Red Sox Links: Ohtani To Pitch On Patriots Day

The Red Sox are missing the guy who signed the biggest free agent contract in Tampa Bay Rays history tonight, as pitcher Zach Eflin has hit the IL. But the guy the Rays are calling up to replace him happens to be Taj Bradley, one of the top prospects in baseball. (Ricky Doyle, NESN)

Of course it doesn't matter who is pitching against the Sox if the bats can’t get going. Kiké Hernandez is the middle of a brutal slump, but he’s not pointing fingers. (Gio Rivera, NESN)

Looking ahead to another opposing pitching matchup, it looks like Shohei Ohtani’s schedule is being bumped in such a way that puts him on the mound against the Sox on Patriots Day. (Matt Vautour, MassLive)

Garrett Whitlock wasn’t great in his first outing of the season (the homers were evidence enough of that.) But he did do one thing really well: he kept the ball in the strike zone. (Ian Browne, MLB.com)

Every team has something to be happy about this early in the season, right? (Tigers and A’s fans: just go with me for a second here.) Here’s a look at the positives for every Major League team. It’s not hard to guess what it is for the Sox: the improved bullpen. (The Athletic)