TRENTON, N.J. – A prospect wants to open each season by advancing up the organizational ladder.

So shortstop Derrik Gibson was happy to break spring training with the Portland Sea Dogs after spending last season at Class A Salem. But he had to sit out the first six games after, of all things, having his wisdom teeth removed.

Gibson finally made his Double-A debut Wednesday in Portland’s 10-1 loss to the Trenton Thunder at Waterfront Park.

It wasn’t a memorable opening for Gibson, who was Boston’s second-round pick in the 2008 draft; he went 0 for 4 with an error.

“I feel like it was bad timing,” Gibson said of the tooth problem. “Coming out of spring training you’re geared up to get ready to play. I was excited to go up to Portland but I had that little setback. It happens. It’s one of those uncontrollable things that you can’t really predict.

“I’m just looking forward to keep pushing on.”

Already having missed the last week and without the regular game-day routine of batting and fielding practice due to the 10:35 a.m. start, Gibson admitted to some rust.

“I was just trying to work out some jitters,” he said. “It’s hard to work on stuff in batting practice. It’s easier once you get in the game. It helps you relax and get back into a routine.”

He flied to center in his first at-bat, then grounded out in his next three plate appearances.

“I felt (the flyout) was a pretty productive at-bat,” said Gibson, who hit .240 with Salem in 2011. “It’s like baby steps. You miss a week in baseball, it’s almost like missing a month. I was pretty happy with seeing the ball, getting in some good counts. I’m just trying to feed off that and just keep going. I felt I’m getting closer to being 100 percent.”

Gibson hasn’t yet displayed the offense that had scouts raving when he twice was named the Delaware high school player of the year, but he has shown a good glove, leading Carolina League shortstops with a .966 fielding percentage (19 errors in 526 chances) last season.

But his fifth-inning error Wednesday allowed the go-ahead run to score, and Trenton added eight more on the way to a blowout. On the play, Gibson appeared to take his time getting to Gustavo Molina’s slowly hit grounder and had the ball go under his glove on the backhand side.

“Just a bad read off the bat and that comes from not being on the field too much,” Gibson said. “It kind of ate me up a little bit. Just have to get a better read and try to make that play.”

Said Manager Kevin Boles, “I thought he possibly could have gotten around that ball but he tried to come through it on the backhand. He was in position. It just got under his glove a little bit. He made some athletic plays other than that.”

The error aside, Boles is looking forward to penciling Gibson into his lineup every day.

“He’s very athletic,” Boles said. “It’s good to have that team speed. It’s good to see him. He’s an exciting player and we’re real happy to have him back.”

 

NOTES: After going 1-6 on its season-opening trip, Portland returns to Hadlock Field for its 6 p.m. home opener today against Binghamton. Oscar Tejeda, who had two of Portland’s seven hits, has hit safely in all six of the games he’s played. There was a scary moment in the fifth inning when Sea Dogs starter Chris Martin drilled Thunder second baseman Jose Pirela in the helmet with a fastball. Pirela stayed down for a few minutes before leaving the field on his own.