Roche: Predicting Red Sox' ALDS Roster
BOSTON (CBS) -- As we get ready for Game 1 of the ALDS Friday night, let's take a look at the potential 25 man roster manager Alex Cora may put together for the series.
Certainly, things may depend upon which team Boston faces, either the Yankees or the A's. We'll find that out Wednesday night after they're done duking it out in the AL Wild Card game.
Cora said on Tuesday that it looks like Nathan Eovaldi would be the Game 4 starter if the Sox face the Yankees. If the Sox face the A's then it would be either Eovaldi or Eduardo Rodriguez. Another factor could be if either one of those two are needed in Games 1, 2, or 3. If Chris Sale can only go four innings in the opener, then maybe Eovaldi or E-Rod come in for a few innings.
Let's take a look at what Boston's roster could look like in the ALDS:
Position Players (14)
Catchers (3): Sandy Leon, Christian Vazquez, Blake Swihart
Infielders(7): Mitch Moreland, Steven Pearce, Ian Kinsler, Eduardo Nunez, Xander Bogaerts, Rafael Devers, Brock Holt
Outfielders (4): Andrew Benintendi, Mookie Betts, Jackie Bradley Jr., J.D. Martinez
Pitchers (11)
Starters (5): Chris Sale, David Price, Rick Porcello, Nathan Eovaldi, Eduardo Rodriguez
While the Sox will carry five starts, only four will actually get the nod to start games. Whoever is the odd man out will come out of the bullpen.
Relievers (6): Craig Kimbrel, Matt Barnes, Ryan Brasier, Steven Wright, Brandon Workman, Joe Kelly
The only question left is who fills out the back of the bullpen? Brian Johnson and Hector Velazquez won't be on the roster, but have been told to stick around the team. You never know from series to series; some guys could get hurt or be ineffective.
Workman may make it because of his postseason experience in 2013, helping the Sox win the World Series. Take a look at his numbers, courtesy baseball-reference.com.
Meanwhile, Kelly struggled his 12 games in September, going 0-1 with an 8.31 ERA. However, left handed batters hit just .211 against him this season. Kelly also made five scoreless relief appearances for Boston in the 2016 and 2017 postseasons.
It looks like E-Rod will be the only lefty out of the pen. We'll find out exactly what Cora is cooking up on Friday.
