Asset freeze isn't that chilling for Ellsbury

FORT MYERS, Fla. - While there seems to be financial trouble over at the Yankees spring training complex in Tampa, at least among a couple of Scott Boras clients, the alleged $8 billion scheme involving Robert Allen Stanford doesn't seem to have had as much impact on the Red Sox. But the Sox aren't entirely free from the fallout.

Jason Varitek said he had not invested with any of the companies associated with Stanford, so he wasn't affected. But Jacoby Ellsbury, whose paychecks aren't quite as big as those of the other Boras clients ($406,000 in 2008), did have some of his assets frozen last Wednesday, he said yesterday. He has a credit card associated with Stanford Financial that is currently unusable.

"I use different banks, too," said Ellsbury, who didn't seem overly concerned about the situation. "That's unfortunate. It just froze, everything just froze. They just want to make sure nothing leaves, nothing goes."

Fortunately, Ellsbury said, his assets are diversified, so he's not in the financial straits that it seems a couple of other Boras clients are. Johnny Damon and Xavier Nady, both Boras clients and Yankees, told Fox Sports's Ken Rosenthal they are having trouble paying bills, in the case of Damon, and putting money down on a house in New York, in the case of Nady. It appears their assets eventually should be unfrozen, and that they should not suffer major losses.

This comes after the Securities and Exchange Commission froze the assets of three companies related to Stanford last Monday.

Brad Wilkerson, another Boras player, also did not have money tied to Stanford. J.D. Drew was not in the Sox post-workout clubhouse for comment. Daisuke Matsuzaka also calls Boras his agent, but he is in Japan getting ready for the WBC.

"It didn't affect me at all," Wilkerson said. "Thank goodness."

Manager Terry Francona announced his pitching rotation for the first six games of spring training, through Saturday's doubleheader. Josh Beckett will get the first start, against Boston College in a split-squad doubleheader Wednesday. The nightcap at the Twins' Hammond Stadium will be pitched by Tim Wakefield. Jon Lester gets the start Thursday against Pittsburgh, followed by Michael Bowden at Tampa Bay Friday. There's another split doubleheader Saturday, with minor leaguer Kris Johnson starting against Northeastern and Clay Buchholz getting Cincinnati that evening. That lineup, though, doesn't include a couple of pitchers projected to be in the rotation. While Matsuzaka is in Japan until mid to late March, Brad Penny is in camp and doesn't appear on the list. The Sox are trying to go slowly with Penny to prevent the type of shoulder trouble he had last season. Francona said he expected to shoot for a March 5 debut for Penny.

Jonathan Papelbon, another pitcher the Sox would like to bring along slowly, threw a 50-pitch side session yesterday . . . David Ortiz was back on the field for workouts. He took batting practice - and looked strong in the afternoon, hitting more than a few over the fences - after sitting out the last two days with left shoulder soreness. Drew, on the other hand, missed practice with soreness in his glove hand. Drew was examined and pronounced structurally fine . . . Mike Lowell, returning from hip surgery, will take today off after working out for four straight days. "The progression is good, and it's been a progression, which is important," Francona said . . . Daniel Bard was one of the pitchers throwing live batting practice. Though Francona didn't see that outing, he did see the one prior to it, when Bard hit infielder Nick Green in the ribs with a pitch. "He's got a power arm that not too many guys in this camp or in the league possess," Francona said. "So he's going to be a fun guy to watch. Good breaking ball. Real solid year last year, kind of came into his own. What the guys in player development said is that he'll come into games and the guys on the opposing team that are [monitoring the radar] gun will all kind of do a double-take because he looks like he's throwing about 89, 90 [miles per hour], then they see it 97, 98, because it is fluid."

There was one injury at camp. Rule 5 pick Miguel Gonzalez felt a problem in his elbow, and was taken off the field for precautionary reasons instead of throwing his side session . . . Righthander Adam Mills joined major league camp as a non-roster invitee. He was the team's eighth-round pick in the 2007 draft . . . To no one's surprise, John Smoltz came out the winner at the Sox' charity golf tournament Friday.

Amalie Benjamin can be reached at abenjamin@globe.com; material from the Associated Press was used in this report.