The Boston Red Sox have been struggling throughout the month of September largely because their lineup has been unable to come up with key hits in clutch situations. That has been the case since star rookie Roman Anthony suffered an oblique injury and his bat was taken out of the lineup.
The Red Sox are hoping to get slugger Wilyer Abreu back by Sunday. Abreu, who is second on the team to Trevor Story (25) in home runs with 22, has been out of the Boston lineup since August 17 with a calf strain. He flew from Boston to Tampa to join his teammates Saturday and the idea was that manager Alex Cora might be able to put him in the lineup in the second game of a 3-game series against the Rays.
However, Abreu is not playing in Saturday's game, but Cora held out hope that the rightfielder could be in the lineup for Sunday's series finale. Cora told reporters that Abreu will “most likely” be activated before that game. Activated does not necessarily mean Abreu will be in the starting lineup, but with the Red Sox battling for a Wild Card spot in the American League playoffs, the likelihood is that he will get a chance to play.
The Red Sox have lost 8 of their last 13 games since the Anthony injury, but they did record an 11-7 triumph over the Rays Friday night. Jarren Duran hit a 2-run home run in the seventh inning that turned a 3-2 deficit into a 4-3 lead and the Red Sox added seven runs in the top of the eighth inning.
Red Sox trying to hold on to Wild Card spot
Prior to the Anthony injury, the Red Sox were in the top Wild Card spot in the AL, but they are currently tied with the Houston Astros for the second spot going into Saturday night's game.
The Cleveland Guardians are just a game behind both the Red Sox and the Astros, and nothing is assured in the Wild Card race. The Red Sox have two games remaining with the Rays, three in Toronto against the first-place Blue Jays and then close the regular season with a three-game homestand against the Detroit Tigers.
That team is desperately trying to hold on to first place in the American League Central by staving off the Guardians, but Detroit has lost 8 of 10 while Cleveland has won 9 straight games heading into the second game of a doubleheader Saturday night against the Minnesota Twins.
The Red Sox clearly need to win a majority of their remaining games if they are going to hold on to a Wild Card spot, and adding Abreu to the lineup will take pressure off of Story, Duran and Alex Bregman.
