15 minutes after releasing Sunday’s lineup, the Red Sox removed Rafael Devers from the slate.
The superstar third baseman was hit by a pitch leading off the eighth inning on Saturday. He was in a lot of pain as he spoke to Alex Cora and a trainer, but eventually took his base and stayed in the game for the last inning.
“He’ll get X-rays later on today,” Cora said. “He’s sore, so just stay away from him.”
The manager explained that they’re waiting for the swelling to go down before taking a look. For now, he sees the lineup scratch as a precaution, not a cause for alarm.
“We believe it’s a day-by-day thing, so it makes sense to keep him out of the lineup and go from there,” he added.
Pablo Reyes will play second base, and Luis Urías will move to third.
It’s encouraging to see Reyes back in the lineup. He started at shortstop on Saturday, but didn’t return for the 6th inning due to elbow soreness.
“He showed up today, he went through the hitting drills and all that, and he’s good to go,” Cora declared.
Kenley Jansen is also available for Sunday’s series finale. He’s last pitched on August 23 in Houston, but only faced one batter before leaving the game with hamstring pain.
About an hour before the game, the Red Sox also announced that Brennan Bernardino has been placed on the COVID-related injured list. They’ve recalled Chris Murphy from Triple-A Worcester to take his place.
Bernardino has been one of the bullpen’s most consistent contributors. He’s one of seven rookie pitchers around the Majors with an ERA under 3.00 after at least 40 innings pitched; he and Tyler Holton are the only two left-handers in the group. Over 43 appearances (including six starts and seven games finished), Bernardino owns a 2.55 ERA across 43 1/2 innings.
Losing 31-year-old southpaw is a tough blow amidst the team’s current stretch of 16 games without days off, and even more so given the current COVID IL guidelines. This season, players must remain on the COVID IL for a minimum of seven days before they’re eligible to be activated.