FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) – The Boston Red Sox starting rotation looks etched in stone – even struggling left-hander Casey Fossum is assured of a spot. The bullpen, on the other hand, still has “one or two” unanswered questions, manager Grady Little says, and that’s where he’s focusing his pitching decisions heading into the final week of spring training.

Little is still considering whether to carry six or seven relievers. Carrying six would free up another spot for one of the half-dozen players fighting for time at first and third base. Little says he’s leaning that way, but he isn’t rushing into anything.

“There’s a possibility we won’t make that decision until really, really late because we’ve got to make sure of the health of everyone,” he said before Boston beat Detroit 5-3 on Thursday. “Some of those decisions, when you make them, there’s no turning back.”

So far, the top six relievers look like Alan Embree, Ramiro Mendoza, Chad Fox, Bobby Howry, Mike Timlin and Robert Person. With Ugueth Urbina gone, the closer’s job will be by committee.

Mendoza, Timlin and Embree each pitched a scoreless inning on Thursday, following starter Pedro Martinez, who gave up one run during a strong, five-inning start. Fox couldn’t finish the ninth, giving up two runs in two-thirds of an inning.

The wild card is Pittsfield, Mass., native Matt White, who could get a shot if Little goes with seven relievers or Boston trades someone else away – something Little says isn’t out of the question. Without White, Embree would be the only lefty arm in the bullpen.

“I like his style, I like his aggressiveness,” Little said of White, 0-1 this spring with a 1.93 ERA. “He just doesn’t appear like he’s scared of anything.”

White got a vote of confidence Tuesday when the Red Sox traded Javier Lopez, another bullpen candidate, to Colorado.

Unfortunately for Little, grooming White in Triple-A Pawtucket isn’t an option. A Rule 5 draftee, White must be on Boston’s opening day roster or Cleveland could reclaim him, and the Indians have indicated they would do so.

The other complication: White strained an oblique muscle in his back Tuesday against Minnesota and is day-to-day, though Little said he won’t miss a turn. If the injury doesn’t improve, Little might not get to see enough of him. On the other hand, Cleveland couldn’t claim him if he went on the disabled list, which would buy Little some time.

“There’s about a week left in camp,” White said. “It’s crunch time. There’s a lot of guys battling it out right now. It’s unfortunate that I’m sitting here with my back being banged up.”

If Little goes with six relievers, he wants guys flexible enough to handle long relief, middle relief and closing.

Embree, one likely closer, has only six career saves. He’s been a set-up man in a number of bullpens with big name closers, like San Diego’s Trevor Hoffman and Atlanta’s Mark Wohlers.

“I think in a normal situation it wouldn’t work,” Embree, 4-6 last season with a 2.18 ERA, said of the closer-by-committee plan. “I think you have to put together the right personnel. You have a bunch of older guys (here) who have accepted roles from the seventh to the ninth inning, so it’s not going to be that big a transition.”

The first thing Little may ask of his relievers is to give up an extra arm to make room for a position player. That’s fine with Fox, who doesn’t figure Boston’s top three starters – Pedro Martinez, Tim Wakefield and Derek Lowe – will often get knocked out early.

“You look around at the starters we have, they’re going to get you deep in the game,” Fox said.

AP-ES-03-20-03 1805EST