Boston pitcher Bartolo Colon began rounding into shape during fielding drills at the team’s minor-league complex yesterday.

AP / Brita Meng Outzen

FORT MYERS, Fla. — When the Red Sox signed Bartolo Colon over the weekend, they cautioned that he would be far behind the pitchers who had been in camp for almost two weeks.

But apparently Colon doesn’t view it that way.

After showing surprising arm strength during a long-toss session with pitching coach John Farrell Tuesday, Colon yesterday said he expects his first bullpen sessionMarch 4 and is looking forward to pitching in a game as soon as March 9, some 10 days away.

It was unclear whether Colon has been told he will be pitching that quickly, or whether he’ll first pitch in a camp game at the minor-league complex or against major-league competition.

Either way, Colon was pleased with his progress.

“My arm feels good,” said Colon, speaking with the aid of an interpreter. “I just need to progress to the point where it feels strong.”

Colon, who signed a $1.2-million minor-league deal with incentives, said he chose Boston over other teams because the Red Sox “approached me aggressively and gave me the opportunity to pitch.”

He added that he was motivated to return to his 2005 form — when he was the American League Cy Young Award winner — to prove a point to other teams who have doubted about his ability to still pitch at an elite level.

St. Louis and Houston were among other teams interested in signing Colon, who said he was also attracted to the Red Sox “to be a part of such a strong group of Latino players.”

Free agent starter Freddy Garcia was in camp yesterday morning, but the Sox aren’t interested in offering the Venezuelan native a contract. After undergoing shoulder surgery last August, Garcia probably won’t be ready to pitch until midseason at the earliest.

Garcia’s visit was prearranged before the Sox signed Colon. He’s been visiting a number of camps — including, most recently, the Mets. The medical staff took a look at Garcia, who won 17 games with the White Sox in 2006 before being traded to the Phillies. He made just 11 starts last year (1-5, 5.90 ERA) before being shut down in June because of shoulder issues. He underwent surgery two months later.

“We just don’t know what is going to happen down the road,” said manager Terry Francona, “so we’re trying to cover all our bases.”

Cold spell hits Florida

When the Sox piled onto a bus at 11:15 yesterday morning to head for the airport and then to the White House and Walter Reed Medical Center, a numbers of players from the 2007 championship team remained behind, including Julian Tavarez, Manny Ramirez and Devern Hansack. Francona pointed out that the trip was not considered “mandatory” by the organization. … Unseasonably cool temperatures are expected today — and tonight — when the Sox begin their exhibition season. During the nightcap, it’s expected the temperatures could struggle to get out of the 40s.

smcadam@projo.com