On Friday afternoon, the Boston Red Sox placed starting pitcher David Price on paternity leave. And that created some questions about Price's next start.
Price is set to start the final game of the Red Sox' four-game series against the New York Yankees on Sunday night. Despite being on leave, it is well within the realm of possibility that Price could be ready to pitch in that contest. He can remain on paternity leave for up to three days but doesn't have to remain there for that duration, as Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe pointed out on Twitter.
Given this news, it appears that Price will still be on track for Sunday's start. The Red Sox likely just placed him on the paternity list to perform some creative roster moves.
The Red Sox and Yankees are going to be playing a doubleheader on Saturday afternoon, one that Price wouldn't have been a part of. With Price out, the Red Sox will reap the benefits of being able to add another player to the roster in his place for those contests. They already were standing to benefit from the 26th man they can add to the roster during the doubleheader, but by running with just four starting pitchers, that will give them the option to have a little bit of extra bench depth or another arm in the bullpen for the two contests.
And, they won't lose Price long-term since he can only be out for up to three days anyway.
Boston Red Sox
To fill Price's spot on the roster, the Red Sox called up Marco Hernandez. The second baseman was hitting .339 with 2 homers in 62 at-bats with the team before being sent to Pawtucket when Mitch Moreland rejoined the team. Hernandez had been in the minors for 11 days, so he was eligible to return to the big-league roster. Once a player is sent down to the minors, they must spend at least 10 days there before the team can recall them, unless an injury occurs.
For the moment, it seems that Price will have a chance to start on Sunday night against the Yankees. The Sox are just manipulating their roster as they look to find any edge they can in the critical series against the Yankees.
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