PAWTUCKET — For only the second time since he’s owned the Boston Red Sox, John Henry visited McCoy Stadium last night, along with chairman Tom Werner.

The two spent time with fans, signed autographs, visited the PawSox clubhouse and watched the game against the Ottawa Lynx with Pawtucket owner Ben Mondor. The last time Henry made the trek to Pawtucket was July 3, 2003. At the time he was making a good-will tour around New England to visit all of Red Sox nation.

Last night he and Werner made the trek from Boston since the Red Sox are on the road in Arizona and watched pitcher Jon Lester make his seventh rehab start for the PawSox. Henry was not available to the media as he relaxed in the owner’s box.

“It’s extraordinary,” Henry said of McCoy Stadium during his last trip to Pawtucket. “When I was with the Florida Marlins, our Triple-A affiliate was in Calgary and you couldn’t get there on a direct flight. To have someone down the road, a half an hour away by car, is extraordinary. I feel badly I haven’t got down to a PawSox game in the past.”

When Henry purchased the Red Sox in February of 2002, he promised to rebuild the minor-league system and along with general manager Theo Epstein, Boston’s affiliates have prospered with young talent.

Major League Baseball just concluded the annual amateur draft, and as always, the Red Sox are excited about the future.

“Winning isn’t the most important thing in the minor leagues,” said Henry his last time here. “But it is the second most important thing. The most important thing is to develop the players in Triple-A and to prepare them for the big club.”

The Red Sox have proven since Henry and his group took over that it is dedicated to winning.

Is J.C. Romero coming?

The Red Sox activated pitcher Mike Timlin yesterday and as a result designated relief pitcher J.C. Romero for assignment. When asked yesterday whether Romero would accept the assignment and report to Pawtucket, PawSox manager Ron Johnson said he did not know.

Buddy Bailey doing well

Former Pawtucket Red Sox manager Buddy Bailey, now managing the Iowa Cubs (Chicago’s Triple-A affiliate), has his club in first place in the American North Division of the Pacific Coast League with a 36-24 record. Bailey, a fan favorite in Pawtucket, managed the PawSox during two different stints from 1993-1996 and again from 2002-2004.

jmcdonal@projo.com