BOSTON — Hanley Ramirez’s absence from the Red Sox’s lineup likely will last just one day. Dustin Pedroia’s could be a bit longer.
“Both are day to day,” manager John Farrell said after both players sat out Tuesday’s 9-4 win over the Atlanta Braves. Ramirez was given a day off after tweaking his back in Monday night’s loss, and Pedroia was dealing with knee soreness stemming from a collision Sunday at second base.
“I would suspect that Hanley would be available for sure (Wednesday) after going through a full day of treatment (Tuesday) on that mid back. Nothing structurally was defined in the images that Pedey underwent right before the game. He’s dealing with some inflammation. He’s dealing with a little bit of fluid. Hopefully in a day or two, he’ll be back in the lineup.”
Boston didn’t need the offensive contributions of Ramirez and Pedroia on Tuesday, as the Red Sox tied a season high with 18 hits en route to snapping a seven-game losing streak.
Some additional notes from Tuesday’s action at Fenway Park:
— You most likely heard about Brock Holt’s cycle, the first by a Red Sox hitter since 1996. Here are a few other tidbits about the utility man’s milestone:
[tweet https://twitter.com/Shesta_Sox/status/610985016366133248 align=’center’]
— Tuesday was Holt’s first start of the season at second base. He’s played seven different positions this season, with catcher and pitcher being the only exceptions.
“I just started (rotating positions) last year,” he said, “so it’s still kind of new to me. But it’s something that I enjoy doing. It’s something that this team needs: a guy that can move around and play different positions, give guys days off.”
Holt also replaced Pedroia at the top of the Red Sox’s batting order, shifting up from the No. 2 hole that has become his everyday spot.
“I’ve kind of hit leadoff my whole life,” the 27-year-old said. “I was hitting leadoff (Tuesday)Â and playing second base, (and I was thinking), ‘Don’t screw up too bad. The guy whose spot you’re in right now is pretty dang good.’ ”
— Catcher Ryan Hanigan continues to inch closer to a return from the finger injury that forced him onto the 60-day disabled list.
“(He) continues to take BP,” Farrell said before the game. “We’re hopeful when we come off this road trip, he’d be able to go out on a rehab assignment.
Hanigan hit a pedestrian .222 in 19 games before going down, but his injury, coupled with the one suffered by fellow catcher Christian Vazquez in spring training, basically has forced Boston to use its third and fourth choices behind the plate for much of the season.
“(Hanigan has) been missed a lot,” Farrell said. “And that’s not to say that we’ve been disappointed in the work of Blake (Swihart) or Sandy (Leon). But his experience behind the plate in game-calling, you take a step back just in volume of games caught and the experience back there (when he’s not available).
“He was a guy in that spot in the order that was putting up competitive at-bats. And setting aside the batting average, there were a lot of good at-bats that he put up for us. His leadership of our staff in-game, that’s been missed. We’re looking forward to getting him back when he’s ready to get on the field.”
— The Red Sox held a moment of silence before first pitch in honor of Connor Darcey, the former Wellesley High School lacrosse star who was killed last Friday in a car accident in Boston’s North End.
The 21-year-old Darcey had recently completed his sophomore year at Penn State, where he was a goalie on the Nittany Lions lacrosse team.
Thumbnail photo via Gregory J. Fisher/USA TODAY Sports Images
