The American League Wild Card picture looked all but settled when the Red Sox dropped three of four to the Yankees at the end of August. New York had the season-series edge, which gave the Yankees the tiebreaker, and Boston was sitting four games back. With that setup, the path to the top Wild Card spot felt like it had practically vanished.
A week later, the conversation has changed.
Boston rolled through a four-game sweep of the Orioles over the weekend, then opened a three-game set against the Angels on Monday afternoon with another win. The Red Sox have now won five straight and cut the gap to New York to two games.
The Yankees are 81-62, while Boston is 80-65 and the third American League team to reach 80 wins. New York has 19 games left.
Boston has 17.
The recent stretch has been the difference. Since beating Boston in that four-game series, the Yankees are 3-3.
The Red Sox, meanwhile, are 6-2 and trending up fast. Getting Roman Anthony and Trevor Story back in the lineup for the series finale against New York mattered, and both have been excellent since returning.
They’ve been a big part of why Boston suddenly looks like a team with some real life again.
Adley Rutschman has joined that surge too.
Boston fans are finally getting a look at what Rutschman can bring, and early September has been loud. In four games this month, he’s 4-for-16 with three homers and five RBIs. On Monday, he delivered again, crushing a homer off Pesky’s Pole to push the Red Sox ahead 5-0 in the second inning against Los Angeles.
There had been some concern about Rutschman’s banged-up elbow, but the signs now look encouraging. His blast Monday came off the bat at 112.1 miles per hour, the hardest-hit ball of his career so far. Before that, his personal best was 111.3 mph on a field out last September.
What looked like a Red Sox team left for dead against the Yankees has quickly turned into a race again. A week can change a lot, and Boston has made the most of it.
In Other News...
Yankees Have A Surprise Pitching Option As Return Timelines Drag On
The Yankees have a roster puzzle on their hands, and it is growing more complicated as two key pieces work their way back. Rookie right-hander Elmer Rodriguez was optioned to Triple-A, opening a path for the club to look at Trevor MacGregor, a non-roster pitcher with no major league experience, as a possible stopgap on the staff.
Aaron Judge and Clarke Schmidt are both expected back soon, but neither is ready to be activated yet because each still has rehab work to complete. New York also does not have an open spot on its 40-man roster, so any return will require a corresponding move, which means the Yankees may need some short-term creativity before the more obvious reinforcements are actually available. [Read more 🡒]
Yankees Just Reopened A Giancarlo Stanton Decision That Changes Everything
Giancarlo Stantons rehab has taken another turn, and it keeps the Yankees in a familiar holding pattern. Aaron Boone said Stanton has not been ruled out for the season after the slugger dealt with a right-calf strain, and Stanton has already been back to hitting in practice. For a team that has had to juggle injuries and roster fit all year, the mere possibility of getting him back in the mix is enough to keep the conversation alive.
The catch is that there is still no obvious path for Stanton to return right away. The Yankees do not currently have room on the roster, so any move involving him will have to wait on a combination of injuries and other roster decisions. With Stantons contract and age already prompting questions about what comes next, this latest update does more than answer his short-term health status. It reopens a bigger organizational decision the Yankees did not exactly ask to revisit. [Read more 🡒]
Yankees Still Face One Aaron Judge Concern Boone Couldnt Dodge
The Yankees left California with a split on the trip after a 4-3 loss to the Padres, and the focus quickly turned back to Aaron Judge and where his return stands. Judge has been out since May 31 with a stress fracture in his right rib, but he has started taking important steps forward again, including batting practice and defensive work as he ramps back up.
Elmer Rodrguez was optioned to Triple-A to create a roster spot, but the club still has not put a date on Judges comeback. He is expected to face live pitching soon, which is the kind of checkpoint that usually clarifies a recovery timeline, yet the Yankees are still waiting for the final piece before they can say when their captain might rejoin the lineup. [Read more 🡒]