Boston

Red Sox

Wong was the vast majority of the Red Sox offense on Sunday. The home run was his 13th of the season and he now has 48 RBI to go along with a solid .286/.338/.436 slash line. He has been a fine catcher for the Red Sox for both real-life and fantasy purposes.

The rookie didn’t allow a single extra-base hit, but he also induced just five whiffs on 35 swings for a 14 percent whiff rate and 21 percent CSW. It wasn’t a confidence-inspiring start against a bad offense, but Fitts didn’t allow much hard contact and showed poise in his MLB debut. As of now, there’s no indication if he will remain in the rotation for another start.

It sounded like Rafaela would play second base with Trevor Story back, but he started in center field in Story’s return Saturday and now he’s sitting today. His recent usage suggests he’s dealing with something minor or that the Red Sox are otherwise concerned that he’s wearing down. After all, this is a guy who started every single game from June 28-Aug. 25.

The veteran had two shots at a fourth, and his seventh-inning flyball actually went a few feet further than his previous homer before being hauled in 377 feet deep. Alvarez, best known as a Summer and Winter Olympics medalist (baseball and short track speed skating), hasn’t played in the majors this season. He’s hit .249/.348/.467 with 18 homers for Worcester.

Fitts needed to be added to the 40-man this winter anyway, so the Red Sox might as well take a look at him now. He had a 2.38 ERA and a 37/4 K/BB over 34 innings in his last six Triple-A starts, and he’ll face similar competition against the White Sox today.

Shugart gave up three runs in 1 1/3 innings last night, turning the game against the White Sox into a tight one. The Red Sox won anyway, but Shugart loses his spot for now.

The Red Sox should have done this months ago and given Dalbec a chance at a fresh start, but it’s possible he would have cleared waivers anyway. His Triple-A numbers have been down some this year — he’s hit .255/.341/.492 with a way-too-high 36% strikeout rate — and he was truly abysmal in 93 major league plate appearances (.133/.217/.193). If he passes through waivers, he’ll likely become a minor league free agent after the season.

Apparently, this is more about getting Tanner Houck extra time off than it is about Bello. Houck was in line to start Monday against the Orioles, but he’ll apparently now face the Yankees on Friday, giving him eight days’ rest. Richard Fitts is expected to either start or pitch in a bulk role Sunday against the White Sox.

He’ll likely start or serve as a bulk guy Sunday, which suggests Brayan Bello is getting pushed back. Fitts, a product of the Alex Verdugo trade with the Yankees, is 9-5 with a 4.17 ERA and a 111/37 K/BB in 116 2/3 innings for Triple-A Worcester.

O’Neill smacked a two-run shot off Garrett Crochet in the first, and hit a solo blast off Enyel De Los Santos in the fifth. That gives the powerful right-handed hitter 27 homers in his first year as a member of the Red Sox, and he also singled to raise his average to .258. The latter number isn’t terribly impressive, but it’s a very passable number when you hit for power like O’Neill does.