Red Sox play game thinking of Big Papi

Sox front office members addressed the shooting of David Ortiz prior to the game with the Rangers.

BOSTON -- Chris Sale’s first pitch Monday signified the return of business as usual for the Red Sox.

Boston’s organization and fan base had been through a harrowing previous night, with reports of David Ortiz being shot in his native Dominican Republic burning through social media. Red Sox front office members Sam Kennedy, Dave Dombrowski and Eddie Romero addressed the incident in an afternoon press conference, and club owner John Henry was also on hand.

All of this took place before manager Alex Cora’s typical pregame briefing. Cora took no baseball questions during his 10 minutes at the microphone, instead focusing on the health of his friend and former Boston teammate. He said there were no thoughts of cancelling or postponing Monday’s contest against the Rangers, but Red Sox players were obviously a bit preoccupied by the shocking news.

“We’ll find a way because that’s what we have to do,” Cora said. “It’s not easy. I know we’ve got to go out there and perform. We have to. We’ll find a way to do it.”

Kennedy said there were no formal tributes planned to honor Ortiz, but the club would make some sort of acknowledgement of his injuries and medical status. Boston waited until the early hours of Monday morning to make any formal statement, still attempting to gather accurate information.

“It was jarring,” Kennedy said. “It was frankly stunning and terrifying. It was a horrific incident.”

Henry, Kennedy, Dombrowski and Romero addressed Red Sox players later Monday afternoon. Dombrowski said Cora might have had some individual conversations with players as well.

Boston counts three natives of the Dominican Republic on its 25-man roster – Rafael Devers, Marco Hernandez and Eduardo Nunez.

“For us that believe, just pray for him,” Cora said. “Keep your positive vibes. This guy, I always said that he’s bigger than life.”

J.D. in lineup: J.D. Martinez (back spasms) returned to the lineup after missing all four games of the weekend series with the Rays.

Martinez was pulled from Thursday’s series finale against the Royals and unable to make a start while the Red Sox dropped three of four against Tampa Bay. It’s the second time Martinez has missed the entirety of a four-game series against an American League East foe. He also was held out of action in late May against Toronto, dealing with an illness and lower back tightness over four days at Rogers Centre.

Martinez batted third and served as the designated hitter. Boston also went with Sam Travis in favor of Michael Chavis at first base, giving the rookie a night off after a recent tough stretch. Chavis has struck out at least once in 18 of his last 20 games and 35 times in his last 77 at-bats.

The Red Sox also made a roster change in the bullpen, recalling left-hander Bobby Poyner and sending left-hander Josh Taylor to Triple-A Pawtucket. Poyner has thrown six straight scoreless outings for the PawSox, covering 8-1/3 innings. Taylor allowed six earned runs and struck out six in his five Boston appearances, making his debut on May 29 against the Yankees.

Wild race: The Red Sox entered Monday seven games behind the Rays and Yankees in the AL East race, something that makes the Rangers a far more noteworthy foe.

Boston was 34-32 and battling for the second wild-card spot behind Tampa Bay. Texas (34-30), Cleveland (33-32), the White Sox (31-33), Oakland (33-33) and the Angels (31-35) are all currently within striking distance as the Red Sox attempt to reach the postseason for the fourth straight year.

Boston faced the smallest deficit in its division race among the group. Minnesota led the AL Central by 10½ games behind rookie manager and Rhode Island native Rocco Baldelli. Houston topped the AL West by 9½ games.

Early start: Sunday night’s result in the Stanley Cup Final prompted the Red Sox to follow through with a schedule change.

Boston and the Rangers will play Wednesday’s game at 4:05 p.m., clearing the evening stage for the Bruins and Blues to battle in Game 7. It’s the first deciding game of a championship series to be played in the city since the Celtics downed the Lakers and captured an NBA Championship in 1984.

A victory would allow Boston to hold three of the major four sports championships simultaneously. The Red Sox and Patriots have put the Bruins in position to give the city a first since the Lions, Red Wings and Tigers completed a Detroit trifecta in 1935.