Red Sox map out final week: rehab updates, Florida stay-ready group, rain risk
The short version
- Playoffs begin a week from Tuesday; Red Sox have six games left against the Guardians and Cubs.
- Rafaela, Contreras and Chapman are nearing returns; Mead is unlikely for the initial postseason roster.
- Houck and Oviedo were sent to a stay-ready group in Fort Myers and appear unlikely to make the playoff roster.
- Roster rules mean any player optioned now would miss the Wild Card Series roster.
- Rain could affect the final weekend of the regular season.
Boston is managing injury returns, roster decisions and possible bad weather ahead of next week's playoff opener.
The Red Sox, already assured of a playoff spot, entered Tuesday with six regular-season games remaining against Cleveland and Chicago. Manager Chad Tracy said the priority over the final week is getting players healthy and positioned for the first round, which starts a week from Tuesday. Storms could also disrupt the season's closing weekend.
Ceddanne Rafaela, out since early this month with a quad strain, faced Garrett Crochet in a 16-pitch live batting practice session and is close to activation. Willson Contreras, dealing with a hand issue, has been swinging in the cage and on the field, while Aroldis Chapman, idle since September 13 because of lat tightness, could appear in the Cleveland series. Curtis Mead, recovering from a late-July wrist fracture, has taken swings but not faced live pitching, and Tracy called his odds of making the initial postseason roster tough.
Right-handers Tanner Houck and Johan Oviedo, who finished rehab stints with Triple-A Worcester, were sent to the Fenway South complex in Fort Myers rather than kept in Boston. Neither appears in line for a start during the Cubs series, leaving both seemingly on the outside of the playoff roster picture. Boston has named Payton Tolle, Sonny Gray and Ranger Suarez for the Guardians series but has not announced starters beyond that.
Activating either pitcher would require clearing a roster spot by optioning someone to Worcester, and any player sent down now would be ineligible for the Wild Card Series roster. Lefty Jovani Moran is out of options, and the club would be reluctant to expose Alec Gamboa or Greg Weissert to that outcome. The Fort Myers group also includes Wyatt Olds, Jedixson Paez, Tyler Samaniego, Franklin Arias, Romy Gonzalez, Tsung-Che Cheng and outfielder Braiden Ward, who Tracy said remains in contention for a playoff spot. Boston must also open a spot, likely by demoting Nate Eaton, to add Rafaela.
