The Boston Red Sox have been heating up more the longer spring training has gone on. After an abysmal 1-3 start to the exhibition slate, the Red Sox are 4-1-1 in their last six games ahead of Wednesday's clash with the Tampa Bay Rays, leaving time to tell if Alex Cora's club will continue building momentum.
Unfortunately, the Red Sox's latest medical report could make it difficult for the team to continue racking up wins this spring.
Red Sox News: Several Players Dealing With Illness in Spring Training
Before Tuesday's 12-4 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates, Cora revealed to reporters that several of his players are currently dealing with a stomach bug. According to Sports Illustrated's Sam Connon, "the illness is growing day-by-day" and reached the point where the Red Sox manager encouraged reporters to keep a distance.
"Put your masks on," Cora said. "Stay away from players and managers."
Various Red Sox players have missed time this week due to illness. Outfielder Roman Anthony and roommate/shortstop Marcelo Mayer both missed games earlier this week, while first baseman Triston Casas and utility stud Romy Gonzalez have also been sidelined.
Making matters worse, OF Wilyer Abreu has yet to play this spring because of an illness that's forced him to lose weight, per MassLive's Christopher Smith.
Stomach bugs and other illnesses are normal at this time of the year. Having said that, the last thing the Red Sox need is for their lineup to be ravaged by any kind of ailment — especially with just under three weeks to go before Opening Day 2025.
The current medical situation likely reminds Red Sox fans of something that happened in 2024. Veteran infielder Vaughn Grissom dealt with a stomach bug last spring that not only forced him to miss nearly two weeks of action but also caused him to lose around 14 pounds, according to Boston Globe's Alex Speier.
Grissom went on to have his worst MLB campaign to date, highlighting how detrimental his spring stomach bug was. Even though an early groin strain also likely factored into his lackluster production, it isn't hard to imagine how much better he could've been had the illness not forced him to lose so much weight.
Time will tell how soon the Red Sox's sickly bunch will recover. Cora needs his players to be as healthy as possible if Boston is going to return to the MLB postseason for the first time since 2021.
Fortunately, the Red Sox are on the right path to a playoff appearance despite any pesky illness. FanDuel Sportsbook is currently listing Boston at -128 odds to qualify for the 2025 MLB postseason — an implied probability of 56.1%.
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