Connect with us

Published

on

Just over a month ago, the Boston Red Sox traded Rafael Devers to the San Francisco Giants in a blockbuster deal that sent shockwaves through the industry. At the time of the trade, the Red Sox were just a game over .500. They went 3-7 in their first 10 games without Devers and looked to be fading out of contention.

As the team fell in the standings, rumors began to circulate that the slugging designated hitter wouldn’t be the only star traded out of Boston. But a 10-game win streak before the All-Star break has vaulted the Red Sox into the thick of the playoff race and provided some clarity about their trade deadline plans.

“Throughout the whole year, we thought we had a really good team,” assistant GM Paul Toboni told ESPN over the weekend. “We were kind of waiting for it to click. That streak reconfirmed the thought that we had a good team.”

Boston doesn’t have a lot of expiring contracts, so even without the win streak, a complete teardown was unlikely. Still, trading some of its outfield depth was a possibility. The Red Sox rank in the top 10 in OPS in right field, center field and left field thanks to Jarren Duran, Roman Anthony, Ceddanne Rafaela and Wilyer Abreu.

With that group helping the Red Sox hold an American League wild-card spot, the front office is likely to add pitching, according to sources familiar with their situation, while retaining the abundance of outfielders unless the club is blown away with an offer in the next 10 days.

“Having a surplus of good players isn’t a bad thing,” Toboni said. “The high-end depth is a really good thing. It’s not like we’re anxious to move away from that.”

With their outfield situation likely to be addressed in the offseason, the Red Sox have winning on their minds. A young core, highlighted by the arrival of Anthony and infielder Marcelo Mayer, has had some time to adjust to the majors, leaving the team’s veterans excited about the coming months.

“These guys have been here for a few months now,” Red Sox third baseman Alex Bregman said. “We’re starting to learn who we are as a group. The adjustments are being made quicker at this time of the year. It didn’t start out that way, but guys are wanting to learn and get better. You can see that in our growth this year.”

Bregman watched closely while he was out of the lineup because of a quad injury he sustained at the end of May. He has seen what winning baseball looks like during his time in Houston. It has taken the young Red Sox some time to get there.

“We’re a very dangerous team now, especially when we’re prepared and executing,” Bregman said. “We’ve played good for a while now.

“People will say this is a hot streak, but I believe this is who we are.”

As the calendar inches toward August, that’s the sentiment throughout the clubhouse, where the veterans who have been through the uncertainty of trade season are relieved to spend the next two weeks without trade chatter.

“The run we went on before the All-Star break, it was good. We needed something like that to get us back in the mix, restore some confidence,” starting pitcher Lucas Giolito said. “Right now, staying in the present is important, but I don’t think we have guys in this room too worried they’re going to get dealt or anything anymore.”

Two players who were brought in over the offseason might be the most relieved.

All-Star closer Aroldis Chapman, who has a 1.18 ERA and 17 saves, could have been one of Boston’s most sought-after deadline trade candidates had the front office elected to deal him.

When asked about possibly being moved, the 37-year-old, who is playing for his seventh major league club, smiled as he responded through his interpreter: “The team is in good shape.”

Fellow Boston pitcher Walker Buehler added: “It’s probably good timing to hopefully push the front office to go out and buy and help us make a run. We did our part at the end of the first half there. I want to stay here and be part of it. Don’t want to be on the wrong side of a trade.”

Though they might have done enough to convince the front office to stick with the current veterans, the Red Sox have some of their toughest work ahead of them. According to ESPN Research, they have the hardest remaining schedule for the rest of the month and sixth hardest for the rest of the season, but manager Alex Cora isn’t interested in looking at the stretch run — or what Boston’s first postseason berth since 2021 would mean.

Instead, he believes that if the players can keep attacking each day, the rest will take care of itself.

“I promised myself I’m going to stay in the moment,” Cora said. “It doesn’t do the group any good to start talking about that. We have to win games. It’s not to put pressure on the front office or ownership. It’s what we need to do for us to play in October.”

Opposing teams are asking for “outrageous returns” for pitching, according to league sources, but if the asking prices become more reasonable closer to the deadline, expect the Red Sox to be involved. Until then, they are focused on riding their July momentum while navigating a tough schedule.

“Time to keep it locked in,” Giolito said. “We’ll be welcoming whatever help comes.”

Continue Reading

Sports

Raleigh passes Mantle, ties Griffey with 55, 56

Published

on

By

Raleigh passes Mantle, ties Griffey with 55, 56

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Cal Raleigh broke Mickey Mantle’s record for homers by a switch-hitter and tied the Mariners record set by Ken Griffey Jr. when the Seattle star hit his 55th and 56th of the season in consecutive at-bats in a 12-5 win over the Royals on Tuesday night.

Raleigh doubled in his first at-bat on a hot, humid night in Kansas City. He came up again in the third inning and, batting left-handed against Michael Wacha, fouled off a changeup and took a sinker for a ball before Raleigh sent a hanging curveball 419 feet over the right-field fence for his 55th home run of the season.

That broke the switch-hitter mark set by the Yankees star in 1961, which Raleigh had tied against the Angels on Sunday.

The All-Star catcher was back up in the fourth inning Tuesday night. This time, batting right-handed against left-hander Daniel Lynch IV, Raleigh sent the first pitch he saw 425 feet to straightaway center for his 56th homer.

Griffey set the Mariners record when he hit 56 homers during the 1997 season and matched the mark the following year.

After both home runs, Raleigh got a standing ovation from a small group of Mariners fans behind the visiting dugout at Kauffman Stadium. Many Royals fans, who had turned out to watch a club fading from playoff contention, also applauded the home runs. It was Raleigh’s 20th career multihomer game and his 10th this season, the most in a single season by a catcher in MLB history.

There have only been nine 60-homer seasons in the majors. Aaron Judge had the last when he hit 62 for the Yankees in 2022, an American League record. Raleigh would need to hit six more home runs over the next 11 games to tie Judge’s record.

The Associated Press and ESPN Research contributed to this report.

Continue Reading

Sports

Volpe returns to Yanks’ lineup after cortisone shot

Published

on

By

Volpe returns to Yanks' lineup after cortisone shot

MINNEAPOLIS — Anthony Volpe returned to the New York Yankees‘ starting lineup on Tuesday, making his first start since getting a cortisone shot in his left shoulder.

Volpe entered the game against Minnesota hitting .206 with 19 homers in 142 games this season, playing through a small tear in his labrum for more than four months. He had a cortisone shot last week, his second this season, and returned to action as a defensive replacement in the eighth inning of New York’s 7-0 loss Monday. He did not have a plate appearance and was in Tuesday’s lineup at shortstop and batting eighth.

“I feel like he’s in a good place physically,” New York manager Aaron Boone said. “With that being said, that’s been the case most of the year. So, he’s just got to focus on what he does up at the plate and put himself in position to make good swing decisions, and hopefully click for him right away.”

Volpe aggravated the injury on Sept. 7 when he made a diving stop in a game against AL East-leading Toronto. He originally injured the shoulder in May and had a cortisone shot during the All-Star break.

Continue Reading

Sports

Astros’ Alvarez has significant sprain, out ‘a while’

Published

on

By

Astros' Alvarez has significant sprain, out 'a while'

Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez has a “pretty significant” left ankle sprain and will be out of the lineup indefinitely as Houston battles for a division title and an American League playoff spot as the season winds down, manager Joe Espada said Tuesday.

Espada would not give a timetable for the return of Alvarez, who continues to be on the active roster.

“This is going to keep him out for a while,” Espada said. “Let’s not get into days, weeks, any of that. We are going to take one day at a time, but this is going to take some time to heal.”

Alvarez, who underwent an MRI on Tuesday, suffered the injury while crossing home plate during Monday’s victory against the Texas Rangers. He was seen leaving the Astros clubhouse on a crutch and with a boot on his left foot.

The three-time All-Star appeared to slip as he crossed the plate in the first inning, scoring from first base on a throwing error by Rangers pitcher Jack Leiter on Carlos Correa‘s infield single. Alvarez was tended to by an athletic trainer outside the Astros’ dugout and then helped down the steps.

Espada refused to say if the team planned to place Alvarez on the injured list.

“One day at a time,” Espada said. “I’m not going to give you days, weeks, what we’re going to do next. You’re just going to have to sit down and wait.”

Alvarez is batting .273 with six home runs and 27 RBIs but has been limited to 48 games because of a fractured right hand that forced him to sit out 101 games.

Entering Tuesday, Houston is a half-game behind the Seattle Mariners in the AL West. The Astros are three games ahead of Cleveland Guardians and Texas for the final AL wild-card spot.

“We need him in there, but those are the things that we can’t control,” Espada said of Alvarez. “It’s a freak accident that happens on a baseball field and that’s not what we need right now. But we do have guys here that understand the situation that we’re in. We’ve got talent. We’ve got guys that want it. We’ve got guys that can fight and get us through this stretch.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Continue Reading

Trending