Red Sox may have to make room for Trevor Story at Isiah Kiner-Falefa's expense as both near returns originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Boston Red Sox have started another win streak, as they haven't lost in their past four games, and all of them have been thrillers. Their current roster is electric, and when the going gets tough, they lock in, and do what they can to get the W.
And now, their stars who were injured at the beginning of the season are starting to return. However, with the current middle infielders truly producing for the Sox, bringing back both Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Trevor Story might throw a wrench in the gears. With that in mind, one of them might have to go, and the odd man out is Kiner-Falefa.
Jonathan Dyer - Imagn Images
In the 47 games he played for the Red Sox, Kiner-Falefa slashed .277/.344/.361/.705 with four doubles, two home runs, 13 RBI, and seven stolen bases.

#kiner #sporting #games

It's hard to imagine Chad Tracy taking Andruw Monasterio out of the lineup at this point, but the Boston Red Sox may be headed in that direction.
Trevor Story, the team's Opening Day shortstop, is on a rehab **** ignment and nearing a return. When he comes back, it will not be hard for Monasterio to slide over to second base and stay in the lineup. However, Isiah Kiner-Falefa is also on his way back, and getting Monasterio adequate at-bats will be difficult.
Since July 1, he has the third-best OPS on the team. He essentially took over as the everyday shortstop on July 22, and since then he is slashing .298/.358/.404 with 20 RBI and eight extra-base hits. He has earned his playing time, but knows his role on the team is about to change.
"I know what my role is," Monasterio said, per The Boston Globe's Tim Healey. "At the beginning of the season, I played DH, first base, second base — I don't have any issues with that. I know what my role is.
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#role #july #shortstop

The Arizona Cardinals have two preseason games remaining and less than two weeks to make final roster decisions. At many positions, certain jobs are set. Others have intriguing battles for the back end of the depth chart.
At running back, three spots seem secure — rookie Jeremiyah Love, free agent Tyler Allgeier and veteran James Conner.
Assuming the Cardinals keep a fourth running back, that competition is intriguing. Three guys are battling for one spot.
Edward Hull and newly signed Tre Stewart are probably not likely to be in the mix, so we simply acknowledge them.
The three battling for one spot are Trey Benson, Bam Knight and Corey Kiner.

#three

So many rehabs! As we round the stretch of the 2026 season, the Red Sox will be getting reinforcements from several long-injured players (though in the case of some of these players, it's an open question as to whether they're improvements over the current options). First up is Trevor Story, who is planning on playing today for AAA Worcester. Then comes the big guy: Roman Anthony is slated to play on Tuesday for AA Portland. Then it will be Isiah Kiner-Falefa making his rehab debut on Wednesday alongside Story in AAA. (Alex Speier, Boston Globe)
The rehabs come at an opportune time, as it looks like the Red Sox just lost another bat to injury. Masataka Yoshida left last night's game with a strained left hamstring and is likely headed to the IL. "I think he's going to be down for some time," said Chad Tracy. (Ian Browne, MLB.com)
To be frank, losing Masa isn't much of a blow, as he's barely contributed this season. Losing Sonny Gray, on the other hand, would be a major blow, as he's turned himself into the team's ace in the absence of the injured Garrett Crochet. (Sean McAdam, MassLive)
Jake Bennett hasn't turned himself into an ace like Gray, but he has turned himself into an unexpected key contributor at the back end of the rotation. In the midst of an outstanding season, he has struggled a touch lately, but neither he nor Chad Tracy sounds all that worried at this point. (Sean McAdam, MassLive)
Speaking of aces, the Sox were scheduled to face Paul Skenes today. But Skenes, who has had a shaky season this year, is being pushed back to later this week. The Sox will instead matchup against reliever Lake Bechar in what looks like it's going to be a bullpen game. (Rodney Knuppel, NESN)

#like #tracy #sean

TORONTO (AP) — Three-time All-Star catcher Adley Rutschman was activated off the 10-day injured list to make his Red Sox debut against the Blue Jays in Toronto on Tuesday night.
Rutschan was set to catch and bat third against Blue Jays right-hander Dylan Cease. Rutschman, who wore jersey number 31, hasn't played since July 18 because of left wrist inflammation.
To make room for Rutschman on the 40-man roster, the Red Sox designated catcher Jake Rogers for ******* ignment. Boston also transferred infielder Isiah Kiner-Falefa (left forearm) to the 60-day injured list.
Rutschman went 1 for 5 with a double and two walks in two rehab games with Triple-A Worcester last weekend.
The Red Sox traded three of their top prospects to acquire the switch-hitting Rutschman from Baltimore at the trade deadline.

#toronto #blue #jays

Trevor Story's Injury Could Be Factor in Red Sox Calling Franklin Arias Up originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Every team looking to win a World Series in Major League Baseball has to make some tough decisions throughout the season with young players.
The Boston Red Sox have found themselves in that situation over the past few seasons, and it looks like that's going to continue with youngster Franklin Arias. Arias, only 20 years old, seems to have the tools to succeed in Major League Baseball right away.
However, as Red Sox fans have found out in recent years, there's no guarantee that a top prospect comes up and finds success at the highest level. Still, he's absolutely torn it up in Double-A and Triple-A throughout the year, posting a .318/.404/.585 slash line.
Injuries will play a factor in that, with Trevor Story and Isiah Kiner-Falefa currently out. Per the latest, it's possible that Arias could benefit from that and get called up.

#throughout

At some point this season, the Arizona Cardinals seem likely to get rookie Carson Beck some starts. They gave him one on Thursday to start that process.
And if the rest of the preseason goes as well as Thursday did, the push to get the rookie some regular-season starts might happen earlier than expected.
Beck, a third-round pick who was a college star at Georgia and Miami, started for the Cardinals against the Carolina Panthers as the NFL got the preseason started with the Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio. Beck looked good.
He looked quite comfortable as he took the Cardinals on a 96-yard touchdown drive to end the first quarter. The Cardinals were backed up near their own end zone when Beck made a big play. Receiver Jalen Brooks made a nice double move and Beck hit him downfield for a 35-yard gain. Later in the drive he had a nice pass to Brooks over the middle, delivering an accurate throw despite tight coverage for 15 yards. Beck completed a pass to the 1-yard line and then running back Corey Kiners scored the first unofficial touchdown of the NFL season to start the second quarter.
Beck finished the first quarter 8 of 9 for 81 yards. On Beck's first pass of the second quarter, he threw deep to Brooks, who hauled it in for 49 yards. Beck wasn't nervous about pushing the ball downfield, which is a good sign. Then Beck threw a nice fade route for a third-and-goal touchdown to Simi Fehoko.

#beck #cardinals #brooks #nice

The Cardinals didn't draft running back Jeremiyah Love with the third overall pick so he could sit on the bench, but they're not going to declare him the starter just yet.
Currently, the Cardinals' depth chart lists Tyler Allgeier as the first-string running back. Love is second string.
Realistically, there's almost no chance that Love, barring injury, isn't the Cardinals' top running back for the regular season. But NFL teams often wait until a rookie has earned a starting job before listing him as the starter on the team's published depth chart.
No. 3 on the running back depth chart in Arizona is James Conner, followed by Trey Benson, Bam Knight and Corey Kiner.

#cardinals #back #string

A series loss in Cincinnati and yet another injury blow will not deter the Pirates from buying at the trade deadline.
Despite falling a game below .500, the Pirates are looking to add more pieces to their roster ahead of the 6 p.m. ET buzzer, a source familiar with the situation told Pittsburgh Baseball Now.
The Pirates made a notable move on Saturday, when they acquired right-handed reliever Camilo Doval from the Yankees for a pair of prospects. Among the other additions Pittsburgh has made so far this month are infielder Jacob Gonzalez, left-hander Brandon Eisert and right-hander Ron Marinaccio. But it's not yet enough.
This is the second time general manager Ben Cherington has been looking to add pieces at the deadline and not subtract. The other was in 2024, and if the Pirates want to be serious contenders, they can't repeat what they did two years ago.
That year, the Pirates were teetering between buying and selling but entered the deadline a couple games over .500. To bolster its roster, Pittsburgh acquired infielder Isiah Kiner-Falefa from the Blue Jays, outfielder Bryan De La Cruz from the Marlins and left-handed reliever Jalen Beeks from the Rockies.

#pittsburgh #looking #roster #right

Perhaps they should rename Comerica Park to Rogers Center after Jake Rogers' pinch performance helped the Tigers beat the A's 6-1.
The Tigers have been pretty good lately, 7-3 for their last 10 games, and as we know, performing well against teams with much better records than theirs. So naturally, against another fourth-place team, they're going to potentially struggle. However, they did take the first game of the series against the A's, so how this series will play out is anyone's guess. The Tigers had Troy Melton on the mound up against Jeffrey Springs for the A's.
The A's went 1-2-3 in the top of the first. The home half took considerably longer to work through. With one out, Dillon Dingler singled and was able to advance to second on a throwing error by the A's third baseman. Kevin McGonigle walked, then Spencer Torkelson walked. Springs was having a heck of a time finding the zone, and that didn't change when Riley Greene came up to bat, and both Greene and the catcher challenged pitches, both of them ****** , before Greene singled to score Dingler and put the Tigers on the board first. Two outs followed, but they had certainly worn Springs down early.
After the first out of the second inning, there was a pause in play. A foul tip hit Dingler in his exposed hand, and while he stayed in through the top of the inning, he did ultimately leave the game. No current status updates. With two outs in the second, Lawrence Butler doubled. Then Joshua Kuroda-Grauer (a challenger for the Isiah Kiner-Falefa crown of making me struggle to spell their names right) singled. A final out ended the inning and the threat. In the bottom of the inning, Nick Kurtz was out of the game for the A's after two, citing illness, so a rough game all around. Zach McKinstry got a one-out single. Then, with two outs and pinch-hitting for Dingler, Jake Rogers came in and hit a home run. Now that's how you step in with style.
The A's went 1-2-3 in the top of the third. The Tigers, likewise, went down in order in the bottom of the inning.

Los Angeles Dodgers two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani reached an incredible milestone Tuesday, hitting his 300th career home run.
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Ohtani led off for the Dodgers in the bottom of the first, and took full advantage of a hanging sinker from Colorado Rockies starter Michael Lorenzen on the third pitch of the at-bat. The reigning MVP caught the ball square, shooting it well over the center field fence at Dodger Stadium.
The homer marked Ohtani’s 20th of the season, as well as his 129th as a Dodger. Ohtani reached 300 homers in just 1,102 games, which is the fifth-fastest of any player in MLB history. The players to accomplish the feat before him are Aaron Judge—the only player to do so in fewer than 1,000 games—Ralph Kiner, Ryan Howard and Juan Gonzalez.

Anthony Seigler is quickly becoming one of the Red Sox's best surprise stories originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Boston Red Sox have been having an overall bad season this year, and one of the biggest reasons for it is because of players being hurt. Their starters have been plagued by injuries, and even the backups as well.
Boston’s middle infield has taken the brunt of the injuries, with guys like Trevor Story, Marcelo Mayer, Isiah Kiner-Falefa, and Nick Sogard all on the IL. However, because of those injuries, the Sox have found they have more depth than they previously thought, as guys like Anthony Seigler are breaking out.
© Katie Stratman-Imagn Images
The Red Sox acquired Seigler as a part of the Caleb Durbin trade, alongside Andruw Monasterio and dealt Kyle Harrison, David Hamilton and Shane Drohan.

The original Red Sox lineup Friday had Marcelo Mayer sitting out for the second straight game. About 35 minutes before first pitch, though, interim manager Chad Tracy made a change.
Isiah Kiner-Falefa, who was originally slated to start at shortstop and bat sixth, was scratched due to left forearm inflammation, according to reports. Mayer was inserted as the shortstop and will hit seventh against Seattle and starter Bryce Miller.
Mayer, who didn’t play Thursday against the Blue Jays at Fenway Park, has been dealing with an illness that forced him to stay back (and not take the team charter) when the Red Sox flew west Thursday night. He flew separately of the team Friday morning and arrived in Seattle well in time for first pitch. Mayer is clearly feeling good enough to play in the opening game of a three-game series at T-Mobile Park.
Kiner-Falefa, who hit a clutch homer to help the Red Sox tie Thursday’s game in the eighth inning, has started 19 games in a row at various positions. It’s unclear if his injury is something that might keep him out past Friday.
Elsewhere in Boston’s lineup, Andruw Monasterio is at second base and Carlos Narváez is catching Ranger Suarez. First pitch is at 10:10 p.m. ET.

Red Sox Gold Glove Infielder Surprisingly Getting MRI On Forearm originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Boston Red Sox have been dealing with quite a few injuries to key players this season, and one of their infielders is also dealing with an injury now.
Isiah Kiner-Falefa is reportedly getting an MRI on his forearm. He has played in 47 games this season, and has manned first base, second base, third base and shortstop this year.
"Isiah Kiner-Falefa is getting an MRI on his sore left forearm today, he said. It has bothered him for more than two weeks, but got worse Friday after a long flight to Seattle. He doesn’t believe it to be a big deal," wrote the Boston Globe's Tim Healey.
Kiner-Falefa is a veteran infielder who gives the Red Sox some defensive versatility. He has been in the big leagues for nine seasons and has a Gold Glove Award. He has been swinging the bat well this season, posting a .277/.344/.361 slash line. He has two home runs, which is as many as he hit all of last season between the Pittsburgh Pirates and Toronto Blue Jays.

The Mariners – Red Sox kick off a series today with two dueling pitching strategies. The Red Sox, knowing how left-handed heavy the Mariners are, will be starting a trio of lefties, causing the Mariners to make a roster move to get more right-handed (read more in the "roster move" section). Meanwhile, the Mariners will be utilizing the piggyback again, starting Bryce Miller. John wrote about the benefits of returning to the piggyback; read more here if you missed it.
This is the first time the Mariners will face the Red Sox this season. Get up to speed with the series preview here.
Lineups:
It's Juneteenth, so the Mariners are wearing their Steelheads jerseys instead of the City Connects.
No nice graphic for the Red Sox, who made a last-minute lineup change. Isiash Kiner-Falefa is scratched with forearm soreness; Durbin moves up, and Marcelo Mayer – who missed yesterday with an illness but is apparently now well enough to play – enters the lineup.

UPDATE:About 35 minutes before first pitch, the Red Sox released a new lineup that has Marcelo Mayer at shortstop, and not Isiah Kiner-Falefa.
Mayer, after being left out of the original order, will start at shortstop and hit seventh, according to the team. He is apparently good to go after flying to Seattle on Friday morning, a day after the team charter left for the West coast.
According to the club, Kiner-Falefa — who has started 19 games in a row at various positions — was scratched with left forearm inflammation. The veteran hit a key homer in the eighth inning of Thursday's loss to Toronto.
UPDAETED RED SOX LINEUP:
Mickey Gasper DH

Red Sox's Chad Tracy Speaks On Morale After Being Swept By Blue Jays originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Toronto Blue Jays completed a three-game sweep of the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park on Thursday, and Chad Tracy spoke on the team's morale after the game.
The Red Sox went into the home half of the eighth inning trailing 3-1. Back-to-back home runs from Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Caleb Durbin to lead off the frame tied the game, and the Red Sox looked to be on their way to a magical comeback win. However, the Blue Jays took the lead in the top of the ninth after Ernie Clement scored on a double from Brandon Valenzuela.
The Red Sox fell to 29-43, and their postseason hopes are starting to fade. Tracy noted after the game that it was important to get the bats going to keep morale high. The Red Sox scored a total of four runs in the series.
“I think guys are frustrated, " Tracy said when asked where morale was at. "You can imagine if you were in there with the way it's going. Morale tends to swing with the offense, and offensively, when things are a challenge, it gets tough. That being said, it got really, really good after those two swings, and the morale was through the roof, so it goes like that with offense, but it's about getting the bats going.”

One thing that has been a surprising talking point around the Boston Red Sox this season has been their struggles at Fenway Park.
Typically, Fenway Park is an advantage for the club. It's hard to play off the Green Monster out in left field, but Boston is able to get used to it. The dimensions in right field are tricky with Pesky's Pole. It's a tough place to play, but the Red Sox typically are good at home. That hasn't been the case this year. Boston is 10-20 at home so far this season after a win on Wednesday against the Baltimore Orioles.
Earlier in the Orioles series, Red Sox utility man Isiah Kiner-Falefa raised some eyebrows by talking about the difference between playing at home and on the road this season.
"I just feel like on the road we’re a very close-knit team, we come home and there’s just a lot of people. It’s different. It’s just a different vibe at home," Kiner-Falefa said. “We’ve got to figure out a way to make it small like how it is on the road. I just feel like at home we see a lot of people we don’t know that are around this area… we gotta find a way to bring that back home.”
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