Nick Sogard has acclimated himself to the big leagues quite nicely in the early going here, notching four hits and two walks in the first three games of his career. But is that enough for him to grab the second base job for the foreseeable future? Vaughn Grissom continues to rehab in Worcester, and his quality of contact is looking much better than it was earlier this season (Alex Speier, Boston Globe)
Sogard is likely to keep starting at second for the time being, with David Hamilton next to him. This isn’t just because Sogard is hitting well, but because Tyler O’Neill is sidelined with an illness, dinging the outfield depth and forcing Alex Cora to keep Ceddanne Rafaela in centerfield. (Adam London, NESN)
Not that anyone wouldn’t want Ceddanne in centerfield, anyway, as he showed again last night with an absolutely incredible catch on a ball that he struggled to even see. (Sean McAdam, MassLive)
Absolutely no one expected to see a middle infield of Hamilton and Sogard playing important games for the Red Sox down the stretch this year (and playing well). Likewise, we could see the emergence of a bullpen that looks drastically different than expected over the next few weeks. (Peter Abraham, Boston Globe)
Is it remotely possible that Trevor Story returns this season to reclaim his shortstop job? No one is saying it’s likely yet, but he has progressed in his recovery from the nasty early-season shoulder injury and is close to taking batting practice. (Gayle Troiani, NESN)
But one guy who isn’t throwing batting practice is James Paxton. He threw a quality start last night against the Royals and could be a key contributor for the stretch run. (Ian Browne, MLB.com)
