When he was named 2011 Red Sox Minor League Co-Offensive Player of the Year, Ryan Lavarnway emerged as the club’s potential catcher of the near future.

When he was selected in the first round out of high school (26th overall) in 2011, Blake Swihart was immediately considered Boston’s possible catcher of the long-term future.

Since then, another prospect has soared up the organization’s depth charts behind the plate, and at the least he will likely serve as a productive backup catcher at the Major League level.

Christian Vazquez, a ninth round pick out of the Puerto Rico Baseball Academy in 2008, was one of the most impressive Red Sox prospects at the club’s Major League spring training camp. He drew attention with his fast pop up and release times, and his defensive instincts. Heading into the regular season at Double-A Portland, Vazquez was told by Red Sox director of player development Ben Crockett to focus on improving his hitting. How he performs at the plate, Red Sox officials believe, will determine whether Vazquez serves as a Major League backup or develops into a starting catcher.

After going 0-for-11 to begin the season, Vazquez has produced with the bat. On Wednesday night, the 22-year-old right-handed hitter belted a home run, a triple and two doubles while driving in two runs, scoring two runs and walking once. He has a .298 average with three home runs, 15 RBI and a .891 OPS in 94 at-bats.

Vazquez showed some offensive promise in 2011 at low Single-A Greenville, where he batted .283 with 18 home runs, 84 RBI and a .863 OPS. He has shown dramatic improvement with his plate discipline and pitch recognition over six seasons in the minors, gradually increasing his walks and reducing his strikeouts.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia is a free agent after the 2013 campaign while David Ross is a backup and only signed through 2014. That represents an opportunity for a Red Sox minor leaguer. The 25-year-old Lavarnway has significantly improved his defense, and he is a right-handed bat with power. The athletic Swihart is just 21, and he is still developing at advanced Single-A Salem (Va.), where he is hitting .273 but has yet to belt a home run.

With his strong and accurate arm, his advanced game-calling abilities and his seasoned defensive instincts, Vazquez already possesses talents that are difficult to find in a catcher. By 2015, he will likely be ready to join the Major League club as a backup. If a backup is all he ever is, Vazquez will still be an asset to the Red Sox because of his defensive skills and his game-calling abilities. Productivity at the plate will be a welcomed added bonus.

Clay Buchholz allowed the leadoff hitter to reach in five of the seven innings he tossed on Wednesday, but the 28-year-old right-hander minimized the damage to an RBI ground out from Alex Rios in the third inning as the Red Sox salvaged the finale of a three-game series in Chicago with a 6-2 victory over the White Sox.

Boston toted a five-game winning streak into U.S. Cellular Field but dropped the first two against the White Sox. The win on Wednesday wrapped up a 6-3 road trip for the Red Sox and brought them back within a half-game of the New York Yankees in the American League East.

Buchholz improved to 7-0 with a 1.73 ERA by limiting the White Sox to one run and five hits over seven innings. Koji Uehara retired the side in order in the eighth and Andrew Bailey, who made his first appearance since he was activated from the disabled list, surrendered a solo home run to Paul Konerko in the ninth but retired the other three hitters he faced.

Jon Lester, who was roughed up for six runs in a 6-4 loss in the series opener, was the lone Red Sox starter to struggle at Chicago. Felix Doubront allowed two runs and five hits in six innings on Tuesday in Boston’s 3-1 loss in a game that White Sox left-hander Jose Quintana owned a no-hitter through 6.1 innings.

Konerko’s home run off Bailey was one of the few miscues Boston’s bullpen committed on the road trip. Red Sox relievers surrendered just three runs in 26 innings.

On Wednesday, the Red Sox scored early on left-hander Hector Santiago, who made a spot start in place of ace left-hander Chris Sale. David Ortiz‘s two-run single lifted Boston to a 2-0 lead.

Santiago was impressive in his outing, holding the Red Sox to those two first inning runs and three hits with nine strikeouts and four walks over six innings.

The clubs were tangled in a 2-1 game until the final two frames, when the Red Sox scored two runs each in the eighth and ninth. Will Middlebrooks’ sacrifice fly and a passed ball by catcher Tyler Flowers resulted in a 4-1 Boston lead in the eighth. Boston plated two more in the top of the ninth on Daniel Nava‘s two-out, two-run single.

It was an encouraging game for Jacoby Ellsbury, who has yet to consistently get on base this season. The center fielder was 2-for-3 with a run and two walks.

Now 28-19, the Red Sox have the best road record in the American League at 15-9. They open a four-game series at Fenway Park on Thursday against Terry Francona and the Cleveland Indians. It marks the return of Francona as an opposing manager at Fenway. Before winning two World Series titles as skipper of the Sox, he managed at Fenway for the Philadelphia Phillies.

The pitcher-catcher tandem at Double-A Portland on Thursday will soon be featured at Fenway Park as well, health permitting.

Catcher David Ross, who is recovering from concussion symptoms, will serve as the backstop for the Sea Dogs on Thursday while 27-year-old left-hander Franklin Morales will make another rehab start.

According to media reports, Ross will likely be activated from the 7-day concussion DL on Friday if he responds favorably in Thursday’s game.

The versatile Morales, who can serve as a starter or a reliever, is slated to throw 80 pitches or log five innings – whatever arrives first. Red Sox manager John Farrell has not indicated how Morales will be used when he is activated from the DL.

Speculation has slotted Morales in the rotation, replacing 25-year-old left-hander Felix Doubront, who has struggled with his command and shown reduced velocity this season. Doubront took the loss on Wednesday but allowed two runs and five hits with three strikeouts and a more palatable two walks in six innings against the Chicago White Sox.

Regardless of whether Morales joins the bullpen or the rotation when he is activated, he gives the Red Sox starting pitching depth since he is being stretched out as a starter during his rehab stint.

You gotta love Koji Uehara.

The 38-year-old right-hander from Japan has provided a steady presence in the Red Sox bullpen this season, posting a 1.93 ERA in 20 games and logging a save while closer Andrew Bailey was on the disabled list. Yet what differentiates Uehara from about every pitcher in Major League Baseball is his exuberance after pitching a successful inning .

Uehara demonstrated a prime example on Wednesday night at Chicago after he retired the side in order in the eighth, preserving a Red Sox lead. He sprinted into the dugout and cheerfully greeted his teammates with high five, not missing a hand. Shane Victorino, who sat out Wednesday night’s game with a sore hamstring, was not looking when Uehara delivered his high five.

Uehara’s ritual is amusing to watch, but importantly it illustrates the favorable chemistry that defines the 2013 Red Sox, which is a welcomed change compared to the dysfunction that plagued the clubhouse, the dugout and the diamond last season.

Uehara and countryman Junichi Tazawa are valuable pieces of the Red Sox bullpen because they consistently throw strikes and get outs. Uehara has a 0.93 ERA to accompany is 1.93 ERA. His enthusiasm is a reflection of the more favorable vibes with the club this season.

Another nagging injury to Shane Victorino has outfielders at Triple-A Pawtucket on notice.

Victorino, who has dealt with back soreness this season, reportedly mildly tweaked his hamstring on Monday against the White Sox. He was sidelined on Tuesday and Wednesday, but the Red Sox are hopeful that the 32-year-old switch-hitter will avoid a disabled list stint.

Victorino, who is hitting .283, ran on a treadmill on Wednesday without discomfort. Daniel Nava started in right field Wednesday night while Jonny Gomes hit second in the lineup, a spot typically occupied by Victorino.

If Victorino requires a trip to the DL, the Red Sox would likely recall 23-year-old outfielder Jackie Bradley Jr., who is already on the 40-man roster. Bryce Brentz and Jeremy Hazelbaker, both of whom are hitting well at Pawtucket, have yet to make their Major League debut and they are not on the 40-man roster.

After a sluggish start to his big league career – he batted .097 (3-for-31) after he was a surprise Opening Day roster addition following a sizzling spring training – Bradley is batting .315 with a .885 OPS in 65 plate appearances for the PawSox. It is Bradley’s first taste of Triple-A.

Is Ryan Dempster injured?

That is a legitimate question after his last outing, a forgettable evening against Minnesota when he needed 127 pitches to log 4.2 innings in a no-decision. The 36-year-old right-hander was erratic all night, facing numerous deep counts while walking six and allowing five earned runs and eight hits  in a game Boston won, 12-5.

Dempster had given the Red Sox a steady presence in the middle of the rotation until his last two starts. Before the debacle against the Twins, he served up six runs and seven hits over five innings in a loss to Toronto.

Often, when a pitcher is hurt, it is his location and command that disappear, and not his velocity. The Red Sox will see if Dempster has lingering effects from the high-stress outing versus the Twins when he takes the mound at Fenway Park on Thursday in the opener of a four-game series against Terry Francona and the Cleveland Indians.

Dempster altered his between starts routine to prepare for Thursday’s game. Instead of completing a full side session off a mound, he threw from flat ground. Dempster also returned to Boston on Wednesday to get a restful night’s sleep. The rest of the team will arrive in the early morning hours on Thursday after finishing a three-game set in Chicago Wednesday night.

His promising pitching career derailed by a torn labrum and a shoulder that remained troublesome even after surgery, Chris Martin lost interest in classes at a Texas community college and took a job at UPS and then an appliance warehouse.

A 21st round draft pick of the Colorado Rockies in 2005 out of McLennan Community College, Martin even made an attempt to pitch in an independent league, but the shoulder would still not respond.

Four years ago, while working at the warehouse, he tried out for another independent league team. Martin’s arm felt good, he said, after playing toss with his boss, who was a friend from high school.

Martin’s shoulder was healthy again when he signed with Grand Prairie, which was managed by former Major Leaguer Pete Incaviglia. At Grand Prairie, the 6-foot-7, 225-pound Martin was with a 1.96 ERA and 36 strikeouts in 36.2 innings.

The Red Sox took notice and signed him to a minor league contract in March 2011. He has worked his way from low Single-A Greenville in 2011 to Triple-A Pawtucket, where he is today.

Now 26, Martin features a plus fast ball and slider. After logging 21 scoreless innings at Double-A Portland (where he struck out 27, walked six and posted a 0.71 WHIP), he was promoted to Pawtucket (where he has recorded five scoreless innings in three appearances).

Earlier this season, Martin told the Bangor Daily News that he envisioned himself back on the mound, even when he was working at UPS and the appliance warehouse.

“I thought about it all the time,” Martin said. “I saw friends and guys I grew up with playing in the big leagues. I felt I was just as good as they were and I could be in their shoes.”

The Red Sox have experienced an array of injuries to relievers this season. Joel Hanrahan is out for the year, Andrew Bailey is returning from the disabled list today, Franklin Morales opened the year on the DL and is in the midst of a rehab assignment at Pawtucket, and Craig Breslow started the season on the DL and has since returned and pitched well for the Red Sox.

Martin gives Boston added depth at Pawtucket. If he continues to overmatch International League hitters, he will likely find a spot in the Red Sox bullpen, even before rosters expand on September 1.

Following Sunday’s game that saw Andrew Miller, Koji Uehara and Junichi Tazawa each toss a scoreless frame to seal Boston’s 5-1 win at Minnesota, the Red Sox bullpen has allowed one earned run over 21 innings during the current 5-1 road trip. Tonight in Chicago against the White Sox, Boston will get a key addition to the pen when Andrew Bailey is activated from the 15-day disabled list.

Bailey was placed on the DL on April 28 with a strained right biceps muscle. After an injury-plagued 2012 campaign – his first season with the Red Sox – the 28-year-old right-hander is 1-0 with a 1.46 ERA, a 0.81 WHIP, 20 strikeouts in 12.1 innings and five saves in 13 appearances.

On Saturday, Bailey logged an inning at Triple-A Pawtucket, surrendering a solo home run to former Major Leaguer Brett Carroll but striking out two batters and throwing 17 pitches, 14 of which were strikes.

When Bailey is activated, Jose De La Torre will likely be optioned to Pawtucket and the pen will feature Bailey, Tazawa, Uehara, Miller, Craig Breslow, Alex Wilson and Clayton Mortensen.

Beyond Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz, the Boston Red Sox rotation has been inconsistent in May. Ryan Dempster has allowed 11 earned runs in his last two starts while Felix Doubront continues to lack command. John Lackey stepped forward on Sunday with a much-needed quality outing when he limited the Minnesota Twins to one unearned run and one hit over six innings in Boston’s 5-1 victory.

If not for a three-hour rain delay that was called in the bottom of the seventh at Target Field, Lackey likely would have pitched deeper into the game. He threw 84 pitches, striking out five and not walking a batter. Lackey improved to 2-4 with a 3.31 ERA.

Lackey’s pitching, and three RBI (including a two-run home run in the ninth) from Dustin Pedroia, helped the Red Sox wrap up a three-game sweep of the Twins. Boston has won five in a row and is 27-17 and just a half-game back of the New York Yankees in the American League East.

With two hits on Sunday, Pedroia extended his hitting streak to 11 games. He is batting .343 on the season.

David Ortiz collected two hits as well and was 8-for-13 with two home runs and seven RBI in the three-game series against his former team. Ortiz has hit safely in seven consecutive games and is batting .364 with seven home runs, 29 RBI and a 1.074 OPS.

Jacoby Ellsbury was given a day off on Sunday, and Shane Victorino returned after sitting out for two games with back soreness. Victorino contributed a hit, a run, a walk and a stolen base while playing center field.

Will Middlebrooks continued to slowly emerge from his season-long slump. He was 1-for-5, but the one hit was a solo home run, his eighth of the season.

Daniel Nava was 2-for-5 and slapped two hits in each of the three games in Minnesota, including a home run and three RBI on Saturday. Nava is batting .298 with six home runs and 27 RBI in 121 at-bats.

When he was a young slugger in the Minnesota Twins organization, the hard-swinging David Ortiz belted 31 home runs at three minor league levels in 1997 and swatted 30 dingers two years later in Triple-A. Yet Tom Kelly, who managed the Twins at the time, preferred that the man who later became Big Papi implement a more restrained swing.

Ortiz spent parts of six seasons at the Major League level with the Twins. Though he ripped 20 home runs in 466 plate appearances in 2002, the club decided to non-tender him instead of going to arbitration. It was a decision that then general manager Terry Ryan would regret.

In 2003, his first season with the Red Sox, Ortiz hit 31 home runs and knocked in 101 runs splitting time at first base and DH. Minnesota’s DH that season was Matt Lecroy, and Doug Mientkiewicz was the primary first baseman. The next season, while Ortiz clubbed 41 home runs and 139 RBI – leading the Red Sox to their first World Series title in 86 years – the Twins’ DH spot was mostly shared by, gulp, Jose Offerman and Lecroy.

Talk about an awful decision.

Fast forward to Saturday night at Target Field in Minnesota. With Kelly in the broadcast booth watching, Ortiz belted two home runs and drove in six runs in Boston’s 12-5 punishment of the Twins. In 53 games against his former team, Ortiz is batting .333 with 15 homers, 17 doubles and 43 RBI.

Now 37, Ortiz is in his 11th season with the Red Sox. He admits that there was a time when he had extra motivation when facing the Twins. Ortiz claims it is no longer personal, but that is difficult to believe.

Since Ortiz was non-tendered by the Twins and joined the Red Sox, he has been an integral part of two World Series champions and has emerged as arguably the best DH in baseball history. After returning from an Achilles tendon injury in late April, Ortiz is batting .362 with seven home runs, 29 RBI, a .681 slugging percentage and a 1.089 OPS in 103 plate appearances.

Think the Twins could use a bat like that?

Signed by the Mariners as an international free agent out of the Dominican Republic in 1992, Ortiz (who once played under the name David Arias), was the player to be named later in the deal that sent Dave Hollins from Minnesota to Seattle in September 1996.

Ortiz ascended the Twins farm system as a prominent power hitter, though he was never considered a premium prospect. Baseball America rated him No. 84 in its 1998 pre-season top 100 list, but that was the extent of his recognition.

In 1998, when he was 22, Ortiz saw his first extensive Major League action, batting .277 with nine home runs, 46 RBI and a .817 OPS in 326 plate appearances for the Twins.

A year later, he hit .315 with 30 home runs, 110 RBI and a 1.002 OPS in 563 plate appearances at Triple-A Salt Lake City. He saw little time with the Twins, and in that short stint, he was 0-for-20 with 12 strikeouts in 25 plate appearances.

From 200o to 2002, Ortiz spent most of his time in the majors. He batted .282 with 10 home runs, 63 RBI and a .810 OPS in 478 plate appearances in 2000. Ortiz followed that with 18 dingers in 2001 and 20 more in 2002. Yet his free- swinging ways did not appeal to Twins talent evaluators.

Tom Powers of the St. Paul Pioneer Press wrote about an interview he conducted with Ortiz earlier in his Red Sox career. Ortiz told Powers, “I always hit a lot of home runs when I was coming up. I’d take a big swing and my first manager would be screaming at me: ‘Hey, hey, hey, what are you doing?’ Are you kidding me? You want me to swing like a little girl? I’ll swing like a little girl.”

Ortiz told Powers that his free-swinging approach was embraced by the Red Sox.

“My first exhibition game here (with Boston), I came up with a runner on second and no outs. I’m thinking, ‘I’ve got to get the runner over.’

Ortiz didn’t swing for the fences in that at-bat. Instead, he was solely focused on making contact. Grady Little, who was manager of the Red Sox at the time, was awaiting Ortiz in the dugout.

“Grady said, ‘This is not the Twins. You’ve got to bring that guy in,’ OK, looks like I got a green light.”

In parts of six seasons with the Twins, Ortiz tallied 58 home runs, 238 RBI, a .266 average and a .809 OPS. Since joining the Red Sox, he has 350 home runs, 1,117 RBI, a .292 average and a .964 OPS.

Devoted Red Sox fans will remember that Ortiz was unhappy in his first season with the Red Sox since he was splitting time with Jeremy Giambi. That displeasure has long passed. On Saturday night, he recorded his 38th multi-homer game with the Red Sox, passing Hall of Famer Ted Williams for the top spot on that list.

Meanwhile, every time Boston faces the Twins – and Kelly is in the broadcast booth – he seems to grumble about anything related to the Red Sox.

Series after series and year after year, Ortiz reminds the Twins and Kelly what could have been.