SEATTLE — Isiah Kiner-Falefa doesn’t entirely know for certain what’s up with his left forearm. Interim manager Chad Tracy isn’t completely sure what’s causing all the swelling and inflammation for his infielder, either. Even the training staff isn’t 100% certain.
But what the doctors do know, after an MRI on Saturday morning in Seattle, is that the results were concerning enough for the Red Sox to place him on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to Friday.
Kiner-Falefa is set to stay with the team for the remainder of its road trip, then undergo more testing when the Red Sox return to Boston on Thursday.
“We’ll treat him up, and then be able to scan him again when we get home and have a more clear understanding of what that is,” Tracy said.
Anthony Seigler, who flew with the Red Sox to Seattle ahead of the series in anticipation of a possible roster move, was recalled from Triple-A Worcester, leading off and playing second base Saturday. Tracy said that he’s likely to man a platoon at second for the near future with Andruw Monasterio.
Kiner-Falefa said he’s been dealing with the issue, which he described as “sharp pain,” for at least two weeks, nothing that it got significantly worse during the Red Sox’s last homestand.
The ironic issue was that while he was hurting more and more, he was hitting well, going 7-for-21 across six games with a home run to raise his average to .277 and his OPS to .705 — the latter on track for the highest of his career.
“It got to the point where I literally was not taking any swings before the game,” Kiner-Falefa said. “My first swings were in the game, because I couldn’t even swing on deck. The adrenaline from Fenway gave me the opportunity to get out there and feel OK.”
Then, after a six-hour flight to Seattle on Thursday night, Kiner-Falefa woke up Friday morning with significantly more swelling; he was initially in Friday night’s lineup but was scratched less than an hour before first pitch.
Saturday, Kiner-Falefa said that the external swelling was down, but the internal inflammation was still worrying the doctors — and since they don’t know what exactly was causing the issue in the first place, they weren’t sure what exactly playing more could lead to.
“It definitely sucks,” he said. “But maybe it’s preventing something way bigger.”
Rehab hiccup for Gonzalez
Closer to home there was more injury news, as Romy Gonzalez was pulled four innings into the third game of his rehab assignment with Double-A Portland, with left hip flexor soreness.
Gonzalez returned to Boston for treatment, per Tracy, and will stay there over the weekend. With the Minor Leagues off on Monday, the Red Sox will reevaluate Gonzalez then, and decide whether he’s ready to go back out on rehab.
“At least initially it looks good, but we’ve got to wait and see through the weekend how he feels,” Tracy said.
Gonzalez underwent a left shoulder arthroscopic debridement procedure in early March, missing all of Spring Training and the early months of the season. He began his rehab assignment on Tuesday and went 1-for-7 with a home run and a walk. He played second base in his first rehab game, designated hitter in his second and first base on Friday.
Since coming to Boston in 2024, Gonzalez has played at least one inning at every defensive position aside from pitcher and catcher. He spent last year primarily on the right side of the infield, making 41 starts at first base and 32 at second.
Gonzalez being out has also kept the Red Sox from accessing one of their primary weapons against left-handed pitchers; he had a .331/.378/.600 slash line with seven homers and 25 RBIs in 143 plate appearances vs. southpaws in ‘25. Boston had five players hit four homers or more against lefties last year; only two of them are A) still with the team and B) not on the IL.
Seigler is making his second stint with the big league club; He went 1-for-3 with a double in two games earlier in the month. In 37 games with Worcester, he’s hitting .290 with a .844 OPS and 23 RBIs.
Boston is also down starting shortstop Trevor Story — and will be through the All-Star break at the very least — along with Nick Sogard (right oblique) and Triston Casas (abdominal strain).
Ceddanne Rafaela had a scheduled day off Saturday, his first day off since May 31. Nate Eaton got the start in center, batting ninth. According to Tracy, it’ll be the first in a few scattered rest days this road trip, especially for his starting outfielders.
“We identified this part of the schedule, this is a grind — coming out to the west, having to go back from the west, 16 in a row,” Tracy said. “Outfielders are running every single day. It gets them a rest where I can, and it gets Nate the at-bats to get in there and be ready for us.”
