FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) – Bronson Arroyo came to Boston’s camp knowing he had a roster spot locked up. Now he’d like to nail down a place in the starting rotation.

At least that’s progress, even if he does end up in the Red Sox bullpen.

“I feel stronger this spring than I think I ever have, especially this early in camp,” he said after allowing two runs on four hits in three innings of Thursday’s 2-1 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers. “I know I don’t have to go out there and have great outings to make the club.”

That’s allowed him to relax more and throw his pitches without worrying whether he works in relief once Boston’s other five starters are healthy. Wade Miller said he’ll miss at least the first month of the season as he continues his recuperation from a shoulder injury, and Curt Schilling may not be ready for opening day on April 3.

The Red Sox have three days off in their first 10 and can get by with four starters for the first two weeks. That could leave Arroyo out of the rotation.

He was 10-9 with a 4.03 ERA last year when he made 29 starts in 32 appearances. Since reaching the majors with Pittsburgh in 2000, he’s started 58 games and relieved in 33.

Manager Terry Francona thinks Arroyo can be an outstanding setup reliever along the lines of Ramiro Mendoza when he was in his prime with the New York Yankees.

“Bronson in the bullpen is a potential star,” Francona said. “He’s that Mendoza guy who throws 100 innings. … The way his arm is, he has some versatility as a reliever that could be really something.”

Arroyo made his exhibition debut last Saturday when he allowed three runs, one of them earned, in two innings against Cincinnati. He improved in his second appearance on Thursday when he pitched two scoreless innings then allowed a two-run homer by Jose Valentin in the sixth that gave him the loss.

“I wasn’t really working on anything,” Arroyo said. “I tried to prepare myself today like it was a regular season game and just go with (catcher Jason) Varitek and kind of throw the pitches he wanted to and try to put myself in the mind frame like it was a regular season game.”

Francona noticed the progress Arroyo, 28, made last year in his first season in Boston’s rotation.

“It looked to me as he got into it a couple of months he started getting an understanding of what being a major league pitcher is, being accountable,” Francona said.

“The work in between starts, he really kind of ramped it up.”

Arroyo got his first extensive postseason exposure last year when he pitched in seven games, two of them in the World Series.

“I feel like I can go out and pitch in any scenario,” he said. “I feel like I can definitely win 15 games for this team.”

AP-ES-03-10-05 2025EST