Exposito making up for lost time

When Luis Exposito starts struggling, he gets out his cellphone. He types in a few words to Bob Tewksbury, a sports psychologist who works with Red Sox minor leaguers, and presses the send button. The advice he gets always seems to help.

"We talk a lot," Exposito said. "He talks about the little men. You've got to have those guys on your shoulders. Don't base my abilities on one thing that happened. Think of all the good stuff I've done. He's been a real help to me as a player and as a person."

Having spent the offseason working to "prove people wrong and prove to myself I can really do this," the catcher seems back on track. He was promoted from Greenville to Lancaster last week after impressing talent evaluators with his play in low Single A. But he did have something to prove, having missed all but nine games last season when he was sent home for a violation of team rules.

Some predicted that would be the end of the line, but Exposito has played well enough for director of player development Mike Hazen to say he has "every chance" to be an everyday major leaguer. And he's already taken to Lancaster, where he recorded a 5-for-6 day in his fifth game.

"He's got plus arm strength," Hazen said. "He's a really good thrower and he's a good game caller. Some of the things we're working on are [from] more of a receiving standpoint. Repetition, or lack thereof, that's really the biggest developmental thing we're working on right now. He's got a good build for a catcher. The receiving aspect of it is definitely the biggest need right now."

One issue is Exposito's difficulty handling balls to his left. It's the place, Hazen explained, where righthanded sinkerballs go - think Justin Masterson or Daniel Bard - and it can be a challenge for young catchers. But having good hands will help.

"The power aspects of his game are really good," Hazen said. "It's the little refining parts that need work. He can really hit fastballs, especially at this point in his career. Plus power and good contact ability. At this point, he's still relatively new in his career."

Because Exposito missed virtually all of 2007, he has just 458 career at-bats, even though he was drafted (31st round) in '05. Fortunately for him, he's just 21, meaning the Sox have more leeway than they would if he were 23 or 24.

But it didn't help that Exposito missed so much time. He called the situation "a really good learning experience of what not to do. Just do the right thing and nothing bad will happen."

"It hurts a ton," Hazen said. "Any time you miss development time, whether it's from injury or whatever reason, it slows you down. No one can afford to get slowed down.

"It hurts every player and it hurt him. But he's made up for it nicely. He's gotten himself back on track to where he would have been anyway."

Take it easy

Michael Bowden has been dominating Double A (5-1, 2.35 ERA in his last 10 starts), but he's already thrown 94 1/3 innings, so the organization is looking to rest him. With the All-Star break coming up, Bowden is likely to be skipped a start, though he may be headed to Triple A soon.

Bowden was named an Eastern League All-Star this week, though he is unlikely to pitch in the game July 16. Given that he threw 142 2/3 innings last season, the Red Sox would like to see him around 155-160 this season. He is on pace for far more.

Kris Johnson, owner of a 0.61 ERA in his last five starts (two earned runs in 29 2/3 innings) for Portland, is also a candidate to get a break, though his recent run may prompt the Red Sox to keep him going a bit longer.

Walking man

Ryan Dent, a 19-year-old shortstop for Single A Lowell, has 10 walks in 14 games this season. In a game that was suspended Sunday and completed Monday, he had five walks. And in the second game Monday, he had two more. For a guy hitting just .182, that helps the on-base percentage . . . Pitchers Dustin Richardson (Portland) and Kyle Snyder (Pawtucket) have made rehab appearances as they work toward coming off the disabled list . . . Lancaster first baseman Lars Anderson, 20, has 13 hits in his last 32 at-bats (.406). For the season, he's up to .311 with 10 home runs, 41 RBIs, and 42 walks (with just 54 strikeouts). "Ever since he came off that wrist injury, his average has steadily climbed," Hazen said. "He's been a lot more consistent. He's ripped off a number of multiple-hit games. The one thing Lars has done this year, he went into a period of a week to 10 days where he really struggled. He was able to pull himself out of it. Last year he went through a long stretch, he went almost 0 for July. The thing we like is that period where he struggled got shorter by a couple of weeks." . . . Lancaster center fielder Jason Place, 20, has steadily improved each month this season, from a .169 average in April to .228 in May to .320 in June. (And he's 5 for 11 in July.) His RBIs, walks, and on-base percentage have gone up as well.

Amalie Benjamin can be reached at abenjamin@globe.com.