four away) games of their 35 scheduled spring training games.

And only time will tell if informal workouts like these spark a possible breakthrough on the lockout front.

One thing is certain, the clock is ticking on the deadline to reach a deal without losing regular-season games, which hasn't happened since the 1994-95 player strike.

The Red Sox’s home opener against the Tampa Bay Rays is scheduled for March 31 — five weeks from now.