The Boston Red Sox have quite a few players on the shelf at the moment. But, it appears that they may get some reinforcements soon.
On Saturday afternoon, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe provided some updates on injured reliever, Heath Hembree, and the team's top two first basemen, Mitch Moreland and Steve Pearce.
The news is a mixed bag overall, but the fact that Hembree should be ready soon is critical. Hembree has been one of the Red Sox' best relievers this season and since May 1, he has a minuscule 0.60 ERA in 15 innings over 17 appearances. The Red Sox could really use him to bolster the back end of the bullpen.
Additionally, Hembree's presence will afford the Red Sox an opportunity to spread around their work a little bit more. Lately, the team has been overworking a few of their key relievers, as Abraham pointed out on Twitter.
When Hembree returns, he could give the team an opportunity to give those relievers a bit more rest. And staying fresher will certainly help the bullpen.
It sounds like Pearce will be back at some point in the near future if he continues to progress. It will be interesting to see what the Red Sox choose to do when Pearce returns, as Michael Chavis has been playing well at first base and is currently in the midst of an 11-game hitting streak. In all likelihood, the duo would split time at first and Chavis would also see some time at second to keep his bat in the lineup.
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Moreland's progress will continue to be monitored, but it seems that he is further away from returning. With Chavis playing well and Pearce close to returning, the Red Sox don't have to rush him back. Still, having his lefthanded bat for the first base platoon would be nice.
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