Overview
- Interim manager Chad Tracy said Wednesday the team will “consider” promoting Ward for the playoffs, putting the possibility on the record while the Red Sox finalize their October roster.
- Ward has stolen roughly 60 bases for Triple‑A Worcester this season and is viewed as a pure late‑inning pinch‑running and defensive specialist rather than a regular offensive option.
- Ward is not on Boston’s 40‑man roster, but he is eligible for the postseason because he was in the organization before September 1 and could be added with a corresponding roster move.
- The decision depends on competing needs and injury recoveries — notably Eli White’s right‑foot ligament injury and pending returns for pitchers Garrett Crochet and Tanner Houck — that will shape whether the club carries a speed specialist.
- If promoted, Ward could make an unusual October debut without prior MLB service time, joining a very small group of players who first appeared in the postseason and potentially shifting bench construction for late‑inning situations.