Red Sox News & Links: The Rust Sox

It’s now been 16 days since the trade deadline, during which the Red Sox have gone just 6-8 and have seen their postseason odds plummet. Did the front office make a mistake in not selling? (Chad Jennings, The Athletic)

Chris Sale’s return was supposed to be one of the things that buoyed the Red Sox playoff hopes. But while he looked strong in his first outing, his command was off last night while his velocity was down. Nevertheless, the Sox don’t sound too concerned about another injury. (Chris Cotillo, MassLive)

In all likelihood, Sale is just dealing with some rust. That seems to be what’s happening with Trevor Story, who just went recorded an 0-fer in the series against the Cats. (Chris Cotillo, MassLive)

Could Wilyer Abreu provide some help on the offensive side of things? The Worcester outfielder is absolutely scorching right now, having hit five home runs in his last four games. It isn’t clear that there’s any room for him on the roster right now, though. (Keagan Stiefel, NESN)

Then again, it sure seems like Jarren Duran could use a rest. He’s been struggling on the field and is opening up about how that’s affecting him off the field. (Alex Speier, Boston Globe)