Red Sox Unsung Heroes? Alex Cora Points Out Three ‘Amazing’ Surprises

The Red Sox are very much alive in the American League playoff race, and it’ll take contributions from up and down the roster for Boston to reach the postseason.

Of course, the Red Sox will lean heavily on their studs, including Rafael Devers, their high-priced third baseman, and Chris Sale, a determined veteran who’s finally healthy after a lengthy stint on the injured list. But Boston has remained afloat this season thanks in large to breakout performances few saw coming.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora was asked Wednesday on WEEI’s “Gresh and Fauria” to identify which player has been Boston’s “unsung hero,” perhaps deserving of more credit than he’s received to this point in 2023.

The skipper mentioned three names: Brennan Bernadino, Pablo Reyes and Josh Winckowski.

Bernadino and Winckowski, a pair of relievers, have been key contributors in Boston’s bullpen. And Reyes, an infielder, has been a revelation of late, helping to stabilize the Red Sox’s season-long issues up the middle, now in tandem with returning shortstop Trevor Story.

Here’s what Cora said about each:

Brennan Bernadino, LHP
“Bernie, Bernardino, nobody thought that he was going to be a part of the bullpen, nobody thought that he was going to be our situational lefty, and he’s been great for us. He has opened games, come late in the game, in the middle of it and he’s been outstanding.”

Pablo Reyes, IF
“Pablo was with the A’s in Triple-A, not playing much, and the front office — at that point, we got hurt really quick up the middle, I think it was (Christian) Arroyo and Yu Chang, and they recognized Pablo as a right-handed hitter that can hit lefties. And he can play multiple positions, he’s a good defender, and he’s been amazing and he’s playing every day for us.”

Josh Winckowski, RHP
“Coming into the season, we didn’t expect Winckowski to become this guy. He was going to be more like a multi-inning reliever in certain situations, kind of like keep him stretched out so if something happened in the rotation, he was going to jump right in. He has become a guy, a dude in the bullpen. Little by little, you’ve seen the change of his role, right? Early on, it was multiple innings. Now, it’s one inning, pedal to the metal, throwing 98, 99, and giving us a chance to win.”

The Red Sox entered Thursday three games back of the American League’s third wild-card spot, currently occupied by the Toronto Blue Jays behind the Tampa Bay Rays and Houston Astros. The Seattle Mariners are just ahead of the Red Sox, a game back.

The likes of Bernadino, Reyes and Winckowski might not carry Boston into the playoffs if the Red Sox make a run down the stretch. But their efforts have been immensely valuable, no matter how the rest of the season shakes out.

“Those three guys — there are others, obviously, Connor Wong has been amazing — but guys that we didn’t expect to be part of this and be a huge part of what we’re trying to accomplish,” Cora said. “Those three have been amazing.”

The Red Sox finish their three-game series against the Washington Nationals on Thursday night before traveling to the Bronx for three games with the New York Yankees.