Red Sox discuss vaccines, leave it personal choice
BOSTON — Like many in Massachusetts, members of the Red Sox organization are waiting to find out when they’ll be able to receive COVID-19 vaccinations. But whether or not to get vaccinated has been left up to individual players and staff members throughout Major League Baseball, and it remains unclear how many will commit to the personal safety and public health measure.
MLB and the Players Association are trying to incentivize widespread vaccinations. Some of the COVID-19 protocols will be relaxed, both at and away from the park, for teams where 85 percent of Tier 1 individuals (comprised mostly of players, coaches, support staff, andhigh-ranking team officials) get vaccinated.
For instance, no more masks required in the bullpen and dugout. They can resumecommunalactivities — playing video games, and cards in the clubhouse. They can dine indoors. Vaccinations also have competitive implications, as those who receive vaccines won’t automatically be subjected to contact tracing isolation shouldamemberoftheteam test positive for COVID-19.
Manager Alex Cora said that he’ll get vaccinated, but reiterated it’s up to each member of the Red Sox to decide.
“There’s a lot of ongoing conversations about vaccinations, andobviously that’s something that the individual has to decide what he wants to do. We’ll talk about it,” said Cora. “We’ll bring people to explain the effects oraftereffects — ornoeffects — of the vaccine. But at the end, the player, the individual, the coach or whoever is in the organization will decide if he wants to do it.
“From my end, I’m all for it. Whenever I get a chance to do it, I’ll do it.”
Already, the Angels and Cardinals have announced that they’ve reached the 85 percent threshold. Cora did not hazard a guess as to whether the Red Sox will do so.
“Right nowIcan’tanswer that question because I’m not sure if the information is there for them to make a decision,” said Cora.
Rodriguez set to start Thursday: The Red Sox believe Eduardo Rodriguez is beyond his dead arm struggles, andthelefthander will make his much-anticipated first start of the 2021 campaign — and his first since the final day of the 2019 season — on Thursday in Baltimore. The Sox believe Rodriguez is capable of five or six innings in his first outing.
“We do believe that he’s ready to go deep into the game,” said Cora.
It seems almost certain that righthander Tanner Houck, who was available out of the bullpen on Tuesday, will be sent to the alternate site in Worcester when Rodriguez joins Nate Eovaldi, Garrett Richards, Nick Pivetta, and Martín Pérez in the rotation. Even with the Red Sox amidst a season-opening stretch of 24 games in 25 days, including scheduled games on 16 straight days starting on Saturday, Cora ruled out employing a six-man rotation, and Houck is the only starter whocan be optioned to the minors.
Houck has excelled in four big league starts, going 3-1 with a 1.23 ERA and 29 strikeouts in 22 innings since his callup last September. Still, the Sox see him as a still-developing pitcher rather than a finished product.
Late Monday result: Xander Bogaerts had four hits and Boston got on the board with 16 hits and its first win of the season, 11-2 over the Rays.
After beingsweptbyBaltimore in the opening series, never leading in any of the three games and yet to post a multi-run inning, the Red Sox went ahead 1-0 in the second on a double that was FranchyCordero’sfirsthitof the season.
“Asanoffense, weweren’t doing that much in the first couple of games. Himgiving us that first RBI is one that we needed — to score first,” Bogaerts said. “That was key for us, to get everything goingin apositive direction.”