Tag: alex cora

Red Sox’ Chris Sale strikes out 5 over 3 scoreless innings in first start of rehab assignment

Red Sox ace Chris Sale began his highly-anticipated rehab assignment on Thursday afternoon, and it’s safe to say things got off to a positive start.

Starting for the rookie-level Florida Complex League Red Sox in their contest against the FCL Orioles Orange team at Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota, Sale was scheduled to throw two innings, but wound up going three instead.

Over those three frames, the veteran left-hander kept the Orioles off the scoreboard while scattering just four hits and zero walks to go along with five strikeouts on the day.

After working his way around a leadoff single in an otherwise perfect first inning, Sale put himself in a bit of a jam in the bottom of the second, as he fanned the first batter of the inning before putting two straight Orioles on on back-to-back singles.

Faced with runners on the corners and two outs still to get, the 32-year-old dialed it up and punched out both Ricardo Castro and Luis Sena in consecutive order to get out of the inning.

In the third inning, Sale again allowed another runner to reach base on a one-out double, but got Moises Ramirez to ground out and followed that up by striking out the last man he faced — Isaac Bellony — on three pitches to end his outing on an encouraging note.

Of the 13 Orioles who came to the plate against him on Thursday, Sale induced two groundouts and one fly out in addition to the five punchouts. He finished with a final pitch count of 39.

Per SoxProspects.com’s director of scouting Ian Cundall, Sale relied on his fastball, slider, and changeup over the course of his three innings pitched. The fiery southpaw topped out at 94 mph with his heater, hovered around 78-79 mph with his slider, and sat between 85-87 mph with his changeup.

Cundall also noted that Sale’s feel for his secondary pitches improved as he threw them more and that the majority of the contact he gave up was weak.

Sale, as you may recall, is on the road back from Tommy John surgery, which he underwent on March 30, 2020 — his 31st birthday — after experiencing inflammation in his throwing elbow throughout the latter half of the 2019 season.

The seven-time All-Star last appeared in a major-league game on August 13, 2019, when he struck out 12 over 6 2/3 innings against the Indians at Progressive Field.

In working his way back from Tommy John, Sale has now reached the point where he can face live hitters, as he has done on a frequent basis since late June.

Under the pretext that he wakes up Friday morning without feeling any sort of pain or discomfort in his left elbow, Sale could be in line to make his second rehab start early next week seeing how he has been pitching every five days.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora had previously said that the club would like to keep Sale close to Boston while he rehabs so that he has easy access to the team’s medical staff. With that condition in mind, it appears likely that Sale’s next outing will come with Double-A Portland, per Cora.

The Sea Dogs open up a 12-game homestand at Hadlock Field beginning on Tuesday, July 20, so that should be the date for Sale’s next rehab start if he continues to pitch on four days rest. He probably would see his workload increase to four innings as well.

(Picture of Chris Sale: Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox to call up Tanner Houck for upcoming series against Yankees, joining Jarren Duran on major-league roster

Jarren Duran will not be the only fresh face joining the Red Sox in New York, as the club is also planning on calling up right-hander Tanner Houck ahead of Thursday’s series opener against the Yankees in the Bronx, according to WBZ-TV’s Dan Roche.

Houck, 25, opened the 2021 season in Boston’s starting rotation and posted a 4.35 ERA and .806 OPS against over three outings (two starts) and 10 1/3 innings pitched across two separate stints with the team, the second of which concluded after he yielded three runs over 4 1/3 frames as the 27th man in the first game of a doubleheader against the White Sox on April 18.

Since then, the lanky righty had to be shut down for approximately six weeks beginning in early May after experiencing flexor muscle soreness in his throwing arm, but was able to return to the mound for Triple-A Worcester on June 17.

In the five starts he has made with the WooSox since returning to action last month, Houck has put up a 4.50 ERA and 3.28 FIP to go along with 22 strikeouts to seven walks over 18 total innings of work.

At the moment, how the Red Sox plan on using Houck is unclear. As noted by MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo, the former first-round pick could be used as a starter, a multi-inning reliever out of the bullpen, or a hybrid-type who is capable of doing both when needed.

That being said, Sox manager Alex Cora did hint earlier this month that Houck’s role with the club during the second half of the season was going to be a multifaceted one.

“He’ll be versatile,” Cora told reporters (including MassLive.com’s Christopher Smith) back on July 1. “We’ve been talking about a few things. After the All-Star break, how are we going to do this? And where or how are we going to use him? Where and how are we going to use everybody else understanding that we’re going to play all those games in a row against division rivals. And we don’t have an off day until August 2.

“So we’ll stretch him out,” added Cora. “That’s the most important thing. And then we’ll decide how we’re going to use him. But versatility is something that might come into the equation and he might fit that bill.”

For the Red Sox to add both Duran and Houck to the major-league roster, a series of roster moves will need to be made.

While Houck is already on Boston’s 40-man roster, the same cannot be said for Duran, so a spot will need to be created there for the speedy outfield prospect.

Additionally, Cotillo notes that Marwin Gonzalez is likely headed to the injured list after the veteran utility man re-aggravated his right hamstring on Sunday.

Reliever Austin Brice, who was added back to the 40-man roster on Saturday, meanwhile, is a candidate to be designated for assignment in order to open up a spot on the 40-man for Duran, though that is just pure speculation at this point.

(Picture of Tanner Houck: Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox to call up top outfield prospect Jarren Duran for upcoming series against Yankees, per report

The Red Sox are planning on calling up top outfield prospect Jarren Duran for their upcoming series against the Yankees in the Bronx, according to the Worcester Telegram’s Joe McDonald.

Duran, who has been playing with Triple-A Worcester this season, was not in the WooSox’ lineup for the first game of their doubleheader against the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders at Polar Park on Wednesday, nor will he be in their lineup for the nightcap.

Instead, as noted by McDonald, Duran is on his way to New York to join the Red Sox as they prepare to kick off the second half of their season with a four-game series against the Yankees that begins on Thursday night.

Duran, 24, is regarded by Baseball America as the No. 5 prospect in Boston’s farm system, ranking tops among outfielders in the organization. The Red Sox selected the California native out of Long Beach State in the seventh round of the 2018 amateur draft.

Coming into play Wednesday, the 6-foot-2, 202 pound left-handed hitter was hitting .270/.365/.561 to go along with eight doubles, one triple, 15 home runs, 32 RBI, 37 runs scored, 12 stolen bases, 24 walks, and 52 strikeouts over 46 games (219 plate appearances) for the WooSox.

Earlier in the spring, the speedy Duran helped United States baseball qualify for the Olympic Games in Tokyo, but he was left off of Team USA’s Olympic roster due to the USOC being wary of the fact that the Red Sox would want to call him up at some point over the summer.

Because Duran — who turns 25 in September — is not currently on the Red Sox’ 40-man roster, the club will need to make a corresponding roster move on Thursday in order to add him to the major-league squad.

While it is unclear at the moment what that move will look like, one thing is for certain: Duran will be making his big-league debut under the bright lights of Yankee Stadium.

As noted by The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier, who confirmed McDonald’s report, Duran joins Jackie Bradley Jr. and Mookie Betts as prior top Red Sox outfield prospects to make their major-league debut in the Bronx.

(Picture of Jarren Duran: Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox select Puerto Rican right-hander Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz with No. 105 pick in 2021 MLB Draft

The Red Sox have selected Leadership Christian Academy (Puerto Rico) with their fourth-round pick in the 2021 MLB first-year player draft at No. 105 overall.

Rodriguez-Cruz, who turns 18 next month, is listed at 6-foot-4 and 170 pounds. The lanky righty is currently committed to play his college baseball at the University of Oregon.

Per ProspectsLive.com, Rodriguez-Cruz — a native of Trujillo Alto, which is only 11 miles north of Alex Cora’s hometown of Caguas — “makes it look extremely easy on the mound” with “smooth, repeatable mechanics.”

ProspectsLive.com had the young hurler as its 348th-ranked draft prospect, while Perfect Game USA had him as one of the top young right-handers coming out of Puerto Rico in this year’s draft.

“Long and slender build with long arms and legs, extremely projectable physically,” Rodriguez’s cruz Perfect Game scouting report from earlier this year reads. “High leg lift delivery, gets back over his lower half and coils well, arm and body are on time and he creates big arm speed through release with plus extension.

“Fastball worked up to 94 mph with big life at times, not much effort to create plus velocity, works fastball to glove side most of the time, held his velocity very well out of the stretch. Curveball had sharp biting action and some depth, can see him shortening it up for a power slider in the future. Quality change up with late dive and good arm speed generated plenty of bad swings. Very high ceiling young pitching talent.”

In Rodriguez-Cruz, the Red Sox have selected their first pitcher in the 2021 draft after taking three position players (Marcelo Mayer, Jud Fabian, Tyler McDonough) in the first three rounds.

The recommended slot value for the 105th pick is approximately $554,300.

Boston will once again be on the clock for pick No. 136, so stay tuned for that.

(Picture of Red Sox logo: Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

Nick Pivetta falters as Red Sox fall short against Phillies in 5-4 loss to close out first half of season

The Red Sox capped off the first half of their season in disappointing fashion on Sunday afternoon, as their comeback attempt against the Phillies fell short in the form of a 5-4 defeat at Fenway Park.

Xander Bogaerts provided the Sox with an early 1-0 lead by crushing a solo home run — his second in as many days — off Phillies opener Brandon Kintzler in the bottom of the second inning, but that would prove to be the only lead Boston would enjoy on Sunday.

That being the case because Red Sox starter Nick Pivetta got rocked for five runs — four of which were earned — on four hits and two walks to go along with four strikeouts on the afternoon.

Facing off against his former team for the first time since being traded last August, Pivetta likely had revenge on his mind, and it looked like things were going to go his way when he retired the first six batters he faced in order.

The third inning, however, was a different story for the right-hander, as he issued a one-out single to Ronald Torreyes to break up the perfect game before walking Travis Jankowski on 10 pitches and subsequently recording the second out.

Just two strikes away from escaping the jam, Pivetta gave up a hard-hit single to J.T. Realmuto that undoubtedly would have plated one run, but wound plating two on a throwing error made by right fielder Hunter Renfroe.

That sequence saw the Sox’ one-run lead turn into a one-run deficit at 2-1, and the Phillies tacked on even more off Pivetta in their half of the fourth when Torreyes deposited a two-out, three-run homer over the Green Monster, making it a 5-1 contest in favor of the visitors.

Pivetta’s day came to a close after he recorded the final out of the inning, as the 28-year-old finished his outing having thrown just 76 pitches, 48 of which went for strikes. In addition to taking the loss to fall to 7-4 on the year, Pivetta also raised his ERA on the season up to 4.30.

While Pivetta certainly put his side in a less-than-ideal spot, the Red Sox bullpen picked things up the rest of the way, as the likes of Yacksel Rios, Darwinzon Hernandez, Hirokazu Sawamura, Adam Ottavino, and All-Star Matt Barnes combined to toss five innings of scoreless baseball.

That said, the Boston lineup was unable to get anything substantial going offensively, though they certainly had their chances to do so.

After falling behind 5-1 in the fourth, the Sox countered in their half of the fifth by plating a run of their own an RBI groundout off the bat of Alex Verdugo, cutting the deficit down to three runs.

An inning later, Boston threatened once more, this time driving in a pair on back-to-back run-scoring knocks from Bobby Dalbec and Christian Arroyo off Phillies reliever Jose Alvarado to trim Philadelphia’s advantage to just one run at 5-4.

Fast forward to the eighth, and it looked as though the Red Sox were in a prime spot to turn this game on its head, as the bases were loaded with two outs for Verdugo, who was matched up against left-handed reliever Ranger Suarez.

Suarez wound up winning that particular left-on-left battle, though, as he got Verdugo to weakly ground out to second to extinguish the threat.

In the ninth, Suarez was at it again even while going up against the three most dangerous hitters in Boston’s lineup. The lefty punched out J.D. Martinez and Bogaerts, then got Devers to ground out to first to preserve the 5-4 victory for his side, as well as a 5-4 loss for the Red Sox.

All in all, the Sox went 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position on Sunday and left 10 men on base as a team.

With the loss, the Red Sox fall to 55-36 on the season and end the unofficial first half of the campaign having dropped four of their last five. They do remain 1 1/2 games up on the Rays for first place in the American League East

Gonzalez removed with right hamstring strain

Marwin Gonzalez was originally in Red Sox manager Alex Cora’s lineup at first base and batting out of the eight-hole, but was forced to exit in between the second and third innings after re-aggravating his right hamstring while running out a ground ball.

Bobby Dalbec replaced Gonzalez at first base.

A trip to the injured list for the veteran utility man seems likely, per Cora.

Next up: All-Star break

The Red Sox will be off for the next three days on account of the All-Star break.

Xander Bogaerts, Rafael Devers, J.D. Martinez, Nathan Eovaldi, and Matt Barnes will enjoy the festivities in Denver this week, while the rest of the team will prepare for a four-game series against the Yankees that begins in the Bronx on Thursday night.

Left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez is slated to get the ball for Boston in the series opener, while New York has yet to name a starter.

First pitch Thursday is scheduled for 7:08 p.m. eastern time on ESPN.

(Picture of Christian Vazquez and Nick Pivetta: Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

Red Sox’ Chris Sale to make first rehab start on Thursday; left-hander will pitch 2 innings in Florida Complex League game

Red Sox ace Chris Sale is slated to make his first rehab start in Southwest Florida on Thursday, Alex Cora said following Sunday’s 5-4 loss to the Phillies.

Sale, who tossed two innings in a simulated game at the Sox’ spring training facility in Fort Myers on Saturday, woke up Sunday morning without issue, leading to this next step being taken.

“He texted me. Everything is good,” Cora told reporters (including MassLive.com’s Matt Vautour) Sunday afternoon. “He felt great today.”

Thursday will mark the first time Sale has pitched in a competitive environment since August 13, 2019, as he has been on the road back from Tommy John surgery after undergoing the procedure last March — more than 16 months ago.

The Florida Complex League Red Sox will be taking on the Florida Complex League Orioles in Sarasota on Thursday, with first pitch scheduled for 12 p.m. eastern time.

“The plan is for him to go two innings in Fort Myers,” Cora said of the left-hander. “He’s pitching in the game down there.”

If all is well with Sale come Friday morning, one would have to assume the 32-year-old would be lined up to make his next rehab start with Double-A Portland on July 20.

That being the case because the Red Sox would prefer to keep Sale within close proximity to Boston so that he has easy access to the team’s medical staff if needed.

The Sea Dogs begin a 12-game homestand at Hadlock Field in Portland on July 20 that runs through August 1, while the Triple-A Worcester Red Sox will be away from Polar Park from July 20 through July 25, but kick off a six-game homestand on July 27.

While Sale will begin his rehab assignment with a two-inning outing on Thursday, the plan will ultimately be to get him stretched out to five or six innings before he is ready to return to the big-league club, as Cora said on Saturday.

“He’ll probably go two in the first one,” said Cora. “It’s a lot different than just pitching down there. It’s not the big leagues, but it’s a real game. He’s going to be anxious. He’s going to be excited. The whole day is going to be different. Probably two innings. From there, we’ll see where it takes us.”

(Picture of Chris Sale: Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox’ Chris Sale takes next step towards rehab assignment; ‘Tomorrow is a big day,’ Alex Cora says

Red Sox ace Chris Sale appears to be on the verge of being sent out on a rehab assignment after another successful simulated game on Saturday.

While the Red Sox were in the process of losing to the Philles, 11-5, on Saturday afternoon, Sale threw two simulated innings in which he faced live hitters at the club’s spring training facility in Fort Myers.

Per Sox manager Alex Cora, reports from head athletic trainer Brad Pearson pertaining to the left-hander’s outing came back positive.

“Everything [was] good. He was good,” Cora said Saturday night. “Brad told me he struck out a lot of people down there. As far as his stuff, he was was really good.”

If Sale, who is recovering from Tommy John surgery, wakes up Sunday morning without feeling any sort of discomfort in his throwing elbow, the next step would likely be to send him out on a rehab assignment with one of the Sox’ minor-league affiliates.

“Tomorrow is a big day. He did what he did today,” Cora said of Sale. “Let’s see how he shows up tomorrow. Hopefully, everything is fine. After that, we can map it out.”

The 32-year-old hurler underwent Tommy John surgery on March 30, 2020 — his 31st birthday — after dealing with elbow inflammation during the latter stages of the 2019 season and the early stages of spring training in 2020.

Sale last took a big-league mound on August 13, 2019, when he struck out 12 over 6 2/3 innings against the Indians in Cleveland, so it’s safe to assume that the Sox will ease their way back when it comes to building the seven-time All-Star up to a reasonable five- or six-inning workload.

“He’ll probably go two in the first one,” Cora said. “It’s a lot different than just pitching down there. It’s not the big leagues, but it’s a real game. He’s going to be anxious. He’s going to be excited. The whole day is going to be different. Probably two innings. From there, we’ll see where it takes us.”

Based off his throwing schedule in which he has been pitching every five days, it would appear that Sale would be in line to make his first rehab start on July 15.

Cora has previously said that the Red Sox would like to keep Sale close to Boston while he is rehabbing so the team’s medical staff has easy access to him if needed.

With that in mind, the Triple-A Worcester Red Sox will be playing against the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders at home at Polar Park from July 13 through July 18, while the Double-A Portland Sea Dogs will have a 12-game homestand at Hadlock Field that begins on July 20 and runs through August 1.

That being said, it seems likely that Sale would make his first rehab outing for the WooSox on July 15 and, if everything goes swimmingly, make his second rehab outing for the Sea Dogs on July 20.

(Picture of Chris Sale: Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)

Red Sox bullpen experiences eighth-inning meltdown in 11-2 loss to Phillies

The Red Sox came into the eighth inning of Saturday’s game against the Phillies at Fenway Park trailing only by a run at 3-2.

Josh Taylor, after recording the final out of the seventh, was looking to notch his 27th straight scoreless appearance out of the bullpen in the eighth, but got off to a poor start by issuing a leadoff single to Bryce Harper.

A five-pitch walk of Andrew McCutchen did not do Taylor any more favors, and neither did a two-run double off the bat of Rhys Hoskins that resulted in the left-hander’s scoreless streak coming to an unceremonious close.

Taylor would get the hook from Red Sox manager Alex Cora after plunking the next man he faced, and in came Brandon Workman, inheriting a bit of a mess.

Workman, like Taylor, failed to record an out in the top of the eighth, as the veteran reliever walked a batter to fill the bases before yielding two runs on an RBI single and bases-loaded walk.

Turning to his bullpen for the second time in the inning, Cora handed things off to the recently-recalled Austin Brice, who proceeded to allow four additional Philadelphia runs to cross the plate on hits from Jean Segura and Harper before eventually and mercifully getting out of the inning.

By the time that happened, though, the Sox found themselves in a considerable 11-2 hole, and they would go on to lose by that score on Saturday evening.

Perez’s poor start

Martin Perez made his 18th start of the season for Boston on Saturday, and he did not end the first half of his season on much of a positive note.

That being the case because in just 3 2/3 innings of work, the left-hander surrendered three runs — all of which were earned — on six hits and two walks to go along four strikeouts and two home runs on the afternoon.

Right out of the gate, Perez fell victim to the long ball, as he served a leadoff home run to Jean Segura in the top of the first to put his side in an early hole.

An inning later, Perez again dealt with some early trouble, this time walking leadoff man Rhys Hoskins before giving up a booming two-run shot to Alec Bohm, making it a 3-0 game in favor of Philadelphia.

The Red Sox lineup was able to counter off Phillies starter Matt Moore by pushing across two runs of their own on a Xander Bogaerts solo homer (his 14th of the year) in the second and a pickoff error that allowed Christian Vazquez to score from second base in the third, cutting the deficit down to one run at 3-2.

Perez, however, saw his day come to a close sooner than he probably expected in the top half of the fourth, when he gave up a two-out single and walk to Ronald Torreyes and Andrew Knapp, making way for Hirokazu Sawamura to take over.

Finishing with a final pitch count of 73 (47 strikes), the 30-year-old hurler wraps up the first half of his 2021 campaign with a 7-5 record and an ERA of 4.04.

Red Sox bullpen takes over

In relief of Perez, Sawamura took over in the fourth, recorded the final out of the frame, and tossed a scoreless top half of the fifth as well.

From there, Garrett Whitlock retired three of the four hitters he faced in the sixth and got the first two outs of the seventh while also giving up a single to Jean Segura.

With the left-handed hitting Bryce Harper due up next for the Phils, Cora turned to the left-handed throwing Taylor, and while the southpaw got out of the inning without facing Harper thanks to a successful pickoff of Segura, that matchup is where things took a turn for the worse for the Sox.

Taylor’s scoreless streak snapped

By surrendering two runs on two hits, a walk, and a hit batsman in the eighth inning on Saturday, Josh Taylor’s impressive run of 26 consecutive scoreless appearances was snapped.

Prior to Saturday, the last time the lefty had given up a run came on April 24, meaning he went 77 days without seeing his ERA increase.

Taylor’s streak of 26 consecutive scoreless appearances goes down as the second-longest such run in Red Sox history, trailing only Koji Uehara’s 27 straight scoreless outings during the 2013 season.

Slow day for the Red Sox lineup

While the Red Sox bats were able to get to Matt Moore for two runs early on Saturday, they were unable to get anything going offensively the rest of the way.

From the middle of the fourth inning on, Moore and the Phillies bullpen (Hector Neris, Bailey Falter, J.D. Hammer, Connor Brogdon) put nothing but zeroes on the board for their side to contribute to the victory.

All in all, Boston went 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position on Saturday while leaving seven men on base as a team.

Rays closing gap in division

With the 11-2 defeat, the Red Sox fall to 55-35 on the season. They have dropped three of their last four, resulting in the Rays trimming Boston’s hold of first place in the American League East down to 1/2 games.

Next up: Nola vs. Pivetta

The Red Sox will look to close out the first half of their 2021 season with a series victory over the Phillies on Sunday afternoon.

Philadelphia will send right-hander Aaron Nola to the hill in the rubber game, while Boston will dispatch fellow righty and former Phillies hurler Nick Pivetta, who will be making his first career start against his old team in the finale of this three-game series.

First pitch Sunday is scheduled for 1:10 p.m. eastern time on NESN.

Red Sox place Matt Andriese on 10-day injured list with right hamstring tendinitis, select Austin Brice from Triple-A Worcester

Before taking on the Phillies at Fenway Park on Saturday, the Red Sox placed right-hander Matt Andriese on the 10-day injured list with right hamstring tendinitis.

In a corresponding move, fellow right-hander Austin Brice was selected to the major-league roster from Triple-A Worcester, the team announced earlier Saturday afternoon.

According to Red Sox manager Alex Cora, Andriese suffered the hamstring injury during the seventh inning of Friday night’s 11-5 win over Philadelphia, as he came off the field limping after recording the final out of the frame.

“On the last pitch, if you go to the video, he comes out limping. I noticed it right away,” Cora told reporters (including MassLive.com’s Matt Vautour) Saturday morning. “He was going to go out for a second inning, but I took him off. We brought in Darwinzon (Hernandez), who we usually don’t use in those situations.

“We talked a little bit. He talked to the medical staff and we decided this is the best thing we can do. Get him right. He needs that,” added Cora. “Mechanics-wise that was not helping him. He’s been grinding. Just to unplug him and get him right, I think is the best course of action.”

Andriese — who the Red Sox signed to a one-year, $2.1 million deal in December with the idea of being a hybrid sort of pitcher who can provide length out of the bullpen while also starting when needed — allowed two runs on two hits and a walk in the seventh inning of Friday’s contest, marking yet another shaky outing for the righty.

After posting a 1.42 ERA in the month of April, Andriese has mostly struggled since then, as the veteran hurler has put up an unsightly 8.39 ERA and 1.032 OPS against over his last 13 relief appearances (24 2/3 innings pitched) dating back to May 1.

On the 2021 campaign as a whole, the 31-year-old hurler owns an ERA of 6.03 and FIP of 4.70 to go along with a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 38:11 in 26 outings spanning 37 1/3 total innings of work.

Because he was placed on the IL on July 10, the soonest Andriese could be activated would be July 20, though it remains to be seen if he will miss more than the minimum 10 days.

Brice, meanwhile, returns to the Sox’ major-league roster after being designated for assignment on May 21 in order to make room on the 40-man for utility man Danny Santana.

Prior to that happening, Brice had gotten his 2021 season off to a rough start with Boston, as he posted a 6.94 ERA and .867 OPS over 12 appearances and 11 2/3 innings before being designated.

After clearing waivers on May 25, however, the 29-year-old was outrighted to Triple-A Worcester, where he had a much better time of things.

That being the case because, leading up to his call-up on Saturday, Brice had allowed just two earned runs on seven hits, eight walks, and 17 strikeouts in 12 outings (one start) and 15 innings pitched with the WooSox.

The Red Sox had an open spot on their 40-man roster after placing right-hander Eduard Bazardo on the 60-day injured list earlier this week, so they were able to add Brice back to the big-league squad without having to make a corresponding move in that regard.

And while Brice is back with Boston for the time being, the lanky righty remains out of minor-league options, meaning the Sox would have to expose him to waivers again if they wanted to send him down to Worcester once more.

(Picture of Matt Andriese: Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox roster moves: Kevin Plawecki activated from injured list, Connor Wong optioned to Triple-A Worcester; Danny Santana placed on IL, Michael Chavis recalled

Before opening up a three-game series against the Phillies at Fenway Park on Friday night, the Red sox made a series of roster moves.

First off, backup catcher Kevin Plawecki was activated from the 10-day injured list. In a corresponding move, catching prospect Connor Wong was optioned to Triple-A Worcester following Wednesday’s game against the Angels.

Secondly, utility man Danny Santana was placed on the 10-day injured list due to a left quad strain. Santana’s stint on the IL was backdated to July 7. To fill Santana’s spot on the active roster, infielder/outfielder Michael Chavis was called up from Triple-A Worcester.

The Red Sox made all these transactions official earlier Friday afternoon.

Plawecki returns from the injured list after missing nearly three weeks of action on account of a left hamstring strain he sustained while chasing down an errant throw in Kansas City on June 20.

The 30-year-old backstop did not require a rehab assignment after traveling and working out with the team during their six-game West Coast road trip. He will be available off the bench if needed on Friday with Christian Vazquez getting the start behind the plate.

Coming into play on Friday, Plawecki has hit .254/.319/.349 with one home run, three doubles, three RBI, seven runs scored, five walks, and 12 strikeouts over 26 games (70 plate appearances) so far this season.

Wong, meanwhile, heads back down to Worcester after a rather successful first major-league stint with the Red Sox.

One of three players acquired from the Dodgers in the Mookie Betts/David Price trade, Wong was called up from Triple-A on June 22 and went 3-for-11 (.273) at the plate with one double, two runs scored, zero walks, and seven strikeouts across four games.

The 25-year-old, who is regarded by Baseball America as the No. 2 catching prospect in Boston’s farm system, made his major-league debut as a pinch-runner against the Rays on June 22 and wound up scoring the winning run in a 9-5 victory. He then caught Nathan Eovaldi on three separate occasions on June 26, July 1, and July 6, and drew praise from both the right-hander and Sox manager Alex Cora while doing so.

As he makes his return to the WooSox, Wong will take what he learned in Boston and look to apply that to his game while getting more consistent playing time.

Through 16 games (64 plate appearances) with the WooSox this season, the Houston-area native is slashing just .148/.188/.246, though he did miss some time due to a hamstring injury of his own.

—

Turning to the next roster move now, veteran utility man Danny Santana was placed on the 10-day injured list because of a left quad strain suffered in Anaheim earlier this week.

Santana sustained the injury late in Tuesday’s loss to the Angels, and while he was available in an emergency on Wednesday, he ultimately lands on the IL because of it.

The speedy 30-year-old attempted to beat out a throw to first base while running out a ground ball hit to second in the seventh inning on Tuesday, but came up limp after the out was recorded.

While Red Sox manager Alex Cora had been cautiously optimistic that Santana might be able to avoid a trip to the injured list, he was also aware that the switch-hitter had a history when it cane to issues pertaining to his left quad.

That being the case because Santana missed a significant portion of the 2017 season with the Braves due to a left quadriceps strain that ultimately required a stay on the 60-day IL.

“With him, obviously, speed is part of his game, and moving in the outfield and all that,” Cora said Tuesday night. “So we’re going to be very careful. He has past history with that.”

With Santana’s stint on the injured list being backdated to July 7, the soonest the versatile Dominican can be activated is July 17, though it remains to be seen if he will require more than the minimum 10 days.

As for Michael Chavis, the 25-year-old is back with the Red Sox for a fifth time this season after being optioned to Worcester on July 5.

Chavis did not appear in a game for the WooSox in the four days he was there, but he is slashing .207/.230/.328 to go along with one homer, four RBI, one walk, and 22 strikeouts across 20 games (61 plate appearances) with the Red Sox so far this year while seeing time at both first and second base.

He, like Kevin Plawecki, will be available off the bench for Cora in Friday’s series opener against the Phillies. First pitch of that game is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. eastern time on NESN.

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Also, Marwin Gonzalez, who dealt with tightness in his right hamstring earlier this week, appears to be a full-go now that he faces no restrictions, per Cora.

(Picture of Kevin Plawecki: Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)