Boston Red Sox manager Chad Tracy provided encouraging updates Tuesday on three injured players as the team prepares for the postseason following Tracy's promotion the same day from interim manager.
Tracy said Ceddanne Rafaela is “getting close,” while Willson Contreras is feeling “much better” and has progressed to hitting on the field after previously hitting in the cage, according to Tim Healey, Red Sox beat reporter for The Boston Globe. Tracy also said Aroldis Chapman should be cleared within the next day or two.
The updates come as Boston approaches the end of the regular season with its playoff spot already secured. The Red Sox are 84-72 and sit third in the American League East behind the Tampa Bay Rays and New York Yankees. They are also four games ahead of the Chicago White Sox in the AL Wild Card standings.
Boston's postseason push will now continue with Tracy officially in charge beyond this season.
The Red Sox removed Tracy's interim tag and signed him to a three-year contract with a club option for 2030. He took over after Boston fired Alex Cora with the team sitting at 12-17 and has guided the Red Sox to a 74-55 record since assuming the job.
Article Continues BelowTracy had no previous MLB managerial experience before taking over this season, but Boston surged under his leadership. The Red Sox put together a 15-game winning streak and went 21-4 in July, good for an .840 winning percentage. That marked the best winning percentage in a calendar month in franchise history with a minimum of 20 games.
Boston also exercised its 2029 and 2030 club options on Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow.
The Red Sox have cooled recently, dropping six of their past 10 games, but enter the final portion of the schedule with a postseason berth secured.
Boston begins a three-game series against the Cleveland Guardians on Tuesday, with Tracy now waiting for additional clarity on when Rafaela, Contreras and Chapman will be available.