Arroyo, Perez return to Boston
Bogaerts expected to rejoin the team tonight in Chicago
There seems to be a light emerging at the end of the tunnel of the Red Sox’ COVID-19 outbreak.
A day after Kiké Hernandez returned from his stay on the COVID-19 related injury list after being the first one to test positive, more were on their way. Christian Arroyo was back in Boston and Martin Perez was on his way as they ended their quarantines in Cleveland and Tampa Bay, respectively. There remain some hurdles before they’ll be cleared to join the team, but they’re close.
Arroyo was hit harder than most after testing positive for COVID-19. Perez will have to go through the intake process before the team decides when he can physically return.
Red Sox manager Alex Cora said the goal is for the rest of the group that tested positive in Florida — including Xander Bogaerts, Matt Barnes and Hirokazu Sawamura — to join the team in Chicago on Thursday night. It’s unclear who, if anyone, may need a rehab assignment before they return to action.
“Maybe some of them just need to throw one bullpen or two bullpens, and do that,” Cora said, “Others, in the case of Xander, he probably doesn’t need much. Probably he’s been doing a lot of sit-ups and pushups, he should be physically OK. We’ll talk about it and go from there. It’s not that easy a decision, because we want these guys to be right, that’s the most important thing. When we see them, we’ll sit down with the coaching staff, obviously the medical staff, and decide what we’re going to do.”
It’s unclear yet if Nick Pivetta, who tested positive on Tuesday, will be able to make his next scheduled start on Saturday. Cora left open the possibility that Pivetta, who is vaccinated, could return sooner than 10 days.
Getting a break
With the Red Sox facing lefty Shane McClanahan on Wednesday night, Alex Verdugo started on the bench. It came after two days in which he had some struggles in the outfield, making two costly errors in center in Monday’s loss before mistiming a fly ball on Tuesday off the wall in left field.
Verdugo has moved around the Red Sox outfield this season, but primarily at left. Despite some inconsistencies, Cora has liked what he’s seen.
“He’s been consistent throughout the season for us playing left field,” Cora said. “Obviously two days ago it wasn’t easy. But as you know, if you don’t play this center field for a while, it can become tough. The ball kind of carried two days ago differently, too. We’re very pleased with the way he has played left field for us, the way he has shut down the running game, as far as advancing to second. The numbers are there. We’ve seen it. And he’s been pretty solid for us.”
After playing 16 games in a row, Kyle Schwarber took Wednesday off before Thursday’s off day. In 22 games with the Red Sox, he’s slashing .325/.460/ .550/1.010 with six doubles and four home runs. He has reached base 46 times, the most by a Red Sox player in their first 22 games since Manny Ramirez’s 49 in 2001.
Family respect
Longtime Red Sox rival Derek Jeter was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in a ceremony Wednesday. The Yankees shortstop was evidently a big favorite in Cora’s household.
“The way I always put it is my mom, she gave birth to two big leaguers and we are only her kids,” Cora said. “Her favorite player is Derek Jeter. So we’ll leave it at that.” …
Darwinzon Hernandez (oblique), who’s been out since July 30, pitched a scoreless inning in a rehab assignment with Worcester on Tuesday. It seems like he should be activated by the weekend.
“It was good,” Cora said. “I don’t think there’s much to do there. I haven’t talked to too many medical people as far as rehab stuff. Most of the talks here are always about testing or COVID. But we were pleased with the way he did (Tuesday), so I think he’s going to join us and he’ll be with us.”