Red Sox Outfielder Ties 20-Year-Old MLB Spring Training Record originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Boston Red Sox acquired outfielder Braiden Ward in a trade with the Colorado Rockies in November.

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Now, with an opportunity for more playing time during spring training while fellow outfielders like Ceddanne Rafaela, Jarren Duran, Roman Anthony and Wilyer Abreu compete at the World Baseball Classic, Ward has made quite an impression.

Ward has not only played in 15 of Boston’s first 17 spring training games, but the 27-year-old is making MLB history as well.

Ward — a non-roster invitee — recorded his 16th steal during Grapefruit League play this spring on Tuesday against the Detroit Tigers.

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Mac Cerullo of The Boston Herald noted Thursday morning that Ward’s total has tied a 20-year-old record, and he’s got a great chance to break the mark.

“According to FanGraphs, Ward’s 16 thefts is tied for the most by any player in a single spring since 2006, matching San Francisco’s Eugenio Velez’s total from 2008 with two weeks of games still to play,” Cerullo wrote.

The Boston Herald’s Gabrielle Starr wrote Tuesday that the most steals by a Red Sox player over a 16-game stretch in the regular season is 18 (in 19 attempts) by Jacoby Ellsbury from May 24 to June 15, 2013.

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Cerullo wrote that Ward “faces long odds” to crack the Red Sox’s Opening Day roster, but “it’s not hard to imagine” the former 16th-round pick being called up to Boston at some point this season “as a late-inning pinch runner down the stretch.”

“But Cora often says it takes more than 26 guys to win a championship, and if this spring has been any indication Ward will have a good chance to make his MLB debut and contribute at some point down the road,” Cerullo wrote.

Ward will have a chance to break the 20-year-old spring training stolen base record on Thursday, as he’s starting in right field and batting eighth in the Red Sox’s lineup against the Minnesota Twins.

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