By SeanMcAdam
CSNNE.com
TORONTO -- Jose Iglesias got his first start in the big leagues Wednesday night, filling in for Jed Lowrie, who's been battling a bad cold and bad fever for a few days.
"It's exciting,'' Terry Francona said before the game on the prospect of watching Iglesias. "He's not going to be short on energy. I think we've been looking for a place to play him. Jed's been doing so well, it's kind of hard to take him out. But Jed looks like a wet washcloth; it's time to give him a night off.''
There are few questions about Iglesias's readiness in the field, but the Sox would like him to demonstrate some more patience at the plate.
On Wednesday, he went 0-3 with a strikeout.
"He has a tendency early on to be swinging at a lot of pitches,'' said Francona. "Hopefully, that's something that gets better with experience. He can do some things with the bat. But plate discipline, sometimes that takes a while.
"But this kid can catch the ball. If it's hit to him, he'll catch it.''
Boston Red Sox
In spring training, some Red Sox instructors were turned off by Iglesias's flashiness, turning routine plays unnecessarily into showy ones.
"I think he's aware of it,'' said Francona. "I think he's always going to have a flair. That's OK. He has some great hands and he kind of derives some energy from that, too. As long as that balls ends up where it's supposed to.
"I kind of told him this spring, the first time that ball doesn't end up where it's supposed to . . . He's a good kid. He works hard. He's just a little flashy.''
Sean McAdam can be reached at smcadam@comcastsportsnet.com.Follow Sean on Twitter at http:twitter.comsean_mcadam