“There’s still work to do,” manager Alex Cora said before Boston’s game against the Astros on Friday. “He’s still a work in progress. He’s gotten better. The numbers show that. There’s a few things under the hood that we still need to get better at.” Cora said there are areas, both offensively and defensively, where he must improve.

Four years ago the Red Sox pursued Steven Matz as a free agent, and while the lefty ultimately signed with the Cardinals, he never forgot about the good things he heard about Boston.