Red Sox Links: James Paxton has a Start Date

The long-awaited return of James Paxton is finally here. Alex Cora set a date for Paxton’s return to the big leagues and spoke about what that means for the rest of the roster. (Chris Cotillo, MassLive)

The Minor Lines team here at OTM does a great job of keeping you up to date on all things Red Sox prospect related. If you haven’t been checking those posts out, you should. If you don’t have the time to go back and read through those, you can get up to speed by checking out the prospect team of the month over at The Athletic. (Chad Jennings, The Athletic)

Speaking of prospects, Alex Cora had some thoughts about Wilyer Abreu, the other prospect acquired when the team sent Christian Vazquez at the trade deadline last season. (Christopher Smith, MassLive)

Do the Red Sox have a national league rival? The league office will tell you it’s the Braves, I would disagree. (Jon Couture, Boston.com)

With the Celtics on the brink and the Bruins already playing golf, now is a good time to recognize that, despite the low expectations and perceived lack of talent, this Red Sox team is fun. Not just because they’re winning games, but because of the way they’re doing it. (Tara Sullivan, Boston Globe)