It was while playing for Escogido in the Dominican Winter League that Blake Swihart started to feel like Blake Swihart again.

His team needed him to catch on a second consecutive day, something he hadn’t planned on during his recovery from the ankle injury that had derailed his career for the previous 18 months. But Swihart obliged and, that night, after 18 innings in the crouch over two days, he felt it.

Nothing, that is.

“Usually when I play in back-to-back days, I can feel something,” Swihart said. “I was like, ‘You know what? I actually feel good today. What’s going on?’

“That was the first time I felt really healthy again, like I’m ready. It was like, finally, I’m back.”

What exactly is Swihart back to? It has been a long time indeed since Swihart felt like himself – so long that it’s easy to forget he was once a shining prospect in the Red Sox system and one of the brightest causes for optimism during 2015’s last-place finish.

During the second half of that season – one in which early injuries to Christian Vazquez and Ryan Hanigan expedited Swihart’s ascent through the minors – the switch-hitting catcher hit .303 with a .353 on-base percentage. His .805 OPS in the second half of 2015 wasn’t far off from the OPS debuts of Andrew Benintendi in 2016 and Rafael Devers in 2017.

Two things altered expectations for Swihart early in 2016, though. First, the gap between his defensive capabilities and those of Vazquez earned him a first-week demotion to the minors – largely as a scapegoat for a poor pitching staff. Second, he crashed into the wall in foul territory in left field in May, costing him the rest of one season and impairing his ability to perform in the next.

Swihart’s 2017 was a disappointment across the board, as the ankle prevented him from catching consistently behind the plate (thus meaning he’s essentially had two lost seasons trying to develop as a catcher) and from producing his usual numbers at the plate. He hit .190 for Pawtucket last year.

“I couldn’t sit on my back side very well hitting left-handed, so I was coming out of my swing and you guys saw last year, I struggled,” he said. “I was trying to play through it and I think I’m taking this offseason to get healthy, it’s going to be a big difference.

“I think I’ve taken the right steps now to get healthy and be ready to go.”

The path to regular playing time isn’t clear for Swihart. On the plus side, since he’s out of options, he’s got a very good shot to break camp with the major-league club. On the other hand, where he plays is up in the air.

While Swihart wasn’t able to get reps behind the plate, Vazquez reclaimed his spot at the top of the club’s catching hierarchy. Although Swihart still views himself as a catcher, he has spent time prepping for roles around the diamond, be it in the outfield or the corner infield. Of course, those aren’t spots with large openings at the moment.

“I just want to go in and do anything I can to help the team,” said Swihart. “I still look at myself as a catcher, and if I need to play other positions, I will.”

Maybe he supplants Sandy Leon as the club’s backup catcher. Maybe he’s a do-everything utility player whose bat carries him. Maybe he rebuilds his value as a post-hype prospect and is included in a trade for someone who better fits the Red Sox roster down the line.

Swihart isn’t worried about any of that right now. He’s just focused on producing.

“I know what I can do when I’m he healthy, and I’m excited to show everyone else,” he said. “I have a lot to prove. I have a lot to show people who Blake really is and to show everybody that I’m back.”

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