The Red Sox announced today that infielder has been placed on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to July 24th, with a right wrist sprain. Infielder has been recalled as the corresponding move. At this point, the severity of Mayers sprain is still being determined. Were gathering information, responded when asked if surgery was a consideration, per . Well get more over the weekend, during the week. Whenever we get to the point to see whats going to happen, well let you know. Time will tell if Mayer is facing a brief absence or an extended one. While the Sox surely dont want Mayer to mi s any time, there is a silver lining of his Tejay Antone Jersey absence, as it seems it will help out a bit with their outfield logjam. Cora told reporters, including , that the club will frequently have at second base. That will lead to a regular outfield alignment of , and , with as the designated hitter. The outfield picture, and the position player group in general, has been cluttered for most of the season. The Sox signed in the winter and put him at third base, moving to the designated hitter spot. That left Yoshida stuck on the IL, even though he was healthy enough to hit. His shoulder hadnt recovered enough from offseason surgery to throw, so he couldnt play the field. Anthony was also blocked, since the club had Duran, Rafaela and Abreu in the outfield. A lot has changed since earlier in the year. The relationship between the team and Devers soured, which led to him being traded to the Giants. That opened up the DH spot for Yoshida. Anthony came up while Abreu had an oblique strain and has quickly found big league succe s. Abreu eventually returned from the IL, which jammed things up a bit again. It left four outfielders and Yoshida jockeying for four lineup spots. Rafaela has some middle infield experience but the Sox seemed reluctant to move him there, which was understandable since hes actually an elite defensive center fielder, whereas Durans glovework may be better suited to left field. More recently, they have softened that stance, with Rafaela taking the keystone here and there with Duran in center. It now seems that could be the regular alignment for as long as Mayer is out. Perhaps its not ideal defensively but it will get the Sox out of a situation where one of their key players is on the bench every night. Its also po sible that the situation further decreases the chances of the Sox dealing an outfielder. Due to that logjam, it had been speculated that they might trade one of their outfielders in order to bolster another part of the roster. Durans name came up in rumors most often for this kind of scenario, though has suggested the Sox werent particularly interested in such a plan. Perhaps Rafaelas move to the infield makes it even le s likely. In another bit of Red Sox news, Cora also provided an ominous update on lefty , per and . The southpaw has been progre sing slower than expected and has been downgraded from bullpens to just playing catch. His return this year is now doubtful. Sandoval underwent UCL surgery last June while with the Angels. They non-tendered him and sent him into free agency. The Sox signed him to a two-year, backloaded deal with an $18.25MM guarantee. He is making $5.5MM this year and will make $12.75MMM next year. The Sox knew that they wouldnt get anything out of Sandoval in the first half of 2025 but likely hoped for some kind of second-half return. That now seems le s and le s likely. Even if he were to continue throwing bullpens soon, he would then have to ramp up to live batting practice and/or simulated games before going out on a rehab a signment. A rehab a signment usually is capped at 30 days for a pitcher but its common for guys recovering from UCL surgery to push that closer to two months. Given that theres barely two months left in the season, its understandable why Cora would say that the clock is running out. Photo courtesy of Bob DeChiara, Imagn Images Nick Lodolo Jersey