Wilkerson is a going concern

He leaves team to weigh options

CLEARWATER, Fla. - Officially, Brad Wilkerson remains the property of the Red Sox. Unofficially, he is out of the running for an Opening Day roster spot that now will go to either Chris Carter or Jeff Bailey.

Before yesterday's 3-1 win over the Phillies, Sox manager Terry Francona acknowledged that Wilkerson has left the club to ponder his options leading up to an April 1 contract deadline. At that time, Wilkerson has the right to opt out of his deal, though it remains unlikely he will have better options elsewhere.

In 15 spring games and 42 at-bats, Wilkerson has nearly four times as many strikeouts (18) as hits (5), and has a .119 batting average. Francona praised Wilkerson for his defense in the outfield and at first base, versatility that inspired the Sox to sign Wilkerson to a minor league deal in the wake of a back injury to Mark Kotsay.

With Wilkerson out of the mix, the righthanded-hitting Bailey and the lefthanded-hitting Carter are slugging it out for one of the final two spots, the other of which seems earmarked for utilityman Nick Green. Because Green can play outfield - he played right field Saturday - the Sox do not need quite the same versatility from Bailey and Carter, though Carter has played at first base and in the outfield this spring.

Yesterday, while going 2 for 4, Carter hit his team-leading sixth homer of the spring and improved his average to .359. Bailey went 1 for 3 with a sacrifice fly and is now batting .356.

Regardless of which player makes the roster, the Sox are in good position to keep both because Carter has options and Bailey is signed to a minor league deal. Bailey would need to be added to the 40-man roster, but the Sox have the space to do that.

Justin Masterson learned Saturday he'll pitch out of the bullpen this season. After a spring of working on a starter's schedule, he'll occupy the same role he did once he joined the Sox last season.

"It's kind of just like before," Masterson said. "Nothing new really happened. I have an assurance of where I'm going to be, and there's an excitement about that. Some guys will stop making fun of me."

Throughout the spring, relievers teased Masterson as if starting games meant he was too good for them, while starters jokingly shunned him because he turned from a starter to a reliever last year. "It's kind of like you're in limbo," Masterson said jokingly.

Masterson believes this won't be his last dalliance with starting. Before last year, he was a starter, and that likely will be his long-term future.

"I think that fire is still there," Masterson said. "There's definitely that starter's fire that will be there if [starting] happens to be there down the road. By no means do I know I'm just a reliever now for the rest of my career. The memory of what it is and how to go about it will always be there.

"For this year and for the team, this is a good place to be."

Philadelphia fans still have not forgiven J.D. Drew, who continues to get booed for failing to sign with the club after being drafted in 1997. Drew went 1 for 4 with a pair of strikeouts, and he also made an uncharacteristic baserunning mistake when he failed to pick up the ball or third base coach DeMarlo Hale on a Jason Varitek single in the fourth. Drew wound up on second when he should have been on third, though he ended up scoring anyway. Francona was happy Drew made the trip. "I think the best move I made all day was to bring J.D. so they booed him instead of me," cracked Francona, who was similarly mocked by Phillies fans during his managerial stint in Philadelphia from 1997-2000 . . . The Sox will bring an entirely different travel squad to today's game against the Braves in Kissimmee, thereby lessening the travel stress on the roster. Francona and pitching coach John Farrell drove to the Orlando area and will meet the rest of the team this morning . . . Francona expressed regret upon hearing that Tigers starter Dontrelle Willis was placed on the disabled list with an anxiety disorder, calling the continued struggles of the lefthander "a shame." Lest anyone forget, the Sox and Tigers had discussions over the winter about a deal that might have sent Julio Lugo to Detroit for Willis.

Tony Massarotti can be reached at tmassarotti@globe.com. Kilgore reported from Fort Myers, Fla.