José Iglesias will be with the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday night despite not being eligible for the Major League Baseball postseason.
Because Iglesias was claimed off waivers after Sept. 1, the Red Sox infielder won’t be able to provide the spark he did over the final 23 games when Boston welcomes the New York Yankees to Fenway Park for the American League Wild Card Game. But the good news for his teammates is that he will be able to be alongside them in some capacity.
Red Sox manager Alex Cora told reporters that players who are not on the postseason roster are allowed to be in the dugout, per The Athletic’s Jen McCaffrey, and the insight they can provide “will be valuable.”
Along with Iglesias, J.D. Martinez and Chris Sale also were not named to the Red Sox’s Wild Card Game roster, but not because of ineligibility. Martinez is dealing with a sprained ankle suffered in Sunday’s regular-season finale against the Washington Nationals, while Sale pitched Sunday and it wouldn’t make sense to have him on the roster on short rest. The duo can be added to the AL Division Series roster should the Red Sox advance.
Having Iglesias, Sale and Martinez around certainly will provide a veteran presence and some added motivation as the Red Sox look to secure a date with the Tampa Bay Rays in the ALDS.
First pitch from Fenway Park on Tuesday night is set for 8:08 p.m. ET on ESPN, and NESN will provide one hour of both pregame and postgame coverage.
