Epstein said the motivation for the move was to get David Ortiz playing time more than anything else and that the team's recent performance was not a factor.
On Josh Reddick's recent play: "Josh has played really well. More so than any stats, it's really nice to see his maturation. Especially with his approach at the plate. He's been a guy who, from the day he signed, had plenty of bat speed to hit in the big leagues The ball came off his barrel great. It's just a matter of refining his approach at the plate a little bit, getting it a little more disciplined, a little more selective without taking away the aggression that's a big part of his game. ... He's managing his at-bats better."
"It's a great sign that he's been able to mature a lot as a hitter."
Epstein said Reddick's ceiling is to be an everyday outfielder. But that was not the plan for this season.
Could Clay Buchholz pitch before the All-Star break? "I don't know. We're going to go slow with this one and as (Terry Francona) said, make sure he's 100 percent before he gets back on the mound. I don't have an answer for you on that one. Things would have to improve pretty quickly here for him to have a chance to do that."
Epstein later explained that Buchholz has a muscle issue that affects only in a certain point in his delivery. "It's something that we have to knock out," he said.
On the lack of production from right field: "I haven't checked in the last day or two. I think we've scored more runs than anybody in baseball. Obviously we're happy with the overall production. You're never going to have the exact production you want out of every position.
"It's certainly a spot where we're not producing much. Concern? I wouldn't say concern. Obviously we've noticed. You'd have to be blind not to notice that we're not getting much out of right field. We're all expecting to get more out of it going forward. It's a combination of letting the players with good track records play and sooner or later find their stroke and also while we're banged up, giving other guys opportunities and seeing who can get hot. These things all work themselves out.
