For months, the Red Sox largely avoided being impacted by COVID-19 this season.
They had a scare in the final week of spring training, and a few times over the first couple of months, lost a few players for a day or so because of contract tracing. But they weren't hit the way the Yankees and some other clubs have been hit.
This month, that's changed, with the caseload piling up. At least earlier in August, their positive cases were limited to the coaching staff. But now that the Sox are about to head into September, they're suddenly dealing with a borderline COVID epidemic in their clubhouse.
Last Friday brought the news that both Kike Hernandez and, eventually, Christian Arroyo (first a close contact, then a positive test). On Monday, as they prepped for a big four-down series at Tropicana Field, Martin Perez was identified as having tested positive. Then, shortly before gametime, Matt Barnes joined him as a positive case, along with first base coach Tom Goodwin, identified as a close contact for the second time this month.
The bad news didn't stop during the game, with reliever Josh Taylor deemed a close contact and quality control coach Ramon Vazquez a positive case.
That's a total of five players and two staff members lost for the time being in the span of four days.
There's never a good time to lose almost 20 percent of your major league roster. But you'd be hard-pressed to identify a worse time than in the middle of a stretch that has playing the best team in the league seven times over the next 10 days. And regardless of the quality of the opposition, the Red Sox have the big picture to think about. They remain in the second wild-card spot even after their flat 6-1 loss to the Rays Monday night, but given the way the virus has hit the roster in recent days, it's worth wondering how long the Sox can't hold off Oakland and Seattle, charging from behind.
As it is, the Sox will be without two -- and possibly three -- relievers, likely for close to 10 days. Perez, frankly, isn't essential, but Taylor and Barnes -- struggling as he was the last three weeks -- are. Or maybe you're interested in seeing Hansel Robles pitch on a nightly basis?
The Sox had planned on a bullpen game Tuesday to provide an additional day of rest for their starters. Now, they're unsure of how many major league-caliber relievers they'll have available to them.
Meanwhile, the loss of both Hernandez and Arroyo has weakened them at two positions. Without Hernandez to play center, the Sox are being forced to use Jarren Duran regularly, only a week after they deemed him in need of further development time. The strikeouts pile up (38 in 103 at-bats), and Duran isn't able to utilize his most major league-ready tool - his speed -- because his on-base percentage is a lowly .241.
Without either Hernandez or Arroyo to man second, the Sox are alternating between journeyman Yairo Munoz and Jonathan Arauz, which is less than ideal.
"We just have to keep grinding,'' said Alex Cora. "Nobody's going to stop the tournament because we have x amount of cases and x amount of guys are close-contacts. They're not going to stop this. We just have to find ways to keep competing and going out there and trying to win ballgames. That's what we have to do as a group. Tomorrow's another day and we've got to prepare the same way we did today. Keep going and going and going.
"We're still a good team. We're in position to make the playoffs. We know there's going to be guys coming back -- I don't know when, but they will come back. The way I see it, keep grinding, keep going. It's not easy. It's a lot tougher today than yesterday. And yesterday was tougher than the day before. Hopefully tomorrow we're OK. Hopefully. That's what I pray for -- for this to be the end of it. Then, it's all about baseball and making plays and putting the ball in play and pitching. This part is not comfortable, it's not easy.''
Having sat out the shortened 2020 season with an MLB suspension, Cora watched in admiration as Ron Roenicke steered the Red Sox through the worst of the pandemic. But returning to the dugout this year, he knew as far back as the start of spring training that he and his team would still have to be vigilant.
For months, they were both successful and fortunate in keeping the virus at bay. But as his team heads for the home stretch, with every game essential, they've been dealt a potentially crippling blow.
The events of the last few days seem to be taking a toll on Cora.
"I'm just tired, to be honest with you, to be thinking about it the whole time,'' he said, "and have to deal with this before the game and during the game and all that. The season -- that's the easy part for me. But having to deal with everything that has to do with this, it's not easy. It's not easy. I love to prepare for a game the easy way -- (watch) video, talk to hitters, to pitchers, all that. Now, it's not the same.
"But right now, like I told the coaches, now is not the time to quit or feel sorry for us. We've got to keep pushing these guys to be great, like we've done all season. Is it a challenge? Of course it's a challenge. It's not easy. A lot of times have gone through it. It's really the timing of it, right?''
Which, given the standings, the calendar and the opponent, couldn't be worse.
