FORT MYERS, Fla. — Steve Selsky came out of high school in Los Angeles as a third baseman. He expected he’d play third base when he got to the University of Arizona.

It didn’t take long for Selsky to realize he needed a new position if he was going to get on the field. His bat allowed him to get on the field right away – he slugged .541 as a freshman – but he had too much traffic ahead of him at third base.

Steve Selsky, right, has always hit well enough to earn a spot in the lineup, but has not always had a position. In high school he was a third baseman, but an abundance of shortstops forced him to the outfield. In Boston, he may fit best as a utility infielder. Associated Press/David Goldman

“We had three shortstops playing short, third and second – and, actually, the guy playing first played short in high school,” he said. “We had four shortstops on the infield. Our lineup was just better if I was in the outfield.”

And so Selsky went to the outfield, where he spent the vast majority of his time in the Cincinnati Reds’ minor-league system. The only time he got back into the infield was when he played first base – including 68 games there at High-A Bakersfield in 2013.

What Selsky has discovered with Boston, however, is the opposite of what he saw as a 19-year-old at Arizona. The Red Sox have a crowded outfield and some question marks on the infield. That Selsky hits from the right side only gives him a better chance to win a job as a reserve behind Mitch Moreland and Pablo Sandoval.

And so Boston has had Selsky start to take ground balls and make throws not just at first base but at third base, too.

“The key is just getting reps,” he said. “You obviously don’t get to hang out at the hot corner too much. I do get a decent amount of reps at first, so it’s not foreign to be close to the hitter like that. It’s just on the other side of the diamond, making the throw across the diamond, that’s where the reps are going to come in handy.”

Boston Manager John Farrell said that he anticipates having Selsky play third base in a game in the not-too-distant future to see how he looks there.

“He’s an interesting guy because of the versatility,” Farrell said. “There’s a quality righthanded bat there. He can do a number of things.”

Selsky hit .280 with a .363 on-base percentage and a .459 slugging percentage at Triple-A Louisville last season, earning his first call-up to the major leagues with Cincinnati. He hit .317 with a .386 on-base percentage at Louisville the year before that. But the Reds designated him for assignment in January to clear space on their 40-man roster, and the Red Sox pounced.

Selsky was getting on the second of his two flights from Los Angeles to Cincinnati to take part in the Reds Caravan when he got word the Red Sox had claimed him.

• Rick Porcello struggled, allowing five earned runs on nine hits in four innings, but Pablo Sandoval hit two home runs and the Red Sox rallied to beat the Minnesota Twins 12-5 in a spring training game Saturday in Fort Myers, Florida.

Porcello, the 2016 Cy Young Award winner, walked three and did not strike out a batter.

Sandoval hit a two-run home run in the fourth and a three-run home run in the sixth for Boston.

YANKEES: CC Sabathia started out with three hitless innings before Baltimore caught up with him in the fourth in the Orioles’ 5-4 victory.

Sabathia was in control until Pedro Alvarez hit an RBI single and Chris Johnson connected for a two-run homer.

REDS: Pitcher Bronson Arroyo was hit in the face by a catcher’s throw on a stolen base attempt and exited a spring training game against Texas.

Arroyo was struck Saturday. He was checked by a trainer, went to another field and threw for a while. Arroyo said he didn’t expect to miss a start.

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