The Red Sox have a crucial series this weekend against the Yankees. And now they’ll have to get through it without David Price, who was scratched from Friday night’s start after feeling tightness in his left wrist after a bullpen session on Wednesday.
The lefthander went on the injured list Aug. 5 because of a cyst in that wrist. He was activated prior to last Sunday’s start against the Angels, throwing 45 pitches in two innings of a Red Sox win. However, Price felt tightness in his wrist again Wednesday, and so the Sox made the decision to skip his turn in the rotation, despite Price pleading to pitch.
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“It’s something that we have to deal with,” manager Alex Cora said before Thursday night’s loss to the Minnesota Twins. “At the same time for how bad we want to win and when we know David can go out there and probably compete for two innings throwing fastballs, it doesn’t make sense to me. He’s a big part of what we’re doing this year and what we’re trying to accomplish in the next few years. I’m not going to put David’s health in jeopardy and be selfish.”
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Price saw a specialist, and Cora noted that this wrist issue isn’t as bad as the previous one. There’s even a chance Price could make a start in next week’s series against the Blue Jays in Toronto.
As for Friday against the Yankees, the Sox are in a bind. They will make it a bullpen game, as they will Saturday, before Rick Porcello starts on Sunday and Eduardo Rodriguez on Monday.
As for how Cora intends to manage the bullpen games?
“We have to get through five,” he said. “If we get through five however we map it out, we know we have our guys for the last few innings and we’re in good shape.”
The Red Sox are just 4-11 against the Yankees this season, but are 3-1 against them at Fenway after taking three-of-four games in their most recent matchup.
The Yankees will start Domingo German in Friday night’s matchup, followed by J.A. Happ, Masahiro Tanaka, and James Paxton to close out the series on Monday.
Chavis setback
Michael Chavis suffered a setback on Wednesday, reaggravating his strained right oblique, which puts him up against the clock and the rest of his season in jeopardy.
“It’s going to be tough,” Cora said of Chavis returning this season.
Chavis didn’t reaggravate the oblique on a swing, but rather while stretching. And now, he can do everything but swing a bat. In fact, he was out throwing before Thursday’s game.
“I hurt it in 2017,” Chavis said, “which is normal for a righthanded hitter because that’s the rotation side. So, the way that this happened was kind of random and weird. Honestly, I was warmed up and ready to go.”
Despite Chavis likely being done for the season, the Sox won’t activate prospect Bobby Dalbec, a corner infielder. He’s been in the clubhouse this week, but that’s mainly for the exposure of being around a big league club.
“It’s been awesome, especially working with [hitting coach] Tim Hyers and [assistant hitting coach] Andy Barkett, and [third base coach] Carlos Febles at first base,” Dalbec said. “Just to get extra reps in and kind of clean some things up and what they’d like me to do, and I feel really good.”
Chavis originally went on the injured list on Aug. 12 because of a sprain in the AC joint of his left shoulder. The oblique injury didn’t occur until his recent rehab stint with Triple A Pawtucket.
“It [stinks],” Chavis said. “Just being hurt in general [stinks] because you feel useless to the team. To have that setback right when everything was feeling good and I was ready to come back, it kind of sets you back [mentally] a little bit. There’s no point in dwelling on it at this point. It happened and I just have to work through it.”
Brewer prepared
With a pair of bullpen games this weekend, you can expect Colten Brewer’s name to be called against the Yankees. He worked a scoreless ninth for the Sox against the Twins Thursday. Brewer was one of the four pitchers called up as emergency reinforcements after Porcello struggled in his start against the Twins Tuesday night, allowing six runs in four innings.
Brewer had a 4.31 ERA in 48 innings for the Red Sox before being optioned for the second time this year on Aug. 4. After Thursday, his ERA is now down to 4.22 in 49 innings.
“Basically my job here is when they need me to get three outs,” Brewer said. “No matter how I do it, just keep the runs down, keep the walks down.”
However slim the Sox’ postseason chances may be, Brewer said he’s never been part of a club that was vying for a playoff spot come September, which excites him.
“It’s just the mind-set of being able to trust my ability to throw the fastball over the plate and curveball down,” Brewer said. “Not getting caught up in what my ERA is or how many strikeouts I’m getting. September is [here] and it’s about getting three outs any way possible.”
Groome progressing
Lefthander Jay Groome allowed one run over three innings for Single A Lowell in its New York-Penn League playoff game against Batavia.
Groome, a first-round pick in 2016, gave up two hits, walked one and struck out three in his longest outing since returning from Tommy John elbow surgery.
Righthander Yusniel Padron-Artilles followed Groome to the mound and struck out 14 of the 19 batters he faced, including 12 in a row to start.
Lowell won the game, 2-1, on a walkoff homer by Joe Davis. Game 3 of the best-of-3 series is Friday in Lowell.
Top of the list
In Wednesday night’s win over the Twins, Mookie Betts became the first leadoff hitter to homer on each of the first two pitches he faced in a game since the Phillies’ Jimmy Rollins in 2009, according to STATS. It was Betts’s fifth career game with four-plus hits and five-plus RBIs, passing Jim Rice, David Ortiz, and Dustin Pedroia for the most in franchise history . . . The Giants announced that Pablo Sandoval underwent Tommy John surgery. Sandoval, who is in the final year of the five-year, $90 million contract he signed with the Sox in 2015, will come off Boston’s ’ books at the end of this season.
Peter Abraham of the Globe staff contributed.