FORT MYERS, Fla. – Over the weekend, Red Sox non-roster invitee Lucas Luetge described himself as a cockroach.

“I always tell people I’m like a cockroach,” the relief pitcher told MassLive’s Christopher Smith. “You can’t get rid of me.”

With that unique analogy in mind, the Herald decided to put several players on the spot by asking them which animal they think best describes them. Meet the creatures of the 2024 Red Sox, in the order in which they were asked about their wild sides:

“I’d say shark, only because my son loves ‘Baby Shark,’ ” he said. “It’s like a joke how much he loves it. It’s just ridiculous, the longevity of that song. So I say shark, because we pretend to be sharks together.”

Any specific species of shark?

“Baby Shark is a Great White, right?” Refsnyder asked.

No one knows for certain.

“My son likes ducks,” Kelly said after hearing Refsnyder’s answer. “Mighty Duck.”

“Ooh, that’s a good one,” Refsnyder replied.

“Me and Donald Duck are both ‘Da Da,’ so I never know who he’s talking to,” Kelly said with a smile.

“OK, let me show you,” an enthusiastic Jansen said when asked. “If I was an animal, I don’t want to tell you to just tell you, I’m gonna show you why, if I’m an animal, who I would be.”

After over a minute of scrolling through his photo album, he held up his phone. On the screen, a black and white photo of a fearsome, majestic lion and the words “I’m coming for everything they said I couldn’t have.”

Leave it to the closer to give a mic-drop answer.

“I’m either a dolphin, or my favorite animal is an elephant, but I don’t want to be that slow,” Grissom said.

Then, the answer took a devious turn.

“First of all, I could kill (Refsnyder) with the shark,” the infielder said with a mischievous smile. Indeed, dolphins can kill sharks.

“Yeah, we can do it all,” Grissom added, fully embracing his marine mammal side. “Can do tricks, smart, do whatever I want.”

Casas chose an animal not too far off from the genetic makeup of a human.

“I would be an orangutan, swinging from trees and eating a lot of bananas, because I like bananas,” he said. “I just like their dynamic, how athletic they are, but mostly that they like bananas.”

According to the National Institutes of Health, humans and orangutans have approximately 97% of the same DNA.

“I don’t want to be swayed,” he said when asked if he wanted to know what his teammates’ answers were. Nonetheless, he and Jansen had the same idea.

“The easy answer is like, lion or tiger, right? I’m sure you’ve heard that a couple times,” he said. “I was thinking lion. That was the first one that came to mind.”

Lion or tiger, but not bear? (Oh my!)

“No bear for me,” Story said.

“What would be the equivalent of a teddy bear?” Campbell pondered. “Maybe a koala bear?”

“Actually, that’s a really good representation of me,” the reliever decided. “Obviously, I’m a bigger guy but like, koalas are very furry and gentle until they’re not. I have a feisty side on me, but it takes a lot to get there. I just like going about my business, I’m a nice guy, I enjoy being around people.”

Claws out on the mound only? “Yup,” he said. “I’m a go at your throat on the mound but off the field, I’m a sweetheart, big teddy bear.”

“Never given it too much thought,” Giolito said. “I’d say maybe a wolf, because wolves are very loyal and I feel that I’m loyal.”

“I also love dogs, and wolves are the closest relative,” the newest Red Sox starting pitcher continued. “I’ve been described as a golden retriever-type person before.”

Winckowski got straight to the point.

“Maybe just like an owl,” he said, “because I like to be up at night.”

“I guess a giraffe,” Chris Martin said thoughtfully. “Physically, I kind of look like one.”

The soft-spoken reliever is listed as being 6-foot-8 on Baseball-Reference.

Houck deviated from the pack with his initial answer. “Honestly, I’m more like a cartoon character,” he said. “I’m like Tigger.”

If Houck is Tigger, then what would his closest friend on the team, Whitlock, be?

“I think he’s Eeyore,” Houck said with a chuckle. “I’m all over the place and he’s just kind of like –”

Whitlock chose that exact moment to amble over. The pitchers’ lockers are next to one another.

“I’m saying how I’m Tigger and you’re Eeyore,” Houck told Whitlock. “Especially at 7 o’clock in the morning, I’m definitely Tigger and he’s definitely Eeyore. Until you get coffee in him, he’s definitely Eeyore.”

“Eeyore?” Whitlock exclaimed, equal parts outrage and amusement.

“Until you get coffee in you, yes!” Houck responded.

“I mean, yes, Tigger is right for you,” Whitlock said.

Then, Martin walked over and told them he was a giraffe.

“Giraffes makes sense,” Whitlock said. “I’m a bird of prey.”

Because he’s going to be feasting on batters this season? “Oh jeez,” Whitlock said.

“I mean, that’s what you said you were,” Houck said with a grin.

“Birds of prey, they’re sometimes solitary, but huge family values and they always mate for life,” Whitlock said. “I’ll go red-tailed hawk, because that’s what we have in Georgia.”

“Wow, you really went deep on that,” Houck said.

Then, another pivot. “Now that I think about it, honestly I might be more of a koala,” Whitlock said. “I love these questions.”

“I’m a bear, because a bear always wants honey,” Houck said, pivoting as well. “I like sweets, I like Sour Patch Kids, Mike ‘n Ikes –”

“I think he’s a good black bear, because they’re not scary,” Whitlock said of Houck. “Grizzlies, you run away.”

Or perhaps Houck is Yogi Bear.

“Hey there, Boo Boo! I think I found a pic-a-nic basket!” Whitlock said, mimicking the cartoon character’s voice perfectly.

“I don’t know what I am,” Houck said.

“You said I was Eeyore,” an affronted Whitlock replied. “What the heck? I’m a depressed donkey?”

“He’s just low-energy sometimes,” Houck said. “Like you, before you have your coffee.”

“I mean, that’s true,” Whitlock agreed.

Postscript: The following morning, Whitlock told the Herald that after much discussion between the pitchers, Houck was the golden retriever Dug, from the movie “Up.”