While the Red Sox haven’t received any unwanted surprises as players report to Fort Myers, manager Alex Cora announced Monday that one veteran is behind schedule due to a nagging injury suffered late last season.

Romy Gonzalez is dealing with a shoulder issue suffered over the final weekend of the regular season, Cora said, and is behind the other position players as a result. The injury occurred on the night the Red Sox clinched a playoff berth against the Detroit Tigers and affected Gonzalez through the playoffs.

Related Articles

Red Sox haven’t decided where new ‘everyday’ infielder will play

Five storylines to follow as Red Sox spring training begins

Red Sox roster projection: Who will emerge in cutthroat rotation battle?

Red Sox claim member of Chinese Taipei’s WBC team off waivers

World Baseball Classic: 11 Red Sox players announced for tournament

“On Friday he dove to first and that’s when he felt it but he grinded through it and you could tell during the Yankees series, every time he swung and missed he was grimacing,” Cora said.

Cora said Gonzalez’s offseason has been “up and down” since, but that while he’s feeling better it’s too soon to tell whether or not the injury could sideline him for the start of the season.

“We’ll see,” Cora said. “We’ll see where we’re at, it’s something that throughout the offseason he didn’t get as many reps swing wise and it’s just a matter of him taking care of that and we’ll see where we’re at. I think it’s too early to know what’s going to happen.”

Following Cora’s press conference, Gonzalez spoke to reporters in Fort Myers and said his shoulder was feeling better before suffering a setback while hitting in early January. According to Tim Healey of the Boston Globe, Gonzalez received a PRP shot on Jan. 23 and is restarting his progression, but plans to be ready by Opening Day.

Originally expected to serve as a bench piece, Gonzalez emerged as a crucial everyday player as the season went along. The 29-year-old filled in at both first base and second base following Triston Casas’ season-ending injury and Kristian Campbell’s demotion to Triple-A, batting .305 with nine home runs and an .826 OPS in 315 at bats.

This season Gonzalez is likely to return to more of a utility role, but Cora said they still view Gonzalez as an essential piece to the puzzle.

“He did an amazing job for us,” Cora said. “He hit the ball hard, he played good defense, he’s versatile, we didn’t see him in the outfield last year at all because of the people that we had, but Romy, no way we make it to the playoffs without him, so he’s still important for us.”