Martinez won’t need surgery
Slugger sidelined with sprained ankle
J.D. Martinez’s left ankle sprain kept him out of Tuesday night’s American League Wild Card game, but the Red Sox don’t think it’s serious enough to keep him out long.
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Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom told the Herald that Martinez’s injury won’t require offseason surgery. If the Red Sox advanced past the Wild Card round, they were hopeful that it could heal in time for Thursday, when they would face the Rays in Game 1 of the ALDS.
“If we win (Tuesday) we buy ourselves another couple days to keep working with him and to see where we’re at,” Bloom said. “He’ll be fine eventually. Just a question of when. We were hopeful for (Tuesday), but just couldn’t get there. …
“No, (it) doesn’t look like (surgery) at all. Just a sprain. But it’s too swollen for him right now for him to really put a lot of weight on it. So we’ll continue to treat the hell out of it and if we come through (Tuesday) with a victory, we’ll see where we’re at on Thursday.”
The Red Sox had to make a decision by Tuesday at 10 a.m., when they submitted their roster for the Wild Card game. But Martinez’s ankle looked “humongous,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said, referring to the swelling. Martinez injured the ankle when he slipped stepping on second base on his way to right field during Sunday’s win over the Nationals.
“For him not to post, it’s very serious,” Cora said. “It is what it is. That thing looks huge. Humongous. He’ll get treatment today. We’ll go from there. But for tonight, it was a no. …
“He’ll be the best assistant hitting coach in the world tonight.”
Schwarber leads off
With Martinez out, Cora went with a different look to his lineup. Kyle Schwarber led off against Yankees ace Gerrit Cole, with Kiké Hernandez second, Rafael Devers third, Xander Bogaerts fourth and Alex Verdugo fifth.
“Just needed to split the lefties, Raffy and Alex,” Cora said. “That’s the only way we can create balance in the beginning of the lineup without J.D. Kyle has done it. Kiké has put good at-bats against Gerrit and we’ve got Raffy behind them, so where we are right now, I think that’s a good way to quoteunquote protect all those guys up there.”
It was the first time Hernandez hadn’t batted leadoff since June 26. He said Cora called him Monday night about his plan, and he was fine with it.
“I’ve been hitting in front of Kyle for a few weeks now,” Hernandez said. “Hitting behind him, I think it’s the same approach. Kyle is going to set the table tonight and if Kyle doesn’t set the table, then it’s my job to set the table.”
Sale left off roster
After throwing 62 pitches in 2 2/3 innings in Sunday’s win over the Nats, Chris Sale wasn’t on Tuesday’s Wild Card roster. Both Eduardo Rodriguez — who threw 93 pitches on Friday, then an inning of relief Sunday — and Nick Pivetta made the roster.
Cora said they’re looking out for Sale’s long-term health as he returns from Tommy John surgery.
“It just didn’t make sense for us,” Cora said of Sale. “For how much we love him and we know he can compete, we know where he’s coming from. You’ve got to be smart, too. … We felt like we were covered and we take care of him. Just for him to be ready, hopefully he can pitch another game in October.”
Kiké meets Cora’s expectations
It wasn’t the smoothest first season for Kiké Hernandez in Boston. He struggled out of the leadoff spot to start the season but found his groove there after briefly being demoted in the lineup. Then came testing positive for COVID-19 in late August, which forced him to miss two weeks.
Despite that, though, Hernandez impacted winning the way Cora had hoped when the Red Sox signed him this offseason. A career super utility with the Dodgers, the Red Sox saw him as an everyday player who had yet to reach his potential. From an offensive and defensive standpoint, Cora was satisfied and then some.
“He’s been amazing,” Cora said. “One of my goals … I wanted people to recognize him for the player, not the Rally Banana or making jokes and dancing. I wanted people to recognize him for what he brings from 7 to 10 p.m. …
“The quality of his at-bats from a certain point on, they’ve been amazing. The way he prepares has been great. He brought a lot from previous experiences. His relationship with (Chase) Utley has put him on a different level. And this is from preparation on the field, off the field. And it was a great signing by Chaim (Bloom) and the group. I knew he was a good player.” …
Odds & ends
The Red Sox are the only playoff team that didn’t reach the 85 percent COVID-19 vaccination threshold. Less than a month after enduring a COVID outbreak that nearly derailed their season, does Cora think that might pose as a disadvantage if they advance in the postseason?
“Hopefully not,” Cora said. “Hopefully not.” …
Koji Uehera was at Fenway for Tuesday’s game. The former Red Sox closer now works as a media member for NHK Japan. … Jerry Remy, who stepped away from the NESN booth as he battles lung cancer again, threw out the ceremonial first pitch to Dennis Eckersley in a cool pregame moment at Fenway.