ARLINGTON -- Manager Alex Cora held his postgame press conference in less than 30 seconds on Tuesday. He didn¡¯t even need that much time, though, in providing his assessment of backend relievers Kenley Jansen and Chris Martin.

Both Jansen and Martin threw scoreless innings during an exhibition game vs. the Rangers on Tuesday, a 4-1 Boston win. With that, both are expected to be ready for Opening Day on Thursday in Seattle.

¡°They¡¯re good,¡± Cora said. ¡°We¡¯ll see how they are tomorrow, but stuff-wise was really good. They got their reps in and it was a good day for them.¡±

That was the biggest news -- and only topic addressed -- coming out of the final preseason game.

Jansen threw a scoreless seventh inning, striking out one during an 11-pitch outing. It was his third appearance in the last six days. There were questions about Jansen¡¯s availability after he was slowed the first three weeks of camp by a right lat strain. He then sustained a sore back once he finally got going and pitched his first game, but has reported no issues since.

Martin followed with a scoreless eighth inning, striking out one and throwing 16 pitches.

The 37-year-old took it slow by design early in camp and then dealt with a groin injury. But, like Jansen, he has now made three appearances in the past six days with no issues.

¡°Felt OK,¡± Martin said. ¡°Still working on some stuff, trying to get the delivery in sync and things like that, but physically feel good.¡±

The Jansen-Martin late-inning combo provides a nice veteran presence on a Red Sox team that has gone young in several areas. Jansen has 420 career saves and hopes to add another 30 to 40 this season. Martin has made 324 career appearances and is coming off a season in which he posted a 1.05 ERA over 55 games for the Red Sox.

Being flexible
"Flexibility" has been a buzzword for Cora in describing the roster as the Red Sox have been finalizing it this week.

¡°We¡¯ve never had this before,¡± Cora said during his pregame news conference. ¡°Sometimes you felt like you had your hands tied.¡±

That won¡¯t be the case this season as the roster features athletic and versatile players.

Cora mentioned center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela, MLB Pipeline¡¯s No. 76 overall prospect, as a player who could start games at second base and shortstop too. Bobby Dalbec and Triston Casas provide versatility at the corner infield positions, and Jarren Duran and Wilyer Abreu can be used at both corner outfield spots. If Duran and Abreu are both in the starting lineup, Cora said, Duran will be in left and Abreu in right.

• "It was awesome": Rafaela cracks first Opening Day roster

As far as the pitching staff, the Red Sox are expected to carry just one left-hander in Joely Rodr¨ªguez. But, Cora said the team likes right-hander Isaiah Campbell matching up against lefties as well out of the bullpen.

At the end of the day, Cora seemed pleased with the number of options this roster presents on a daily basis.

¡°We feel good with the group that we have,¡± Cora said. ¡°I do believe we¡¯re ready to play on Thursday.¡±

Staying positive
Optioning left-hander Brennan Bernardino to Triple-A ranked among the most difficult roster decisions in the final week. However, Cora hopes that Bernardino and every other player who didn¡¯t make the Opening Day roster continue to push for a spot in the big leagues.

¡°At the end of the day, you¡¯ve got 26 on Thursday. Hopefully, you get 26 in October and that 26 in October is different than the 26 on Opening Day,¡± Cora said. ¡°Is Opening Day special? Yeah, it¡¯s special. People are disappointed because they¡¯re not going to be there. At the end of the day, what are you going to do to get back to this situation? You have to push and you have to do your job wherever you go and come back to this environment.

¡°We expect some of these guys to come back and help us.¡±