BOSTON -- The Red Sox have settled on their final roster for the London Series.
Brock Holt will avoid the injured list and make the trip despite a balky left hamstring. Hector Velazquez (lower back strain) will serve as some insurance for the pitching staff – he’s eligible to be activated off the injured list this weekend if necessary. Sam Travis and Oscar Hernandez make up the taxi squad allowed by Major League Baseball for the two-game affair with the Yankees.
“It feels weird because of the moves and the injuries and those two series coming up after that,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “We have to make roster decisions based on that. At the end, we’re expanding the game. That’s very important.”
Boston and New York square off Saturday and Sunday at London Stadium. The first two regular season games to be played in Europe kick off a Red Sox trip that also includes Toronto and Detroit. They don’t play another home game until a World Series rematch with the Dodgers on July 12.
“I’m a good planner for certain things – for traveling, not great,” Cora said. “We have an off day in Toronto. There are good stores over there.”
Cora was part of a Boston delegation that played two games against the Athletics in Japan to open the 2008 season. Needless to say, sports science advances have changed some plans for the flight across the Atlantic Ocean. The Red Sox are using the Teamworks app to regulate their sleeping and dining schedules.
“Nobody told me to sleep on the way to Japan,” Cora said. “Nobody told the guys not to play cards on the way to Japan. It’s different. Sports medicine has taken over.
“I think these guys are in a better spot. The food on the plane, the food in the clubhouse, the sleeping rooms and all the facilities – it’s a lot better. That’s the way it should be. And it’s going to keep getting better.”
Cora’s teams have reached the last two Fall Classics, and staying in Los Angeles with the Astros after Game 2 in 2017 confirmed to him times had changed. Late flights home were common even in the playoffs during Cora’s career as a utility infielder.
“Get your sleep, get your rest,” Cora said. “We flew the next day. That was the first time I dealt with this.”
Devers doing damage
Rafael Devers ended the home stand on a two-day rampage.
The third baseman was a perfect 4-for-4 with three doubles in Tuesday’s 6-3 win over Chicago. Devers became the youngest player in club history to record three doubles in a game since Dwight Evans did so in July 1973.
“It’s pretty impressive to see,” Xander Bogaerts said. “Lately I’ve been hitting behind him and he swings at a lot of first pitches. It’s a lot of loud outs and loud hits.”
Devers followed up with a single and a double in his first two at-bats on Wednesday. Cora’s pregame comments suggest he thinks Devers and Bogaerts are among the snubs in the American League All-Star voting – neither was a finalist to start at his respective position.
“We have the other two game changers who didn’t make the finals, but that’s another topic,” Cora said, responding to a question about the candidacies of Mookie Betts and J.D. Martinez. “What (Betts and Martinez) did last year and what they bring to the table on a daily basis – regardless of what people think – they’re two of the best baseball players in the big leagues.”
On the mend
Velazquez threw a simulated game on Wednesday, facing the rehabbing Mitch Moreland (right quadriceps).
Holt was on the bench for the third straight day but unlikely to be available. The Red Sox are hoping two days off prior to Saturday and some extra treatment will be enough to get him back on the field.
Andrew Benintendi was also out of the lineup for the second straight game. The left fielder was available off the bench to pinch hit.
“His legs felt heavy after the game on Monday,” Cora said. “I decided not to start him today. Hopefully we won’t have to use him. We’ll take advantage of the next two days and he should be back on Saturday.”