FORT MYERS, Fla. — Christian Vazquez left the Red Sox clubhouse Wednesday afternoon carrying a small bag of cooking spices. One of his goals during spring training is to prepare healthy meals at home instead of eating out.

At 26, Vazquez is conscious of doing everything he can to maximize his career after having what amounted to two seasons stolen away.

The catcher missed all of 2015 after tearing a ligament in his right elbow and having surgery. Then 2016 was a jumble of stops and starts that led to an extended stay in the minors.

Now comes another fresh start.

“I lost one whole year, I know that,’’ said Vazquez. “But it’s no excuse for having a bad year, and I had a bad year. I learned from that.’’

Vazquez played in 57 games for the Sox last season, but only six after July 2. He lost his position to Sandy Leon and spent much of the summer with Triple A Pawtucket.

As Leon put together the best offensive season of his career, Vazquez was rebuilding his swing with PawSox hitting coach Rich Gedman. He abandoned the leg kick he picked up while rehabilitating his injury in 2015 and concentrated on a more level and controlled swing.

Vazquez had an .805 OPS in August with Pawtucket but had only eight plate appearances with the Red Sox in September. That led to his playing 37 games this winter in the Roberto Clemente League in Puerto Rico. Vazquez picked up an additional 122 at-bats and in the league playoffs was 11 of 25 with five extra-base hits and six RBIs.

Vazquez also caught several games a week in Puerto Rico and further tested his arm. The lingering discomfort he felt last season is gone.

Before the injury, Vazquez had one of the strongest arms in the majors, shutting down opposing base-stealers with just a glance in their direction. It took longer than expected, but his arm feels normal again.

“The ball carries now,’’ Vazquez said. “I throw and I can feel the difference from last year. That will help me.’’

Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski and manager John Farrell have said that Leon enters camp as the starting catcher based on his performance last season. Vazquez and Blake Swihart are competing to be his backup.

Vazquez is out of minor league options, which plays in his favor. But roster machinations aren’t a concern right now.

“Come here and have fun, get ready for the season,’’ he said. “That’s how I look at it. We have to do our work and they’ll decide what to do. The goal here is to win. No matter who is first, second, or third, we’re trying to win a championship.’’

For Vazquez, the high point of last season was catching a 3-2 victory at Tampa Bay on Sept. 25. Five Red Sox pitchers struck out a franchise-record 23 in a 10-inning game. It was a reminder of how adept he is handling a pitching staff and calling a game. Sox pitchers struck out 11 in a row at one point, a major league record.

“Of course that was an important day for me,’’ Vazquez said. “I needed that.’’

David Price has called Vazquez one of the best catchers he’s ever worked with. Eduardo Rodriguez feels the same way. Vazquez also has extensive experience catching knuckleballer Steven Wright.

“I can’t wait to catch [Chris] Sale,’’ said Vazquez. “He was the first pitcher I faced in the majors. I was 0 for 3 but he didn’t strike me out. I’m glad he’s with us now. Hopefully I get to work with him a lot this season.

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Vazquez was one of 26 players who worked out on the back fields at JetBlue Park. Other newcomers to camp included righthanders Heath Hembree and Brandon Workman and lefthander Henry Owens . . . The Sox signed two-time All-Star outfielder Carlos Quentin to a minor league contract that did not include an invitation to major league camp. Quentin, 34, has not played in the majors since 2014 and in the last two seasons was limited to 26 minor league games because of knee problems. At his peak, Quentin had 36 home runs, 100 RBIs and a .965 OPS for the White Sox in 2008 . . . Triple A outfielder Rusney Castillo helped Caguas of Puerto Rico win the Caribbean Series, starting five of six games and going 4 for 23 with a home run and four RBIs

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Rosters for the World Baseball Classic were announced. Hanley Ramirez and Fernando Abad will play for the Dominican Republic and Xander Bogaerts for the Netherlands. Rodriguez is part of Venezuela’s available pool of pitchers. He is not on the roster for the first round but could be added later.

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