Kyle Schwarber didn't need a rehab assignment after all and made his debut for the Boston Red Sox on Friday night.
He served as the designated hitter and went 0-for-2, but worked two walks and scored as many runs in Boston's 8-1 win over the Baltimore Orioles on Friday night.
Schwarber didn't swing at a pitch in his first two at-bats, something manager Alex Cora is happy about.
"We've been doing OK controlling the strikezone two out of the last three days. What Kyle did today without swinging the bats in two at-bats, that's what he brings to the equation," Cora said over Zoom after the game. "The patience, the zone discipline and his ability ot get on base. He didn't swing the bat in two at-bats and he scored two runs. ... That's what we're looking before. ... It's a different at-bat. Kyle's is a more patient approach, he's looking to do damage, and hopefully that's the beginning of something good."
Cora added that while he's unsure just how Schwarber will look when everyone is playing, he's confident that his patience will pay off at the plate no matter where he is hitting in the lineup.
