Reeling Red Sox lose Trevor Story, Matt Strahm to injury in process of falling to Rays, 3-2; Chris Sale tosses 5 scoreless innings in season debut

Well, that was ugly.

Despite getting a strong start from Chris Sale and taking a two-run lead into the sixth inning, the Red Sox fell to the Rays by a final score of 3-2 at Tropicana Field on Tuesday night.

Sale, making his season debut, scattered just three hits and one walk to go along with five strikeouts over five scoreless frames. The veteran left-hander retired six of the first seven batters he faced before running into some trouble in the third, as he gave up a leadoff single to Yu Chang and one-out walk to Yandy Diaz. But he got out of that jam by sitting down Harold Ramirez and then punching out Christian Bethancourt.

Isaac Parades led off the bottom of the fourth with a hard-hit double and advanced to third on a Randy Arozarena groundout, but Sale stranded him there before ending his night with a 1-2-3 fifth inning. The 33-year-old southpaw threw 78 pitches (53 strikes) and induced a total of four swings-and-misses while averaging 95.1 mph with his four-seam fastball.

By the time he had recorded the final out of the fifth inning, Sale was in line for the win. That being the case because the Red Sox lineup had just gotten to Rays starter Corey Kluber for two runs in their half of the fifth.

After Alex Verdugo broke up Kluber’s no-hit bid with a one-out double, Trevor Story was hit in the right hand while swinging at a 3-1, 89 mph sinker that was ruled a foul ball. Story would have to leave the game and was later diagnosed with a right hand contusion. He was pinch-hit for by Jeter Downs, who moved Verdugo up to third base on a softly-hit single to left field.

Franchy Cordero then laid down a successful sacrifice bunt down the first base line that brought in Verdugo from third to give the Red Sox a 1-0 lead. Bobby Dalbec followed by plating Downs on an RBI triple to double his side’s advantage.

The sixth inning is where things began to spiral for Boston. Ryan Brasier took over for Sale out of the Red Sox bullpen and put runners at first and second in the process of recording the first two outs of the frame. Alex Cora then turned to Matt Strahm, who almost immediately gave up an RBI single to the pinch-hitting Francisco Mejia.

Mejia’s single put runners at first and second for Taylor Walls, who ripped a 98 mph comebacker off Strahm’s left wrist. Strahm lost his glove but attempted to get Walls out at first base to end the inning. He instead threw the ball away, which allowed Parades to score the game-tying run.

Cordero, meanwhile, retrieved Strahm’s errant toss and attempted to throw home to Christian Vazquez. That caught Vazquez off-guard, as he tried to block the ball with his chest protector before it rolled away, giving Mejia the opportunity to score from third to give Tampa Bay their first lead of the contest.

Both Strahm and Cordero were charged with throwing errors on the play, and Strahm had to be removed with what the team later diagnosed as a left wrist contusion. He was replaced by Kaleb Ort, who recorded the final out of the sixth.

Boston’s lack of fundamentals continued to haunt in the top of the seventh. Verdugo and Downs greeted new Rays reliever Jalen Beeks with back-to-back hits to put runners on the corners with no outs. But Verdugo, representing the tying run, was picked off by Mejia at third base for the first out of the inning. Beeks proceeded to escape the seventh unscathed before facing the minimum in a scoreless eighth.

With John Schreiber and Hirokazu Sawamura keeping the Rays off the scoreboard, the Red Sox found themselves still trailing by one run heading into their half of the ninth.

Matched up against left-handed reliever Brooks Raley, Downs drew a two-out walk but that was immediately negated when Cordero fanned on three pitches to end the game.

With the loss, the Red Sox fall to 47-41 on the season and 11-22 against divisional opponents. They are 4-8 in the month of July.

Next up: Winckowski vs. McClanahan

The Red Sox will send rookie right-hander Josh Winckowski to the mound on Wednesday as they look to avoid dropping another series an American League East rival. The Rays will counter with their ace in left-hander Shane McClanahan.

First pitch from Tropicana Field is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. eastern time on NESN.

(Picture of Chris Sale: Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

Red Sox pull Kiké Hernández from rehab assignment with Triple-A Worcester

The Red Sox have pulled outfielder Enrique Hernandez from his rehab assignment with Triple-A Worcester, the club announced Tuesday.

Hernandez, who has been sidelined since June 8 with a right hip flexor strain, made just one rehab appearance for the WooSox at Polar Park last Friday. He was slated to play on Saturday as well but felt too much discomfort in his hip to do so.

With that, the Red Sox have opted to shut Hernandez down for the time being. The versatile 30-year-old underwent testing conducted by team officials on Monday and is slated to see a specialist outside of Boston later this week, per manager Alex Cora.

“There’s a good chance he’s going to go see a doctor, not in Boston, during the week,” Cora told reporters (including MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo) on Tuesday. “He doesn’t feel great so we have to back off and now see if there’s something else that’s going on that we haven’t seen in our testing or if something else came up. I think we’ll know more now during the week.”

After signing a two-year, $14 million deal with Boston last February, Hernandez emerged as the Red Sox’ everyday centerfielder and proved to be a sparkplug in October by posting a 1.260 OPS in 11 postseason contests.

This season, however, the right-handed hitter struggled to the tune of a .209/.273/.340 slash line to go along with four home runs and 24 RBIs across 51 games (238 plate appearances) prior to getting hurt in early June.

There is a chance that Hernandez’s prolonged absence will result in Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom pursuing additional outfield help ahead of next month’s trade deadline to supplement the likes of Alex Verdugo, Jarren Duran, Jackie Bradley Jr., and Rob Refsnyder.

In the meantime, the Sox will have to continue on without Hernandez, which, for Cora, is a disappointment.

“It sucks because we felt, at one point, that he was making strides,” said Cora. “Obviously, that’s why we let him play. Now, we just have to be very patient.”

(Picture of Enrique Hernandez: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox activate Chris Sale from 60-day injured list ahead of left-hander’s season debut, option Brayan Bello to Triple-A Worcester

The Red Sox have reinstated left-hander Chris Sale from the 60-day injured list. In order to make room for Sale on the major-league roster, right-hander Brayan Bello was optioned to Triple-A Worcester, the club announced Tuesday.

Sale will make his highly-anticipated 2022 debut against the Rays at Tropicana Field on Tuesday night. The 33-year-old southpaw missed the first three months of the season due to a right rib cage stress fracture he sustained while throwing live batting practice back in February. His recovery from that was slowed for a period of time in May because of a non-baseball medical issue.

After resuming his throwing program, Sale was sent out on a rehab assignment in late June. He made two starts in the Florida Complex League, one start for Double-A Portland, and one start for Triple-A Worcester.

In that outing for the WooSox against Scranton/Wilkes-Barre at Polar Park last Wednesday, Sale allowed one run on three hits, five walks, and five strikeouts over 3 2/3 innings of work. He threw 72 pitches (42 strikes) during that stretch while mixing in a high-90s fastball, a mid-80s changeup, and a high-70s slider.

As Alex Cora and the Red Sox look to bounce back against the Rays on Tuesday, they are hoping to get about 85 pitches out of Sale, who will be working on an extra day of rest and is also in line to start Boston’s first-half finale in the Bronx on Sunday.

“I believe we can be more aggressive now compared to last year,” Cora told reporters (including MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo) on Monday. “Obviously, tomorrow, probably 85 pitches. But I think we’ll be more aggressive. The fact we’re thinking about pitching him Sunday tells you a lot.”

Sale, of course, missed all of 2020 and the first four months of 2021 while rehabbing from Tommy John surgery. When the lefty returned to the mound last year, he was still building back up his arm strength.

This time around, however, the Red Sox seem optimistic that Sale will be able to fire on all cylinders since he is not working his way back from a major arm surgery. It also helps that the Lakeland, Fla. native will be pitching close to home.

Bello, meanwhile, returns to Worcester after making the first two starts of his big-league career against the same opponent in the Rays. Neither of those outings went particularly well, as the 23-year-old rookie surrendered nine earned runs on 13 hits, six walks, and seven strikeouts across eight combined innings.

Still, Bello showed at times why he is regarded by many as the most exciting pitching prospect the Red Sox have had in years. The Dominican-born righty will take what he learned from his first taste of the majors back to Worcester, where he owns a 2.81 ERA in nine appearances (eight starts) for the WooSox.

“Obviously, there’s a lot of growing, a lot of learning,” Cora said of Bello Monday night. “Tonight was a great learning experience for him. We were very pleased with the last two innings. He gave us a chance to win the game.”

By activating and Sale and optioning Bello, the Red Sox now have a full active and 40-man roster. Boston did not need to create a spot on its 40-man roster for Sale after placing backup catcher Kevin Plawecki on the COVID-19 related injured list on Monday.

Once Plawecki is ready to return, the Sox will need to take someone else off the 40-man roster since players on the COVID-related IL do not count against it.

(Picture of Chris Sale: Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images)

J.D. Martinez joins Rafael Devers and Xander Bogaerts in representing Red Sox at All-Star Game

Red Sox designated hitter J.D. Martinez is headed to the 2022 MLB All-Star Game at Dodger Stadium, Major League Baseball announced on Tuesday. The veteran slugger will replace the injured Yordan Alvarez of the Astros on the American League roster.

Now a five-time All-Star, Martinez originally finished behind the likes of Angels phenom Shohei Ohtani and Alvarez in both fan and player voting for the starting and reserve designated hitter spots. But Alvarez was placed on the 10-day injured list because of right hand inflammation on Sunday, making him ineligible to compete in the 92nd Midsummer Classic.

Because Martinez was the next designated hitter in line on the player ballot, he will join teammates Rafael Devers and Xander Bogaerts in representing the Red Sox in Los Angeles next Tuesday. In addition to Martinez taking over for Alvarez, the Giants’ Carlos Rodon and the Marlins’ Garrett Cooper were named replacements in the National League for the Brewers’ Josh Hader and the Phillies’ Bryce Harper, respectively.

Martinez, who turns 35 next month, has made the American League All-Star team in four of his five seasons (2018-2019, 2021-2022) with Boston. There was no All-Star Game in 2020 due to the nature of the COVID-shortened season.

In 76 games this season, Martinez is batting .313/.380/.500 with 29 doubles, nine home runs, 38 RBIs, 50 runs scored, 30 walks, and 78 strikeouts across 337 trips to the plate.

As is the case with Bogaerts, Martinez can become a free-agent at the end of the year. So this very well may be the final time he represents the Red Sox in an All-Star Game.

(Picture of J.D. Martinez: Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox top prospect Triston Casas begins rehab assignment in Florida Complex League

Top Red Sox prospect Triston Casas began a rehab assignment in the Florida Complex League on Tuesday afternoon.

Batting third and starting at first base for the FCL Red Sox in their game against the FCL Braves at JetBlue Park, Casas went 0-for-1 with two walks and a strikeout. He was replaced at first base by Lyonell James in the top of the sixth inning.

Tuesday’s outing marked Casas’ first in-game action at any level since May 17, when he suffered a high right ankle sprain while running the basepaths at Polar Park. He was placed on Triple-A Worcester’s injured list five days later and has been rehabbing in Fort Myers since early June.

Due to the nature of his sprain, the left-handed hitting 22-year-old struggled to put any weight on his landing foot, which prevented him from swinging a bat pain-free until just recently.

Prior to spraining his ankle, Casas was batting .248/.359/.457 with nine doubles, six home runs, 22 RBIs, 22 runs scored, 23 walks, and 35 strikeouts in his first 36 games (156 plate appearances) of the season with the WooSox.

Regarded by Baseball America as the No. 2 prospect in Boston’s farm system and the No. 29 prospect in all of baseball, Casas very well could have been on the cusp of making his major-league debut right about now had he stayed healthy.

Instead, the former first-round pick out of American Heritage High School has lost nearly two months of development time. With that, it seems unlikely that Casas will be getting called up anytime soon, though a late-season promotion certainly cannot be ruled out depending on where the Red Sox are at later in the year.

(Picture of Triston Casas: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Brayan Bello lasts just 4 innings in second start as Red Sox fall to Rays, 10-5

The Red Sox did not arrive in St. Petersburg, Fla. until about 4 a.m. eastern time Monday morning. It showed in their loss to the Rays on Monday night as Boston fell to Tampa Bay by a final score of 10-5 at Tropicana Field to drop to 47-40 on the season.

Brayan Bello, making his second start of the season, did not fare much better than he did in his major-league debut against the Rays at Fenway Park last Wednesday. This time around, the rookie right-hander allowed five earned runs on seven hits, three walks, and one hit batsman to go along with five strikeouts over four innings of work.

All five of those Tampa Bay runs came within the first two innings of Monday’s loss. In the first, Bello put three of the first four batters he faced on to fill the bases for Josh Lowe, who lifted a softly-hit two-run single to center field to give the Rays an early 2-0 lead. The Sox were able to respond in their half of the second, though, as Xander Bogaerts reached second base via a leadoff double, advanced to third on a passed ball, and scored from third on an infield RBI single off the bat of Alex Verdugo.

Despite getting one of those runs back, Bello ran into more trouble in the bottom of the second by issuing a leadoff walk to Luke Raley. He then got the first two outs of the inning, but gave up run-scoring hits to three of the next four batters he faced to make it a 5-1 game in favor of Tampa Bay.

Again, Boston responded in its half of the third. Jarren Duran went from first to third on a Christian Vazquez double. Both runners were then driven in on a two-run double from J.D. Martinez that cut the deficit down to two runs at 5-3. Duran struck again in the fourth by plating Rob Refsnyder on an RBI single, although he was tagged out in between first and second base to end the inning.

Bello, meanwhile, had begun to settle in a bit and ended his night by tossing back-to-back scoreless frames. The 23-year-old finished with a final pitch count of 82 (48 strikes) and was taken off the hook in the top of the fifth.

There, while matched up against Luke Bard, J.D. Martinez ripped a 105.9 mph double and was immediately driven in by Bogaerts. Bogaerts and Verdugo then proceeded to advance to second and third base, but both runners were stranded in scoring position with Trevor Story grounding out and Franchy Cordero striking out to extinguish the threat.

In relief of Bello, Austin Davis received the first call out of the Boston bullpen from manager Alex Cora. The left-hander yielded just one single in the bottom of the fifth before making way in the sixth for fellow southpaw Jake Diekman, who took over in a 5-5 game but could not keep the tie intact.

Instead, Diekman plunked the first Ray he faced in Taylor Walls, got the first out of the inning, and then surrendered a go-ahead RBI double to Yandy Diaz. Kaleb Ort came in for Diekman and allowed the runner he inherited to score on an RBI single from the pinch-hitting Harold Ramirez.

Phillips Valdez was next. He retired the side in order in the seventh but did not receive much defensive help in the eighth. Bobby Dalbec failed to catch a pop-up off the bat of Raley that should have gone for the first out of the inning. Walls then grounded into a force out at second before advancing to third on a Brett Phillips single. Diaz drove in Walls on a sacrifice fly before Ramirez scored Phillips on an RBI base hit back up the middle.

A groundball from Randy Arozarena that could not be corralled by Cordero kept the inning alive for Yu Chang, who plated Tampa Bay’s 10th and final run on another RBI single. Valdez was charged with three runs in the eighth. All three were unearned.

Down to their final three outs of the ninth, the Red Sox went down quietly against Jason Adam. They did not record a single hit in the last four innings of another defeat at the hands of a divisional opponent.

Next up: Sale’s 2022 debut on deck

Chris Sale will make his highly-anticipated season debut for the Red Sox in the second game of this four-game set. Boston will need to activate the left-hander from the 60-day injured list before first pitch on Tuesday night.

Opposing Sale will be veteran right-hander Corey Kluber for the Rays. Kluber and Sale finished first and second in American League Cy Young Award voting back in 2017.

First pitch from Tropicana Field on Tuesday is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. eastern time on NESN.

(Picture of Brayan Bello: Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

Red Sox place Kevin Plawecki on COVID-19 related injured list, recall Connor Wong From Triple-A Worcester

The Red Sox have placed catcher Kevin Plawecki on the COVID-19 related injured list. In a corresponding move, fellow backstop Connor Wong was recalled from Triple-A Worcester, the club announced prior to Monday’s game against the Rays.

It is unclear if Plawecki, who is vaccinated, has tested positive for COVID-19. MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo reports that the 31-year-old is exhibiting COVID-like symptoms and is currently awaiting test results. He was previously sidelined from April 18-25 after testing positive for the virus.

By placing Plawecki on the COVID-related injured list, the Red Sox have cleared a spot on their 40-man roster, which now sits at 39 players. As noted by Cotillo, that is significant since it means they will not have to create an opening when they activate left-hander Chris Sale from the 60-day injured list ahead of his 2022 debut on Tuesday.

Boston will, however, need to make room on its 40-man roster for Plawecki once he is cleared to return to action. Plawecki came into play Monday slashing .156/.267/.221 with one home run and five RBIs in 30 games (91 plate appearances) this season.

Wong, meanwhile, will serve as the Sox’ backup catcher while Plawecki is out. He is active for Monday’s series opener at Tropicana Field.

This will mark Wong’s second stint of the season with the big-league club. The 26-year-old appeared in two games back in April and went 1-for-6 with an RBI. In 57 games with the WooSox this season, the right-handed hitting Wong has batted .267/.340/.404 (101 wRC+) to go along with 13 doubles, six home runs, 20 RBIs, 29 runs scored, and seven stolen bases across 250 trips to the plate.

By recalling Wong, the Red Sox now have all three players they acquired from the Dodgers in the Mookie Betts trade on their major-league roster. Wong joins the likes of Alex Verdugo and Jeter Downs in Tampa Bay.

(Picture of Kevin Plawecki: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox’ Ceddanne Rafaela enters Baseball America’s top 100 prospects rankings

In the midst of a breakout season, Ceddanne Rafaela has entered Baseball America’s top-100 prospect rankings. Previously unranked, Rafaela is now regarded by Baseball America as the No. 84 prospect in all of baseball.

The Red Sox at present have five of the top 100-prospects in the game, as Rafaela joins the likes of shortstop Marcelo Mayer (No. 14), right-hander Brayan Bello (No. 24), first baseman Triston Casas (No. 29), and second baseman Nick Yorke (No. 50). Outfielder Jarren Duran was previously in the top-100 but has since graduated from his prospect status.

Boston’s reigning Minor League Defensive Player of the Year, Rafaela began the 2022 season with High-A Greenville. After posting a .729 OPS with Low-A Salem last season, the 21-year-old batted a stout .330/.368/.594 in 45 games with the Drive (he also hit for the cycle on May 17) before earning a promotion to Double-A Portland on June 7.

Since then, the right-handed hitting Rafaela has slashed a steady .287/.331/.574 to go along with six doubles, three triples, seven home runs, 19 RBIs, 21 runs scored, five stolen bases, five walks, and 23 strikeouts across his first 28 games (125 plate appearances) with the Sea Dogs. Among Eastern League hitters who have made at least 120 plate appearances to this point in the season, Rafaela ranks 13th in batting average, second in slugging percentage, ninth in OPS (.905), third in isolated power (.287), second in speed score (8.8), and 16th in wRC+ (141), per FanGraphs.

On the other side of the ball, Rafaela has continued to impress defensively while playing several positions. So far in Portland, the versatile 5-foot-8, 152 pounder has logged 36 innings at shortstop and 197 innings in center field. He showed off his athleticism by robbing Mets prospect Brandon McIlwain of a game-tying home run in the fifth inning of Portland’s 7-4 win over the Binghamton Rumble Ponies on Friday.

Rafaela, who turns 22 in September, has come a long way from a development standpoint since signing with the Red Sox for just $10,000 as an international free agent coming out of Curacao in July 2017. Taking that into consideration, the Willemstad native is all but a lock to be added to Boston’s 40-man roster this fall in order to receive protection from the Rule 5 Draft.

Both Rafaela and Bello, who also signed with Boston in 2017, will be representing the Red Sox organization in next weekend’s All-Star Futures Game at Dodger Stadium. Bello, of course, may not be able to attend if he is still on the big-league roster.

(Picture of Ceddanne Rafaela: Derek Davis/Portland Press Herald via Getty Images)

Red Sox’ Izzy Wilson earns Eastern League Player of the Week honors

Portland Sea Dogs outfielder Izzy Wilson has been named the Eastern League Player of the Week for the week of July 4-10, Minor League Baseball announced on Monday.

In Double-A Portland’s last series against the Binghamton Rumble Ponies at Mirabito Stadium, Wilson went 9-for-19 (.474) at the plate with two doubles, one triple, one home run, eight RBIs, seven runs scored, two walks, and two strikeouts over the course of games.

Wilson, 24, originally signed a minor-league deal with the Red Sox back in January after spending last season with the Angels organization. The 2022 campaign has not been all that kind to the left-handed hitter, who even after last week’s performance is batting just .160/.269/.278 (56 wRC+) with three homers, 16 RBIs, 24 runs scored, and three stolen bases through 51 games (186 plate appearances) for Portland.

Defensively, Wilson has seen the majority of his playing time with the Sea Dogs come in right field. The 6-foot-3, 190 pounder out of Sint Maarten has logged 310 1/3 innings in right while also making nine starts in center field. He has recorded three outfield assists, which currently is tied for the most on the Sea Dogs.

Wilson, who does not turn 25 until next March, becomes the second Sea Dog to earn Eastern League Player of the Week honors this season and joins the likes of Pedro Castellanos by doing so. He is eligible to become a minor-league free-agent again at the end of the year. In the meantime, he is presumably aiming to join Castellanos in Triple-A Worcester before the 2022 season comes to a close.

(Picture of Izzy Wilson: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Xander Bogaerts named All-Star reserve, joining Rafael Devers in representing Red Sox

Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts has been selected as a reserve for the American League All-Star team, Major League Baseball announced on Sunday.

Bogaerts will be heading to his fourth All-Star Game at Dodger Stadium on July 19. He will be joined in Los Angeles by teammate Rafael Devers, who was named the starting third baseman for the American League for the second consecutive year on Friday.

Following a 2-for-4 showing in Sunday night’s 11-6 win over the Yankees, Bogaerts is now batting .311/.389/.449 on the season with 21 doubles, seven home runs, 35 RBIs, 50 runs scored, three stolen bases, 35 walks, and 70 strikeouts over 82 games and 350 plate appearances.

Among American League shortstops, the right-handed hitting 29-year-old ranks first in doubles, fourth in RBIs, first in runs scored, first in walks drawn, first in batting average, first in on-base percentage, third in slugging percentage, and first in OPS (.838).

Despite those impressive numbers, Bogaerts finished behind the White Sox’ Tim Anderson (who will be starting at shortstop for the AL) and the Blue Jays’ Bo Bichette in fan voting. He was selected as a reserve through player voting.

Barring any changes in the coming days, Bogaerts and Devers will be the only two players in the 92nd Midsummer Classic. The two started at shortstop and third base for the American League in last year’s exhibition at Coors Field.

Besides Bogaerts and Devers, catcher Christian Vazquez, designated hitter J.D. Martinez, starter Nick Pivetta, and reliever John Schreiber were among those on the team who garnered at least some All-Star consideration.

In Bogaerts’ case in particular, this could very well be the last time he represents the Red Sox in the All-Star Game. The native Aruban can — and most likely will — opt out of the final three years of the six-year, $120 million extension he signed with Boston in April 2019 in favor of becoming a free agent.

Former members of the Red Sox who will be joining Bogaerts and Devers in Los Angeles next week include first-time All-Stars Andrew Benintendi and Martin Perez, two-time All-Star Kyle Schwarber, and six-time All-Star Mookie Betts.

(Picture of Xander Bogaerts: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)