MLB Notebook: Chad Tracy has Red Sox pointed toward the postseason, Rafael Devers closing in on history

It’s the time of year when Major League Baseball has to share the stage.

All eyes turn toward the NFL’s Week 1 schedule on Sunday, and rightfully so. Baseball may still be America’s pastime, but football, at least the American version, dominates the airwaves 24/7.

After the ball kicks off at 1:00 p.m., the Red Sox still have some business to take care of first.

Boston will wrap up its series against the Royals at 3:05 p.m. Sunday at Fenway Park. First pitch was originally scheduled for 1:35, but Mother Nature isn’t exactly cooperating, with heavy rain moving across Massachusetts.

After Sunday, the Red Sox will have Monday off before embarking on their final road trip of the regular season. They’ll open a three-game series Tuesday in Texas against a Rangers team whose postseason hopes are hanging by a thread, (OK, they’re still two games out of the final spot), before heading to the Trop for a showdown with the first-place Rays, who have already punched their ticket to October.

For Boston, the destination is becoming increasingly clear, get healthy before heading into the Wild Card round. 

The Red Sox enter Sunday 8 1/2 games out of first place and 4 1/2 behind the Yankees for the top spot in the wild-card hunt. Barring a dramatic shift over the final two weeks, Boston appears headed to the Bronx for the American League Wild Card Series, where it would have an opportunity to avenge last October’s postseason loss to New York.

The fact that we’re even discussing postseason pitching alignments and a potential October trip to Yankee Stadium would have sounded far-fetched a few months ago.

One reason for all of that has been the emergence of interim manager Chad Tracy.

Plucked from Triple-A Worcester after Alex Cora was fired in April, Tracy inherited a team that eventually sank to 14 games under .500 before authoring one of the more memorable summer turnarounds in recent Red Sox history. Boston ripped off a 15-game winning streak and later added another nine-game run, pulling an entire region back into a season that once appeared headed nowhere.

Now, I don’t want to offend any longtime Red Sox fans by pointing out a little potential history here.

In 1988, the Red Sox turned to another interim manager, Joe Morgan, and “Morgan Magic” was born. Boston won its first 12 games under Morgan and 19 of its first 20, a remarkable wave that carried the Sox to the American League East title and the postseason.

That team and that run will forever hold a special place for many Red Sox fans, and I’m certainly not trying to take anything away from what Morgan accomplished. 

Morgan’s tenure actually began with a rainout. The following night, Roger Clemens struck out 16 as the Red Sox swept a doubleheader against the Royals, and Boston took off from there.

Nearly four decades later, maybe this group has experienced a little bit of the “Tracy Touch.” ....Ok, seriously, that’s a working slogan, but, stay with me here. 

Tracy stepped onto one of baseball’s biggest stages with a collection of coaches from within the organization and somehow got everyone pulling in the same direction. Veterans bought in and young players were given opportunities to grow. Players who had spent much of their careers bouncing between Triple-A and the majors found meaningful roles.

Sox regulars and former WooSox stars' Nick Sogard, Mickey Gasper, Tyron Guerrero, Anthony Seigler, Andruw Monasterio all have benefited under the Tracy at the helm.

Tracy has taken his lumps along the way. He’s made questionable decisions, as every manager does, and there have been nights when things haven’t worked. But through all of it, he has managed to keep a roster of veterans, young players and organizational depth pieces moving in the same direction.

That direction now appears to be aimed straight toward the Bronx.

OK, the corny play on words aside, what the Red Sox accomplished this summer is something fans will remember for a long time. Morgan had his magic in 1988 and now Tracy and the 2026 Red Sox have created something distinctly their own and opportunity to truly make their summer run memorable. 

Before Boston can think seriously about doing that, however, it needs to get healthy.

The Red Sox have occasionally looked like a team in a self-driving car over the past couple of weeks, cruising along and checking games off the schedule while waiting for October. The standings have afforded them that luxury to an extent, but the more important countdown now involves the players trying to work their way back.

Willson Contreras is back with the Red Sox on Sunday after spending the weekend rehabbing with Double-A Portland, but his stint with the Sea Dogs hasn’t gone without some drama.

During an at-bat Saturday night, Contreras asked for additional time to apply pine tar to his bat. When the home plate umpire wouldn’t grant it, Contreras returned to the box and essentially left the bat on his shoulder.

It was the baseball equivalent of taking your ball and going home. It wasn’t a great look for the veteran, particularly considering there have already been a handful of moments this season when his attitude has come into question.

Contreras has been one of Boston’s best hitters, and there’s no questioning how