They missed each other in Portland by two years, but Hanley Ramirez and Arnie Beyeler will become acquainted soon.

The two are among those expected to report early for Red Sox spring training.

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Arnie Beyeler, left, will give Hanley Ramirez plenty of reps this spring as Ramirez prepares to moves from infield to outfield, a move Mookie Betts, right, made last year. The Associated Press

Beyeler, 50, the former Sea Dogs manager (2007-10), is Boston’s first-base coach who also works with outfielders.

Ramirez, 31, the former Sea Dogs shortstop (2004-05), will attempt to be an outfielder for the first time in his major league career.

Can Ramirez play the outfield? The Red Sox are betting $88 million he can. That’s the amount of Ramirez’s four-year contract with Boston (with a fifth-year option at another $22 million).

So Ramirez and others (including Rusney Castillo) will be in Fort Myers, Florida, early, walking out to a dew-covered practice field alongside Beyeler and his fungo bat.

Ask anyone who has worked with Beyeler, Ramirez can expect to be fielding a lot of baseballs next month.

“He just has to get a lot of reps out there,” Beyeler said. “Athletically, he should be fine.

“The bottom line: You have to catch the ball.”

No secret. Learn the position and practice. Then practice more. See the ball, catch the ball.

“Arnie does a real good job making us work,” Mookie Betts said.

Betts was one of the two infielders to play the outfield at Fenway last year, with Brock Holt. While Holt had to learn quickly while in Boston, Betts got his first taste of the outfield last year in Portland with Manager Billy McMillon tutoring.

This season Holt will remain the ultimate utility player for Boston. Betts could be the starting right fielder.

“Brock was so good. He kind of set the bar,” Beyeler said. “Then Mookie came in really good – starting with his work with Billy.

“Like everything, you have to do your homework, be prepared. It’s tough to do that without reps.”

The reps begin in about three weeks as the Hanley Ramirez outfield gamble begins.

BEYELER WAS in town this weekend to attend the annual Sea Dogs Hot Stove Dinner. With the Red Sox missing the playoffs in 2014, Beyeler’s offseason has been lengthy, unlike the shortened offseason after the 2013 World Series run.

“That was kind of a blur,” Beyeler said of the post-2013 break. “This time we had some time to relax.

“I liked the blur better.”

JOHNNY DAMON was the featured guest at the Sea Dogs dinner. Damon, 41, has not officially retired even though he has not been in uniform since 2012, when he played 64 games with the Indians.

Damon is holding onto the possibility of playing again.

“Being out almost 2½ years, I’m not expecting the call,” Damon said. “But I could be persuaded (to play again).”

Assuming no one persuades Damon, the decision to hang it up will come soon.

“When the season starts (and Damon has not been contacted by any teams), I know I won’t get back into it,” he said.

THE PITCH CLOCK was the big news last week and baseball will experiment in the Triple-A and Double-A leagues with a clock (presumably 20 seconds) to force the pitchers (and hitters) to work faster.

Ralph Treuel, the Red Sox minor-league pitching coordinator, does not foresee any problems.

“I think it’s good,” Treuel said. “As you have noticed in Portland, our guys don’t have that issues (with being too slow).

“It starts with Goose (Gregson, pitching coach to Boston’s youngest minor leaguers). We tell our guys to be aggressive. We want them to work quick and under control.

“(Brian) Johnson, (Anthony) Ranaudo, (Henry) Owens, they get after it. Probably the biggest culprit was (Felix) Doubront.”

Doubront did work slow at Hadlock Field and Fenway Park. Clay Buchholz is known for his deliberate pace, but he didn’t have that reputation in Portland.

“That’s because he got everybody out,” Treuel said.

NOTES: Former Red Sox (and Sea Dogs) catcher Ryan Lavarnway appeared to have settled on an organization for 2015, signing a minor league deal with the Orioles. Lavarnway had been designated for assignment by four teams this offseason – Boston, the Dodgers, the Cubs and Baltimore. . . . Former Sea Dogs pitcher Caleb Clay signed a minor league contract with Arizona. Clay, 26, nearly made his major league debut last August. The Angels called him up on Aug. 10 but he didn’t get into a game.

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