PORT CHARLOTTE — C Rene Rivera had a pair of hits in Friday’s 5-1 win against a Red Sox split-squad team. He singled to right field and double to left field, and manager Kevin Cash came away impressed.
“That’s the approach he’s worked on this offseason and it’s paying off,” Cash said.
Rivera spent a month working out with former big leaguer Luis Alicea at ELEV8 Sports Institute in Delray Beach. The goal was to correct the flaws in his swing that led to a .178 average last season.
Rivera wants to drive the ball through the gaps in the infield and hit to all fields this season.