Pitcher Zach Penrod, who made seven starts with the Portland Sea Dogs at the start of the last season, had on MRI on Wednesday because of elbow soreness. Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Staff Photographer

FORT MYERS, Fla. — Red Sox lefty Zach Penrod underwent an MRI on Wednesday after experiencing soreness in his elbow, manager Alex Cora said Thursday.

Penrod is on the 40-man roster after making his major-league debut late in 2024. A source said those involved are “not optimistic” while they await details from the exam, signaling concern about potential ligament damage that could lead to a long absence.

“We’re waiting for the results. We’ll know more tomorrow,” Cora said.

Penrod was listed among the non-throwing pitchers in camp Thursday after first feeling the injury while throwing a couple days ago.

The Red Sox signed Penrod out of independent baseball in August 2023. He pitched seven games after making his debut in September last season. In four innings, he allowed two runs (one earned) on three hits, while walking four and striking out three. He started the season with the Portland Sea Dogs, making seven starts. In 35 1/3 innings, he allowed 23 hits and 11 earned runs. He also made 15 appearances for Triple-A Worcester, including five starts.

“Hopefully everything’s OK,” Cora said. “With the lefties, we’ve got (Aroldis Chapman), we’ve got (Justin) Wilson. We’ve got (Brennan Bernardino). We’ve got Penrod. There’s probably more coming in the upcoming days. We felt like the last few years we had good ones but we were short. So like I said, competition is good. The more the better. (Penrod) is part of the equation.”

THE RED SOX are signing 35-year-old veteran left-handed pitcher Matt Moore to a minor league contract, according to a source.

Moore can opt out of the contract five days before Opening Day if Boston doesn’t add him to its 40-man roster. That’s the case with all veteran free agents who sign non-guaranteed deals, including fellow veteran Adam Ottavino, who re-joined the Sox earlier this week.

Moore, who was selected to the AL All Star team and finished ninth for the Cy Young in 2013, struggled on a one-year, $9 million contract with the Angels last season. He recorded a 5.03 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, 41 strikeouts and 26 walks in 51 relief outings (48 1/3 innings). He did hold opponents to a .218 batting average. Left-handed hitters hit just .174 against him. Moore’s season ended a month early due to a forearm strain but he appears to be healthy now.

Moore has a career 4.39 ERA in 369 outings, including 164 starts. He has a 3.64 in 205 relief outings.