AL East

The Tampa Bay Rays announced Sunday they've placed designated hitter Nelson Cruz on MLB's COVID-19 injured list.

Relief pitcher Chris Mazza was recalled from the Triple-A Durham Bulls to fill the vacant spot on the Rays' 26-man roster.

Cruz, who was acquired in a July trade with the Minnesota Twins, is eligible for activation at any time. The COVID-related IL doesn't have a minimum duration like MLB's other injured lists.

The 41-year-old Dominican Republic native has struggled since the trade. He posted a .294 batting average and .907 OPS across 85 appearances for the Twins this season, but those numbers have dropped to .198 and .705, respectively, in 24 games for the Rays. He's still provided some pop with seven home runs, though.

Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash said Tuesday that Cruz's impact went beyond his baseline stats.

"You see it every day, even the days that maybe he's not contributing to the biggest at-bat or the biggest moment," Cash told reporters. "The positive effect it has on everybody throughout the lineup, hitting in front of him, hitting behind him—he has really added and thickened us up a lot."

Brett Phillips and Yandy Diaz should both see an uptick in playing time until Cruz is cleared to return.

Meanwhile, Mazza returns for another stint in the Rays' bullpen. He's struggled in his prior appearances at the MLB level this year with a 5.57 ERA and 1.33 WHIP with 15 strikeouts in 21 innings.

The 2011 27th-round pick has compiled a 5.21 ERA across 29 career games for the Rays, Boston Red Sox and New York Mets over the past three seasons.

He's enjoyed more success at Durham this season, tallying a 3.73 ERA and 40 strikeouts in 31.1 innings.

Mazza, 31, should handle a middle-innings role for Tampa, which finishes a three-game home series against the Chicago White Sox on Sunday before embarking on a five-game road trip with stops to face the Philadelphia Phillies and Baltimore Orioles.

The Rays enter Sunday's action four games ahead of the New York Yankees atop the AL East with MLB's third-best record at 76-48.

New York Yankees first baseman Luke Voit said Tuesday he doesn't want to get relegated to a bench role when Anthony Rizzo is activated from the COVID-19 injured list.

"I was top-10 MVP [voting] last year and I've been a great player for this organization for the last three years," Voit told reporters. "I'm not going down. I want to play. Obviously, I know it will be tough with Rizzo, but I deserve to play just as much as he does. I led the league in home runs last year. I feel really good again."

"I was Top 10 in MVP last year... I want to play. I know it's gonna be tough with Rizzo. I deserve to play just as much as he does. I led the league in home runs last year." -Luke Voit pic.twitter.com/sN7QgouxHW

— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) August 18, 2021

Rizzo, whom the Yankees acquired in a July trade with the Chicago Cubs, landed on the COVID-19 injured list on Aug. 7. Voit returned from a stint on the standard injured list on Aug. 8 after recovering from knee inflammation, which had so far prevented any playing-time conflicts.

Voit has posted a .804 OPS with three home runs in 10 games since being activated from the IL. He went 2-for-5 with a homer and three RBI in the Yanks' doubleheader sweep of the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday, which moved New York into a wild-card position in the American League.

Here's a look at how the first basemen's numbers stack up so far in 2021:

• Voit: .241/.325/.400, 6 HR, 20 RBI in 39 games

• Rizzo: .251/.351/.456, 17 HR, 46 RBI in 101 games

It's unclear whether the Yankees will consider a straight platoon since both Voit (.872) and Rizzo (.878) have a higher career OPS against right-handed pitching, though Voit holds a sizable edge (.857-.789) against lefties, which could lead to more starts in those situations.

New York manager Aaron Boone wouldn't tip his hand after Tuesday's wins, telling reporters the Yanks will handle the situation "day by day" once Rizzo returns.

The 32-year-old Florida native, who made three All-Star appearances while with the Cubs, moved closer to activation Tuesday when he did infield work and took batting practice. The infielder said he was "knocked out for a solid six, seven days" with COVID-19 and was "grateful" his situation didn't get worse.

New York likely won't have much margin for error down the stretch. It remains five games behind the Tampa Bay Rays in the AL East race, and it's in a virtual three-way tie with Boston and the Oakland Athletics for the two wild-card spots, with the Toronto Blue Jays and Seattle Mariners each four games back and still a threat in that race.

The Yankees may have to ride the hot hand at first base during the stretch run. It would be difficult to jettison Voit to the bench given how well he's been hitting since his return to the lineup.

The Yanks face the Red Sox in another critical game Wednesday night before hosting the Minnesota Twins for a four-game set beginning Thursday. They also face the A's four times during an upcoming nine-game road trip.

Toronto Blue Jays outfielder George Springer is going on the 10-day injured list with a sprained left knee, per manager Charlie Montoyo.

The Jays announced that they are are calling up infielder Otto Lopez from Triple-A Buffalo in Springer's place.

Montoyo said he was unaware of a timeline for Springer's return and that he hoped to see him back before the end of the season, per Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.

More tests will be conducted on Springer, who has amassed 16 home runs and 35 RBI despite playing in only 49 games in an injury-shortened 2021 campaign.

Springer went on the injured list on April with a left oblique strain. One month later, he went on the injured list with a right quad strain.

The ex-Houston Astro played only four games until June 22, when he finally was able to join the Blue Jays lineup on a consistent basis. He stayed there through Aug. 14, when he was forced to leave his team's game against the Seattle Mariners.

Mark Polishuk of MLB Trade Rumors provided more information on the injury:

Springer made an awkward landing while attempting to catch a Ty France triple to the wall in the seventh inning, and Springer immediately grabbed at his ankle area after hitting the ground. He was able to walk off the field under his own power, albeit gingerly.

Springer was initially considered day-to-day with a mild ankle sprain, per Montoyo, but he'll now spend his third stint on the injured list this year. 

Losing the All-Star talent is a tough blow to a Blue Jays team currently fighting for a wild-card berth. Without him, the Blue Jays' outfield should consist of Randal Grichuk in center for Springer, Teoscar Hernandez in right and either Corey Dickerson or Lourdes Gurriel Jr. in left.

Grichuk has hit .251 (.735 OPS) with 20 home runs and 72 RBI this year.

New York Yankees ace Gerrit Cole is scheduled to return to action Monday against the Los Angeles Angels.

According to MLB.com's Bryan Hoch, Cole will start Monday's contest, which is a makeup game at Yankee Stadium after a previously scheduled game between the Yanks and Angels was rained out in July.

Cole, who has not made a start since July 29, was placed on the COVID-19 list along with fellow starter Jordan Montgomery.

Per Hoch, Cole is feeling good ahead of his return to the mound, as the four-time All-Star joked: "I threw a no-hitter in the bullpen. I'm ready to go."

Prior to landing on the COVID-19 IL, Cole was unquestionably the Yankees' go-to pitcher this season. In 21 starts, Cole has posted a 10-6 record with a 3.11 ERA and American League-best 0.99 WHIP.

Cole also leads the AL with 176 strikeouts in 130.1 innings after finishing with the most K's in the majors in 2019 with 326 when he was a member of the Houston Astros.

With starters Corey Kluber, Domingo German and Luis Severino already on the IL when Cole and Montgomery joined them, Yankees manager Aaron Boone has leaned heavily on his bullpen over the past couple of weeks.

That has seemingly taken a toll on New York's relievers, as the Yanks have blown ninth-inning leads in each of their past two games against the Chicago White Sox, although they did manage to win in extra innings Saturday.

Cole's return will be a welcome sight for Boone, as the 30-year-old righty averages over six innings per start this season.

The Yankees are also set to get Montgomery back in the fold this week, as Hoch reported that the big lefty will likely start one half of the doubleheader against the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday.

Despite having to get by with a makeshift starting rotation in recent weeks, the Yankees are firmly in the playoff race.

Entering play Sunday, the Yanks are 6.5 games behind the Tampa Bay Rays for the AL East lead, but they trail the Red Sox by only 2.5 games for the second wild-card spot.

New York has already strengthened its lineup with the trade-deadline additions of Joey Gallo and Anthony Rizzo, but the return of Cole may be the biggest key to the Bronx Bombers securing a postseason berth.

Toronto Blue Jays outfielder George Springer suffered an apparent lower-leg injury in the bottom of the seventh inning at the Seattle Mariners on Saturday night while trying to make a catch on the run.

Springer jumped for a line drive on the warning track off the bat of Ty France only for his leg to land awkwardly on the way down. The ball bounced off the right field wall giving France a triple as Springer immediately grabbed at his leg in pain.

George Springer coming out of the game in Seattle after sustaining an apparent left leg or ankle injury while trying to make a catch in deep CF. Walking off the field with a limp right now.

— Ben Nicholson-Smith (@bnicholsonsmith) August 15, 2021

The 31-year-old started the season on the injured list with a Grade 2 left oblique strain. He was set to return Wednesday, April 7 but suffered right quad tightness as he was running the bases the day before following a batting practice session, per the Associated Press (h/t ESPN). The tightness happened before an April 6 matchup against the Texas Rangers.

Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo told reporters that Springer's oblique was fine.

On Thursday, April 8, Montoyo told reporters that Springer suffered a low-grade right quad strain and would not be available for the Jays' seven-game homestand, which ran from April 8-14.

Springer stayed out an additional two weeks post-homestand and made his 2021 season debut on April 28. He played in four games, including one where he smacked two homers against the Atlanta Braves on May 1.

However, Springer landed back on the injured list with a right quad strain. He was sidelined until June 22.

Since rejoining the lineup full-time in late June, the outfielder has been a force for Toronto, slashing .280/.370/.622 with 12 home runs and 32 RBI in 44 games.

Springer was the Blue Jays' big offseason addition, signing a six-year, $150 million contract. He made three All-Star games during his first seven MLB seasons, all with the Houston Astros. Springer and the Astros won the 2017 World Series, with the outfielder earning the Fall Classic MVP.

Randal Grichuk should take Springer's center field place in the lineup, as he did when the outfielder missed time to begin the season. Corey Dickerson remains an option as well. Teoscar Hernandez and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. should patrol the corner outfield spots.

New York Yankees left-handed relief pitcher Zack Britton told reporters Saturday that he asked manager Aaron Boone to remove him from the closer role.

"I told him I don't deserve to be out there in the ninth inning; other guys deserve it," Britton said, per ESPN's Marly Rivera.

"I haven't been pitching the way I should be to be out there when the team needs wins. I told [Boone] I want to pitch, whenever you need me I'll be ready, but I don't deserve to be out there in those situations."

As Rivera noted, Britton is 1-of-4 on save opportunities with an 8.10 ERA in those situations. He has a 6.32 ERA in 18 appearances overall alongside a 1.66 WHIP.

"Physically [I am] not where I normally am at this stage of the season. But I have to find a way to get outs with where I'm at physically right now because it's just where I'm at," Britton said, per Rivera.

"Just need to figure out how in the future I can get back to the top level of pitching that I want to be at."

The southpaw notably blew a save chance against the Chicago White Sox on Thursday, allowing a game-winning two-run home run to shortstop Tim Anderson in a 9-8 defeat.

During the offseason, Britton underwent left elbow surgery and contracted COVID-19, which led to a big weight loss, per Rivera. Still, the left-hander isn't using that as an excuse.

I have to figure out a way to pitch with where I'm at. You've got to get outs, regardless of how you're feeling, velocity being down. I've been around long enough to know that it's not always about the best stuff, the most velocity, to get outs. It's about executing pitches. And I'm not doing a good job of that right now. And I'm capable of doing it.

Britton has been inserted into save situations after regular closer Aroldis Chapman went on the 10-day injured list with left elbow inflammation retroactive to Aug. 6.

As for who will close games, Boone said that he will look toward Jonathan Loaisiga and Chad Green until Chapman can return to the team.

Four months after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his hip, Chris Davis has announced his retirement from Major League Baseball. 

Davis issued a statement through the Baltimore Orioles on Thursday:

Chris Davis has announced his retirement. pic.twitter.com/3QKvErwTzn

— Baltimore Orioles (@Orioles) August 12, 2021

Davis was owed $17 million this season and in 2022 as part of the seven-year, $161 million contract he signed in 2016. 

Per Dan Connolly of The Athletic, the Orioles will pay the remainder of Davis' salary and spread out his 2022 money over several years. 

A knee injury limited Davis to 16 games last season. The 35-year-old began this season on the 60-day injured list with a strained back. General manager Mike Elias announced in May that Davis had an arthroscopic procedure on his hip. 

Acquired by the Orioles in a 2011 trade with the Texas Rangers, Davis was an integral part of the franchise's return to prominence in the American League. 

Davis led Major League Baseball with 53 homers, 138 RBI and 370 total bases to finish third in AL MVP voting in 2013. He also led the league with 47 homers during the 2015 season. 

The Orioles finished .500 or better in five consecutive seasons from 2012 to 2016. They made the playoffs three times during that span, including an appearance in the 2014 American League Championship Series. 

A fifth-round draft pick by the Rangers in 2006, Davis finishes his career with a .233/.315/.459 slash line, 295 homers and 780 RBI in 1,417 regular-season games.     

It was late July and the New York Yankees were immersed in their worst emergency in years.

They'd just lost to the Boston Red Sox for the 10th time in 13 games, nine games out in the AL East, barely over .500 and had committed the worst-possible sin for a legacy franchise: they'd become irrelevant.

Manager Aaron Boone openly second-guessed his own decisions in a crushing 5-4 loss to Boston, during which the Sox scored five runs in the bottom of the eighth. The Fenway crowd cranked up its time-honored "Yankees suck" chant, but it was more of a joke than a declaration of war against a blood rival. The Bombers really were terrible.

The trade deadline was right around the corner. There were increasing calls on social media for GM Brian Cashman to recognize the hopelessness of the situation, pull up stakes and start over in 2022.

To the industry, it meant selling off the Yankees' best assets and initiate a rebuild. On the street, it meant an outright cave.

Cashman's response? Feverishly working the phones and saving the season.

"It's up to me to do everything I can to fix it, Cashman said on July 31. "We'll see how it plays out."

One person familiar with Cashman's thinking said the GM never wavered. "There was no way Brian was ever intending to give up," he said. "That's not him."

It would've been too steep a drop for a team Vegas oddsmakers considered a World Series lock in spring training. Cashman did more than simply soldier on, however: he went scorched earth on the roster, acquiring five players in five days, including Anthony Rizzo and Joey Gallo. That sparked a turnaround that alerted the American League to the possibilities of a busy October in the Bronx.

Instead of the crash skeptics were predicting, the Yankees are now the hottest team in the majors. They've taken nine of their past 10 series. And while winning the East might still be a bridge too far—the Rays are now the division's power brokers, having blown past the slumping Sox—the Yankees are only 1.5 games out of the wild card. The postseason is very much on their minds.

"I think the focus of the guys is very aware of where we are in the season and the importance of this [hot streak]," Boone said via zoom this week. "I love the mindset; we're finding ways to win ballgames."

That's no small achievement, considering the Yankees looked so sluggish and un-athletic for the first four months. No AL offense was less efficient scoring a runner from first base. The situational hitting was just as brutal as the Yankees were among the worst at bringing a runner home from third with less than two out barely 40 percent of the time. They also lead the AL in runners left on base.

But that was the before The Great Makeover.

Led by Rizzo, the Yankees won five of their first six games after the deadline. True, it helped to have two last-place teams lined up to help the newcomers assimilate. The Miami Marlins and Baltimore Orioles, a combined 44 games under .500 at the time, were exactly what the Bombers needed. They took off on a sprint and have yet to slow down.

One American League official I spoke to said he's, "more than a little concerned" the Yankees are about to go to the after-burners. They're winning despite a flurry of injuries and COVID-19 cases. No less than 12 players have been placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list; five in the past month alone. Among those currently recovering are their two best starters (Gerrit Cole and Jordan Montgomery), their recent sparkplug (Rizzo) and their front-line catcher (Gary Sanchez).

Add in Gleyber Torres (thumb), Aroldis Chapman (elbow) and Domingo German (shoulder), and Boone should've been overseeing an outright collapse. The alibi was ready and waiting. Instead, the Yankees have proven Boone right: with 31 come-from-behind victories, few teams in the majors are as dangerous late in the game. And that can-do attitude looms as the Bombers' best weapon in the postseason, especially with the imminent returns of the COVID-19 cases and starters Luis Severino and Corey Kluber.

The two hurlers, both recovering from arm injuries, could be back at the front of the rotation before September. That would give the Yankees a fearsome three-pronged weapon in any short series in the postseason. No wonder there's optimism up and down the franchise. DJ LeMahieu spoke for the rest of his teammates when he said, "it's been a little while since we've had that kind of confidence."

Two important challenges are looming, though. The Yankees will face the Central Division-leading Chicago White Sox over the weekend, followed by a two-day, three-game set with the Red Sox early next week. The wild-card race will come into even sharper focus at the end of the month when the Yankees travel to Oakland for a four-game series. The A's are clinging to a slim lead for the second wild-card spot.

And then there's the possibility the coronavirus will continue to impact the Yankees roster.

"We don't know why it keeps happening," reliever Zack Britton said. "We're over 90 percent vaccinated [as a traveling group]. We did everything we felt we needed to do to protect ourselves."

Regarding the vaccines the majority of the Yankees received, Britton said, "We knew it didn't mean you can't get COVID, but it lessens the symptoms—which it has in some cases and hasn't in others. Guys are still getting severe symptoms like they never got the vaccine."

Still, the Yankees are hoping the worst will be over before the playoffs. The plan is to be at full strength by October. If all goes well, the franchise can thank Cashman, who not only laughed at July's doomsday scenario, but he also just might turn out to be the Yankees' MVP in 2021.

     

Follow Bob Klapisch on Twitter.

Even as recently as July 28, the Boston Red Sox were tied for the best record in the American League and looking forward to gaining more firepower upon ace left-hander Chris Sale's return from Tommy John surgery.

Cut to a Spongebob-like "Two Weeks Later" title card, and things are suddenly pear-shaped for the Red Sox.

Seemingly out of nowhere, they've lost 11 of their last 14 games. That mostly covers a 2-8 road trip between July 30 and Aug. 8 that started with them up 1.5 games in the American League East and ended with them looking up at a four-game deficit to the Tampa Bay Rays. After a crushing defeat to the Rays on Tuesday night at Fenway Park, Boston's deficit is now five games.

The New York Yankees and Toronto Blue Jays, meanwhile, are 8-3 and 9-3, respectively, since loading up with stars—like Joey Gallo and Anthony Rizzo for the former and Jose Berrios for the latter—ahead of the July 30 trade deadline.

As those three teams' playoff odds have improved, Boston's have taken a nosedive.  According to FanGraphs, the Red Sox's chances of making the postseason in any capacity have gone from 95.9 to 66.8 percent since July 28. Their chances of winning the division are even worse, going from 69 to 22.4 percent.

On the plus side, Sale's return is officially on as he's slated to start for the first time in two years Saturday against the Baltimore Orioles. The Red Sox should be thrilled about this.

There will, however, be a different sort of pressure on Sale than there might have been if the Red Sox had kept on winning in his absence. In lieu of just another weapon, they now need him to be more like a savior.

---

Boston Needs Vintage Sale

If the Red Sox have their way, Sale will return to be something like what he was between 2012 and 2018.

He was an All-Star and Cy Young Award contender in each of those seven seasons,  compiling a 2.91 ERA and 5.6 strikeout-to-walk ratio over 1,388 innings. By racking up 39.6 rWAR, he edged Justin Verlander for the overall lead among American League hurlers.

The stuff with which Sale did this? It was good. His fastball got as high as 100.5 mph, and he used that and an excellent slider-changeup combination to draw 169 more whiffs than any other left-handed pitcher between 2012 and 2018.

Yet it's also worth recalling that Sale wasn't particularly good in his most recent season, as his 25 starts in 2019 yielded only a 4.40 ERA over 147.1 innings. He did save some face by striking out a whopping 218 batters, but his weirdly fluctuating fastball velocity was a factor as he also got dinged for a career-high 1.5 home runs per nine innings.

It was elbow inflammation that ended Sale's 2019 season early in August, and rest and rehabilitation didn't save him. Further elbow trouble during spring training for 2020, and he finally went under the knife in March.

Sale turned 31 shortly after he had surgery. Now he's 32; by pitcher standards, he's not young anymore. Heck, he might even be older than middle-aged.

 For now, though, the signs are good. Sale made five rehab starts between July 15 and Aug. 7 and dominated in them. In 20 innings, he allowed only three runs on 17 hits and five walks. He struck out 35.

When Sale pitched for the Triple-A Worcester Red Sox on July 20, his fastball was reportedly up to 97 mph. Also in fine form was his slider:

Chris Sale. Sliders. 🤮 pic.twitter.com/htWiuVgc20

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) July 20, 2021

The catch is that Sale topped out at five innings and 89 pitches, respectively, during his rehab assignment. Starting on Saturday, the Red Sox must therefore hope that the southpaw will not only maintain his electric stuff but also take further strides toward longer outings.

Any guy who can do that is a true No. 1 starter, and the Red Sox need at least one of those right now.

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Boston's Pitching Had This Coming

Even when the Red Sox were going good, their starting pitching was something of a lingering specter. Not just because their primary starters weren't particularly good in general, but also because a few of them had the potential to get even worse.

Well, take a wild guess what has happened.

Through May, Boston starters only ranked 16th in ERA at 4.20. Between the start of June and that fateful day July 28, that ERA ballooned to 4.70. Nathan Eovaldi continued to pitch well, but Eduardo Rodriguez, Garrett Richards, Nick Pivetta and Martin Perez each took turns contributing to a combined 5.38 ERA in that span.

Should Chaim Bloom, Boston's Chief Baseball Officer, have taken the hint and added a starting pitcher or two at the trade deadline? You bet. But he didn't, seemingly out of a sense of sticker shock.

“Some of the trades that were put in front of us, I didn’t feel like they made sense,” Bloom said, according to Jason Mastrodonato of the Boston Herald.

As if on cue, disaster has found the Red Sox's starting rotation. It has served up a 6.71 ERA since July 29, notching the second-worst such mark in the majors. There's already been one notable casualty, as Perez is now pitching out of Boston's bullpen.

To his credit, 25-year-old righty Tanner Houck has played the pick-me-up role well by allowing only two earned runs in three starts since July 22. It should also be fun for the Red Sox to have him and Sale in the same rotation, since they're basically the same pitcher:

Tanner Houck vs. Righty Chris Sale, Sliders (individual pitches + overlay) pic.twitter.com/31tEWpLksb

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) July 23, 2021

Like with Sale, though, the "yeah, but..." with Houck is that he's not built to go deep into games. In both the minors and majors this season, he's only gone as deep as five innings with a maximum of 87 pitches.

That groan you just heard came from the Red Sox's relievers, who've already picked up enough slack throughout 2021. Boston has five guys with as many as 40 appearances, plus another guy in Garrett Whitlock whose 33 outings have covered 55.2 innings.

To this point, the men in the pen have done the job by accounting for more rWAR than all but one other team's relievers. But cracks have begun to form, as noted by a 6.85 ERA since July 29 and, well, this:

Not to mention also this and, more recently, this.

Albeit to a lesser extent, there's also another party to blame for Boston's downfall.

---

Boston's Offense Also Had this Coming

Even after hanging eight runs on the Blue Jays on Sunday, the Red Sox's offense has still only mustered 36 runs over the team's last 12 games. 

It might be tempting to see this as a fluke given that the Red Sox's offense had previously been one of the best in baseball. Through July 28, its 105 wRC+ marked it as five percent better than average and tied for the seventh-best in all of MLB.

But even then, the Red Sox's offense wasn't so much a big collection of good hitters as a medium-sized group of mediocre hitters around a smaller core of great hitters.

J.D. Martinez, Xander Bogaerts and Rafael Devers did the heavy lifting with a combined 144 wRC+ through July 28. Apart from them, Boston's other nine most oft-used hitters had just an 88 wRC+. 

Barring some extraordinarily fortunate twist of fate, there always was going to come a moment when Boston's Big Three all struggled at the same time. When that finally did happen, the Red Sox's supporting cast would either step up or keep struggling and leave the team's lack of offensive depth utterly exposed.

Since July 29, it's the latter scenario that's come to life:

• Martinez, Devers and Bogaerts: 85 wRC+
• Main Supporting Cast: 94 wRC+

Going forward, it stands to reason that the Big Three will get back on track. Ideally, they'll also get a boost from Kyle Schwarber, who accounts for the one big splash that Bloom did make at the deadline, once he's fully recovered from a hamstring strain that landed him on the injured list back on July 2.

But with Schwarber having recently suffered a setback in his recovery, he's now not projected back until the third week of August. And unless he quickly masters first base—a spot where the Red Sox have gotten an MLB-low minus-1.3 rWAR in 2021—he could be a man without a set position down the stretch.

There's definitely a road ahead of the Red Sox that not only gets them to the postseason, but perhaps deep into it. This is the one in which Sale does recapture his vintage form, thus rallying the team's rotation while the Big Three and Schwarber eventually do the same for the offense. Without question, that version of the Red Sox would be dangerous.

But before the Red Sox can get on that road, they must see to a fix-it list that will hardly get shorter after Sale returns.

---

Stats courtesy of Baseball Reference, Stathead, FanGraphs and Baseball Savant.

Toronto Blue Jays star Vladimir Guerrero Jr. will honor Kobe and Gianna Bryant on his cleats for Toronto's four-game series against the Los Angeles Angels starting Tuesday.

Vlad Jr wanted to pay tribute to Mamba and Mambacita while the @BlueJays are playing in LA this week. This is one of two custom @jumpman23 pairs that Vlad will wear this series. Portraits are hand painted as always. Stay tuned for the next pair. #mambamondays #customcleats pic.twitter.com/YITclWvYcK

— Mike Jordan (@mikejordan_art) August 9, 2021

Vlad Jr is paying tribute to Kobe and Gianna this week with two pairs of customized @jumpman23 cleats. This pair features hand painted portraits and a lyric from XO by @beyonce which was one Kobe’s favorite songs. After the series these cleats will be sent to Vanessa Bryant 💐 pic.twitter.com/nBHCDH7sp9

— Mike Jordan (@mikejordan_art) August 9, 2021

Artist Michael Jordan, who designed the cleats, told TMZ Sports he began working on the project in June so that the customized kicks would be ready in time for the Blue Jays' upcoming trip to L.A.

Once the series is over, Guerrero plans to give the purple and black pair to Vanessa Bryant.

Kobe and Gianna Bryant and seven others died in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California, in January 2020.

The Ringer's Katie Baker profiled Guerrero in 2019 and wrote he "grew up loving Kobe Bryant." The 2021 All-Star also told Baker he has "always been a Lakers fan."

This will be the Blue Jays' first road trip to Los Angeles since Bryant's death.