The Red Sox revealed their 26-man roster for Tuesday's wild card game with the New York Yankees, and some of the choices -- and omissions -- were surprising.
It wasn't a shock that J.D. Martinez was excluded. Martinez tripped over second base on his way out to right field Sunday afternoon at Nationals Park and rolled his left ankle. He remained in the game for another half inning, but was later removed in favor of a pinch-hitter. The Sox were hopeful that a day's worth of treatment on the ankle would enable him to serve as DH Tuesday, but evidently, he didn't make enough progress.
Presumably, Kyle Schwarber will be the DH, with Alex Verdugo in left and Bobby Dalbec at first.
Martinez would be eligible to be part of a Division Series roster should the Red Sox win Tuesday night and advance to the next round. This 26-man roster applies only to the wild card game.
Also missing from the roster: Chris Sale, Hirokazu Sawamura and Darwinzon Hernandez.
Some surprise additions included Josh Taylor, Jonathan Arauz and Connor Wong.
Sale started the final game of the season Sunday, lasting just 2.1 innings and throwing 62 pitches. Presumably, he's being saved for a potential Game 1 start in the Division Series against Tampa Bay. And while the team has taken an "all hands on deck'' approach to using starters in brief relief roles in the playoffs -- -Eduardo Rodriguez and Nick Pivetta both contributed in relief Sunday -- the fact that Sale is returning from Tommy John surgery probably mitigates against having him pitch with just one day's rest, even for just a few batters,.
Sawamura's exclusion is also something of a surprise. Though used sparingly in the last week or so of the season, Sawamura was effective Sunday, bailing the Sox out of a jam in relief of Sale in the third inning by inducing a double play, then coming back out for the fourth. Sawamura missed time over the second half with right elbow tightness and it may be that the Sox didn't want him throwing twice in three days.
Hernandez, too, was a curious exclusion.
On the other hand, Taylor's spot on the roster is a pleasant surprise. He missed the final 10 days of the season with a lower back strain and as recently as Saturday, Alex Cora said that Taylor's recovery had been slower than expected and wouldn't be joining the Sox for the final series in D.C.
Arauz and Wong are here to provide depth and allow Cora some flexibility with some late-inning moves. Arauz is capable of playing second if the Sox choose to pinch-hit, say, Travis Shaw for Christian Arroyo in the late innings. Wong provides that same option if the Sox want to either hit or run for either of their other two catchers.
While Sale is not on the roster, Rodriguez and Pivetta are.
The roster:
PITCHERS (12): Matt Barnes, Ryan Brasier, Austin Davis, Nathan Eovaldi, Tanner Houck, Adam Ottavino, Nick Pivetta, Garrett Richards, Hansel Robles, Eduardo Rodriguez, Josh Taylor, Garrett Whitlock.
CATCHERS (3): Kevin Plawecki, Christian Vazquez, Connor Wong.
INFIELDERS (6): Jonathan Arauz, Christian Arroyo, Xander Bogaerts, Bobby Dalbec, Rafael Devers, Travis Shaw.
OUTFIELDERS (4): Jarren Duran, Hunter Renfroe, Kyle Schwarber, Alex Verdugo.
INFIELDER/OUTFIELDER (1): Kike Hernandez.