Justin Turner opens up on how he got the No. 2 jersey with Red Sox

BOSTON -- It did not take the Red Sox long to reassign Xander Bogaerts' No. 2 jersey. The digit found a new owner almost immediately, with veteran infielder Justin Turner taking the reins after signing a one-year deal with Boston in December.

That move may have seemed a little too soon for fans that were still pretty chapped that the Red Sox let their franchise player walk in free agency, albeit for a massive  11-year, $280 million contract with the San Diego Padres. And as we found out Thursday when Turner spoke with reporters in Fort Myers, Florida, it was the team that offered up that number to Turner.

To Turner's credit, he said that he hopes to live up to other greats that wore the No. 2 uniform in Boston, singling out Bogaerts and the beloved Jerry Remy. 

"I didn't really have a lot of options," Turner explained from the Red Sox spring training complex. "They asked me if I would be OK wearing No. 2, and I know there is some history there with Bogey and Remy. I read a little bit on social media about some of the stuff that comes up with No. 2. 

"It is a big deal and I don't take it lightly," he said of taking the number once worn by Remy, the late fan favorite and longtime Sox broadcaster  "I want to make him proud."

The number has always been near and dear to Turner's heart, sporting it on his back since he was four years old -- aside from a few instances. He wore No. 23 in college for one season because and older player already owned the digit. He quickly switched when it became available. He was No. 2 for the Mets from 2010-13, and only wore No. 10 during his career with the L.A. Dodgers because Tommy Lasorda wouldn't allow him to wear the deuce on his back.

"I'm excited to be back in No. 2 and hopefully make Remy proud of what I do and what I accomplish," he said.

Turner's connection with the number goes way back to when his father and older cousin sported the digit. He was also born at 2:22 a.m.

"My [Twitter] handle is @RedTurn2 because of No. 2, not because I'm a master double-play turner," Turner joked Thursday.

While he's excited to get his favorite number back, Turner is even more excited to join a franchise like the Red Sox. He was sold on Boston by former Dodgers teammate Enrique Hernandez, whom he called his favorite teammate ever and is now his roommate down in Fort Myers. Hernandez made a strong pitch to sign Turner to the Boston brass, and made a strong pitch to Turner to come to Boston.

"Just to hear him go out and publicly vouch for me, and all the texts -- not just from him but all the guys, both current and former Red Sox -- it was nice and encouraging," said Turner. "It made me feel comfortable coming here."

He also said he'll feel pretty comfortable hitting inside Fenway Park, excited that some "mishits" to left field will turn into singles and doubles off the Green Monster. He's already gotten a taste for that down in Fenway South.

That isn't all he's pumped about when it comes to playing in Boston.

"I'm looking forward to that atmosphere, the fans. I have played a few games there, 2018 in the World Series, and I know how loud it gets and how passionate Red Sox fans are," he said. "Excited to get out there every day."

Turner isn't sure how manager Alex Cora will use him just yet, but he said he'll likely play some first base and DH. He's hoping his 14 seasons of Major League experience will help replace some of the leadership the Red Sox lost when Bogaerts and J.D. Martinez departed via free agency, but knows that has to be earned inside the clubhouse. 

"Leadership isn't something that is just passed to someone; it's earned. I'm a new guy in here and I'm going to have to earn a lot of people's respect. That's OK by me," said Turner. "I enjoy the conversations and spending time in the cage and around the field. I'm a baseball guy and hopefully over the course of time, pretty quickly, I'll earn everyone's respect.

"And it's not just about me," he added. "There are a lot of guys in here who have done special things in their career and it's going to be a collective group of leaders who drive the ship."

With Boston coming off a last-place finish in the AL East, expectations are fairly low heading into the 2023 season. But that didn't cross Turner's mind when he agreed to his deal with the Red Sox.

Last year is last year and I don't know anything about that," he said. "There are a lot of new faces and a lot of new pedigrees with guys who have won. It's a new season."