Outfield in flux as Sox deal with injuries

With Andrew Benintendi and Jackie Bradley Jr. both ailing, a roster move could be on the horizon.

BOSTON --- The Red Sox could face a shortage of healthy outfielders entering their series finale with the Orioles on Monday.

Andrew Benintendi (right foot contusion) and Jackie Bradley Jr. (flu) are both ailing and Boston might have to cobble together an unconventional lineup for the traditional 11:05 a.m. first pitch on Patriots’ Day. Blake Swihart played the last six innings of Sunday’s 4-0 shutout victory in left field after Benintendi fouled a ball off his instep.

“I’ve got nobody else to blame but myself,” Benintendi said. “I’m pulling off or something. It’s definitely been some bad luck.”

Benintendi howled in pain as he fell to the ground on the dirt surrounding home plate. Red Sox manager Alex Cora was quickly out of the Boston dugout to check on his leadoff hitter, and Benintendi ultimately slashed a liner to the corner in left for a double. Benintendi hobbled all the way to second base and was removed after Mookie Betts sent a fly ball to center for the last out of the third.

“X-rays were negative, so you never know,” Cora said. “All of a sudden they wake up and they feel great. As of now we’ll probably stay away from him tomorrow.”

Bradley was a late scratch from the original lineup and was sent home. Both his and Benintendi’s left-handed bats would be welcome against right-hander Dan Straily. He carries a 19.29 earned-run average into a game Baltimore must win to split the four-game set.

Fenway faithful cheer on Tiger

News from the golf world took center stage for a few brief moments at Fenway Park on Sunday.

A scoreboard message between innings informed the 36,023 fans on hand about the events unfolding at The Masters. Tiger Woods celebrated his return to the top of the leader board by capturing the 15th major championship of his career. The crowd let out a cheer that reached all the way down the tunnel inside the first base dugout to the edge of the home clubhouse.

“I heard a whole lot of cheering outside and we have delayed TVs now,” Boston pitcher David Price said. “I asked what happened. I thought somebody ran out onto the field – a streaker.”

Price was among a handful of Red Sox players watching coverage of the tournament early Sunday morning. He had yet to make his big league debut the last time Woods won a major at the 2008 U.S. Open and was a college freshman at Vanderbilt University when Woods captured his last green jacket in 2005.

“We messed up by not wearing red today,” Price said, referencing the traditional Sunday shirt choice favored by Woods. “I’m happy he pulled that off.”

On the mend

Brock Holt (right eye) was among a small group of Boston players to go through a pregame workout on the field Sunday.

Holt fielded ground balls on the left side of the infield and took batting practice, inching closer to a return to action for the first time since April 5. He’s currently on the injured list.

“Obviously he needs to get at-bats,” Cora said. “I don’t know how many, but he will need at-bats. We’ve got to take this seriously.”

That suggests a potential rehab assignment for Holt, who suffered a scratched cornea. He’ll see an optometrist this week, staying back while the Red Sox embark on a five-game road swing through New York and Tampa Bay. Brian Johnson (left elbow) has yet to resume baseball activities and will also be off the road swing.

Bullpen day

Hector Velazquez and Swihart are tentatively scheduled to make up Monday’s battery. Velazquez threw an inning in relief at his request in Saturday’s 9-5 loss to Baltimore. The right-hander hadn’t pitched since a spot start at Arizona on April 7, tossing three scoreless frames in a 1-0 victory.

“He’s actually pounding the strike zone with good stuff, which is great,” Cora said. “It’s not hard contact. His (split-fingered fastball) is a lot better than last year.”

Price turned in seven strong innings on Sunday and handed the ball to Ryan Brasier and Matt Barnes for one apiece. That meant a needed rest for much of the bullpen one day after Rick Porcello failed to get out of the fifth inning in Saturday’s 9-5 defeat.

“Knowing the next game was going to be a bullpen day, you’ve got to eat up as many innings as possible,” Price said. “We were able to put up zeroes today, so that was big for us.”