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Left fielder Brandon Moss, 22, hit .268 with 31 doubles, 16 home runs, and 61 RBIs with Double A Portland last season and was named an Eastern League All-Star. Center fielder David Murphy, 24, hit .275 with 14 homers and 75 RBIs at Portland and was named the Red Sox organization's Minor League Defensive Player of the Year.

Both will return to Double A, at least to begin the year. Why?

''Moss is still young," said Ben Cherington, the Sox' vice president for player personnel. ''He's got all the physical skills to be a good hitter, he just goes through ruts during the season where he loses his mental approach. He'll have some 40-at-bat stretch where he doesn't have many quality plate appearances, then 60 at-bats when you can't get him out. He just needs to not allow an 0 for 4 to turn into an 0 for 20.

''We talked with him. Two years ago this would have been a pretty big disappointment. He does have a pretty good perspective right now."

And Murphy?

''He had a really good three months," Cherington said of the club's top pick in 2003, who began last year at .240, then hit .310 over his final 69 games. ''We're challenging him to go and pick up where he left off. Ultimately, he has a fairly good chance to be at Pawtucket before the season ends."

Murphy's issues are mostly with swing inconsistencies. For example: In big-league camp this spring he went 1 for 11, then homered in consecutive at-bats.

CHRIS SNOW