Winckowski threw 80 pitches in relief on Wednesday, so the Red Sox will send him back to the minors and bring up Luis Guerrero as a fresh arm in the bullpen. Winckowski has allowed five earned runs on 11 hits in 11 2/3 innings this season with nine strikeouts and five walks.

Winckowski will be available in middle relief tonight. He had a 4.50 ERA over six innings in two relief appearances for Worcester.

Winckowski will open the year back in the minors as extra long relief depth. The 26-year-old righty was lit up for 12 runs on 15 hits over seven innings (five appearances) this spring in Grapefruit League play. He’s made 115 appearances (21 starts) for the Red Sox over the last three years and should factor into their pitching mix at some point in the near future.

The Red Sox decided against using Kenley Jansen with a two-run lead tonight after he struggled through a 28-pitch outing Wednesday. More surprising was that they also stayed away from Chris Martin, who hadn’t pitched since Tuesday. Still, it’s not like the Red Sox needed them against this lineup. Zack Kelly, Brennan Bernardino and Winckowski combined to retire nine of 10 batters after Nick Pivetta departed.