ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Brad Ziegler has four saves since he joined the Red Sox on July 9. He also came into a game in the sixth inning this month and faced six batters.

His role has changed with the needs of the team, which took some getting used to. Ziegler was a closer before the Arizona Diamondbacks traded him and was accustomed to preparing only for the ninth inning.

“I’ve got a pretty good idea about how I’ll be used now,’’ Ziegler said. “Things have settled down.’’

The return of Craig Kimbrel and Koji Uehara from the disabled list has allowed manager John Farrell to use Ziegler in the seventh inning and line him up against righthanded hitters.

On Friday night, with Uehara and Kimbrel resting, Ziegler was the closer and finished off a 2-1 victory against the Tampa Bay Rays.

Righthanded hitters are 14 of 64 (.219) against Ziegler with two extra-base hits.

“His strength is so obvious and so clear, it’s truly a weapon for us to use in key moments,’’ Farrell said.

Ziegler has appeared in 28 games for the Sox and thrown 25⅔ innings. He has allowed only 22 hits and nine walks, two intentional. His earned run average is 1.40.

Ziegler has been charged with four earned runs, three coming Aug. 11 against the Yankees. Rookie left fielder Andrew Benintendi lost a ball in the lights, one of several defensive mistakes in that inning.

Ziegler is a groundball pitcher but has averaged a healthy 10.6 strikeouts per nine innings with the Sox.

“I’ve felt pretty good here. We have a good defense and that gives me a lot of confidence because I don’t normally strike a lot of guys out,’’ Ziegler said. “I’m reliant on contact, bad contact, and using the guys behind me.’’

Farrell is not afraid to use Ziegler in most any situation.

“We’ve put him in some really dirty spots with his back against the wall and he has been outstanding,’’ the manager said.

Ziegler appeared in two postseason games for Arizona in 2011. He is eager to return to that stage.

“For sure. I don’t feel like there are any holes on our team. We have to execute on the field because we can have a bad night like anybody else. But we’re not reliant on any one player,’’ he said.

“We have a lot of contributors. I like this team a lot. It’s been a lot of fun down the stretch. This is definitely a time I’ll remember

Ziegler, who turns 37 Oct. 10, has no plans to retire. He will be a free agent for the first time in his career and is eager for that experience.

“I’d definitely be interested in coming back,’’ Ziegler said. “There are 28 teams I’d seriously consider playing for. I’m open to listen to what kind of interest is out there. I’ve worked to get to free agency. I gave away a few years in my current contract and now I want to see what is out there.’’

Ziegler declined to name the two teams he would not consider. The Rockies are likely one, given the hitter-friendly conditions at Coors Field.

Time off coming

The Red Sox have a scheduled day off Monday. Farrell plans to use that to give most — if not all — of his regulars two days off in a row.

One group of players will sit out Sunday’s game against the Rays with the others on the bench for Tuesday’s game in New York against the Yankees.

“We’ll buy guys a couple of days down,’’ Farrell said. “That includes the guys in the outfield who have been playing almost every day.’’

Through Thursday, Mookie Betts (1,310) and Jackie Bradley Jr. (1,306) had played more innings in the outfield than any player outside of Adam Eaton, who had played 1,310⅔ innings for the Chicago White Sox.

Betts has played 151 games and Bradley 149.

Christian Vazquez could catch Eduardo Rodriguez on Sunday.

Rays to honor Ortiz

Tampa Bay will honor David Ortiz after all.

The Rays announced a ceremony would be held at 12:55 p.m. Sunday before his final game at Tropicana Field.

The Tampa Bay Times reported this month that the team was planning only a brief video highlights during the game. Rays players protested, in particular Evan Longoria, and those plans changed.

Red Sox lefthander David Price, who played for the Rays from 2008-14, was in communication with some of his former teammates at the time.

“I’m definitely glad we’re honoring him because it’s the right thing to do,’’ righthander Chris Archer told the Times. “This guy is a Hall of Famer, a borderline first-ballot Hall of Famer . . . Not to mention, he’s put a lot of people in these seats for the Rays.’’

Ortiz will join Cal Ripken Jr., Mariano Rivera, and Derek Jeter among visiting players honored by the Rays on their retirement.

He still has it

A few Sox players were on the field early in the afternoon for extra work. NESN’s Jerry Remy hopped in the cage and adeptly put a few bunts down. Remy had 116 sacrifices in his career . . . Koji Uehara has not pitched back-to-back days since coming off the disabled list Sept. 5. Farrell doesn’t see any need for that to happen before the end of the season. But Uehara, he said, will be able to do that come the postseason . . . Steven Wright threw from 120 feet in Fort Myers and remains scheduled to join the team at Tropicana Field on Sunday to throw in the bullpen. Wright, who is recovering from a shoulder injury, hopes to be an option at some point in the postseason.

Peter Abraham can be reached at pabraham@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @PeteAbe.