The Boston Red Sox are continuing to wait for reinforcements for their depth at first base. The team's platoon duo to start the season, Mitch Moreland and Steve Pearce, have both been out since early June. And right now, it doesn't look like Pearce is set to return any time soon.
At the moment, Pearce is down in Fort Myers and only is hitting off a tee, according to Christopher Smith of MassLive.com. And Alex Cora confirmed that Pearce is still a long way off from returning to the squad.
“(He's) just rehabbing down there,” Cora said, per Smith. “Nothing even close to (being) back.”
Pearce is only hitting .180 on the season, so the Red Sox will take their time in getting him fully healthy. They'll be able to survive without him, especially given that the righthanded Michael Chavis has hit .258 with 16 homers while playing solid defense in his rookie season. He can continue to hold the fort as the righthanded first base option in Pearce's stead.
As for Moreland, there was some hope that he would have a chance to return ahead of the team's series against the Baltimore Orioles. However, Moreland is going to be playing a rehab game on Friday instead. And Cora said that they would make a decision about activating him depending on how this weekend goes.
“(He'll) get at-bats over the weekend and see how he feels. And make a decision (on when he returns) over the weekend," Cora said, per Smith.
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So, while Moreland's return has been pushed back a couple of times, it does seem that he will be returning to the lineup soon. And getting his lefthanded bat back to platoon with Chavis would be nice for the team, as it will give them several different lineup options.
Moreland is hitting .225 this year but had 13 homers in just 151 at-bats before landing on the IL.
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