Rodriguez (knee) threw off a mound Wednesday for the first time since temporarily dislocating his kneecap Feb. 27, the Boston Herald reports.
The left-hander threw about 20 pitches as pitching coach Carl Willis and manager John Farrell looked on as extremely interested parties. Rodriguez threw from a standard delivery, but did not throw with 100 percent effort. The exercise was more about feeling his landing and the weight transfer one makes during a delivery. "We saw what we wanted to see," Willis said. "More importantly, he felt that he could be normal. That's the case. You have to have that confidence not only in as a pitcher and your arm, but for your entire body to do what you do." While nothing is official yet, Rodriguez will most certainly open the season on the disabled list. In that likely event, the Red Sox will make do with Steven Wright, Henry Owens or Roenis Elias.