Why José Iglesias Won’t Be In Postseason Despite Strong Play For Red Sox

When the Boston Red Sox claimed José Iglesias off waivers in September, they probably didn’t expect him to have the impact that he did.

Iglesias made his return to Boston when COVID-19 was running rampant through its clubhouse. He began to cement himself quickly as an every day player, and his success made it difficult for Alex Cora to leave him out of the lineup.

The infielder came up clutch on both offense and defense in 23 games for the Red Sox, batting .356 with with 21 hits and seven RBIs, but he unfortunately will not be available to Boston when it takes on the New York Yankees in the American League Wild Card game Tuesday night at Fenway Park.

The Red Sox released their roster Tuesday morning and Iglesias, along with J.D. Martinez and Chris Sale, were among those not on it. Martinez is dealing with an ankle injury, while having Sale out of the bullpen on short rest just didn’t make sense.

Iglesias, for those who don’t know, just wasn’t eligible to be on the postseason roster. Major League Baseball’s cutoff for playoff roster eligibility is Sept. 1, so Iglesias misses the cut by mere days. It’s certainly unfortunate given the fact it’s hard to know where the Red Sox would be without him.

Still, Iglesias made the most of his time and left quite the impact when the Red Sox needed him most.

First pitch for Red Sox-Yankees is set for 8:08 p.m. ET.