The Red Sox have their own struggles as they look to end their 4-game losing streak in the third game against the Astros. From their elite arms like Ranger Suarez and Brayan Bello leaking out runs to the offense not clicking, Alex Cora had a few things to look at. However, Boston’s catcher Carlos Narvaez got scratched out of nowhere from the lineup for Wednesday’s game. Performance issue or disciplinary action? Cora didn’t reveal.

“I just made a change,” Cora said. “I talked to Carlos a little bit. We move on from there. So one of those that I felt like we needed to make the change in the lineup, and it’s for the best.”

While Cora sounds like it’s a decision for the team, the 27-year-old’s stats say otherwise. He has been very good offensively, going 4-for-9 with an .889 OPS in the last three games. In addition, his pairing with Garret Crochet on the mound was also going fine. So, it’s very unlikely that he was pulled out from the team for a performance issue. So, is it for any disciplinary issue?

“Let’s keep it between Carlos and me. And he understands,” Cora said. “And it’s something that happens in every club. It just happens to be early in the season, and I think it’s the right thing to do.”

Maybe yes, there’s something from inside the Red Sox clubhouse, but Cora’s hint is enough to make a guess.

Now, in the third game against the Astros, Crochet started the game. Catcher? Connor Wong. He also played three games this season and has been having a hot bat till now. He is 3-for-7 on the season with two doubles and one RBI. But it would be interesting to watch how Wong plays defensively behind the home plate with Crochet at the mound.

Apart from Narvaez, there are two more names scratched off from Wednesday’s lineup: Roman Anthony and Marcelo Mayer. And sure enough, that’s purely for performance issues.

Anthony scored just one run from 21 at-bats this season, and Mayer has three runs from 14 at-bats. Moreover, Mayer went hitless in his last 11 plate appearances with five strikeouts. Jarren Duran is coming in for Anthony, and Caleb Durbin is probably coming in at the hot corner. So, a few changes before the series finale, but it is Narvaez’s absence that’s catching the most attention.

The Red Sox’s rough patch seems far from over

While Alex Cora is trying to make things work on the field, issues are spiralling only. Currently, the Red Sox are last in the AL East with just one win in five games. And the issues are diverse. Offense is outscored by 17-3 by the Astros in the first two games. The defense has also struggled significantly, with Suarez and Johan Oviedo giving up four runs each in the first game against the Astros.

What’s worse is that while Cora is trying to get over these issues, there are a few spiralling beyond the foul line.

The Boston Globe’s Tim Healey shared an unfortunate update about Triston Casas. “He has a strained left intercostal (a muscle near the oblique/ribs),” Healey said. “He is shut down from hitting until symptoms subside and hasn’t gotten an MRI; the Sox will see how he progresses in the coming days.”

So, that means Casas’ projected timeline might be extended further. While the Red Sox also missed Casas last year due to injuries, this time he was needed just when the existing batters couldn’t produce enough hits from the box. Willson Contreras is currently leading at first base, but another injury would just blow up the Red Sox’s first base defense.

Romy Gonzalez, the next option for first base after Casas and Contreras, is also sidelined with injuries and currently on the 60-day IL. So, the Red Sox are currently walking a tightrope, balancing between their losing streak and stretched-out lineup.