The Boston Red Sox have yet to announce their full playoff roster, but we do know some players who didn’t make the cut. Red Sox manager Alex Cora on Tuesday informed six players they won’t be on the American League Division Series roster: pitchers Hector Velazquez, Brian Johnson and Robby Scott, and infielders Tzu-Wei Lin, Sam Travis and Brandon Phillips. Velaquez and Johnson were asked to remain with the team, according to WEEI’s Rob Bradford, while Scott, Lin and Travis are heading to Fort Myers to continue working out in case they’re needed at some point during the playoffs. Informing players they won’t be on the roster understandably wasn’t easy for Cora. “I mean, very difficult,” Cora said, via Bradford. “But at the same time, I let them know they were very important. No chance we survive pitching-wise without them accepting their roles and using them in different roles. They should be proud of what they did and they’re going to stay ready. “They’re going to be ready if something happens and are guys that will be in the conversation throughout the month.” With the cuts of Velazquez, Johnson and Scott, it appears the two spots in Boston’s bullpen will be filled by either Bobby Poyner, Brandon Workman, Joe Kelly or Heath Hembree. Cora also announced that Nathan Eovaldi likely will start in a potential ALDS Game 4, should the Red Sox play the New York Yankees. The right-hander will be in the bullpen until then, though.<doc-sep>NEW YORK, NY - JULY 21: Greg Bird #33 and Didi Gregorius #18 of the New York Yankees take the field against the New York Mets during their game at Yankee Stadium on July 21, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images) Yankees: Why Gary Sanchez could be the X-Factor against Boston by Mac Josephson The Yankees have just released their ALDS roster which includes 12 pitchers, two catchers, five outfielders and six infielders. Greg Bird is nowhere to be found. For those that were holding out the tiniest bit of hope that Greg Bird would get the chance to replicate his 2017 ALDS magic, this time versus the Red Sox, fuggedaboutit! Hours before the start of Game 1, the Yankees released their 25-man roster, and Bird is nowhere to be found. In all honesty, it’s not much of a surprise considering the train wreck of a season the 25-year-old first baseman just finished. Not to mention, Bird wasn’t on the Wild Card roster either. A year that began, yet again with an injury (ankle), culminated in a dreadful .199/.286/.386 slash line with 23 runs scored, 11 home runs and 38 RBIs in 272 at-bats (a career-high 86 games played). Had it not been for Bird’s “potential” and the fact that general manager Brian Cashman and company truly believed Bird could become that much-need left-handed bat in the middle of the order to break up the conglomerate of righty’s, Bird should have spent ample time in ’18 down at Triple-A Scranton. Perhaps because the club was waiting for Luke Voit to come back down to Earth inevitably, Bird stuck around. However, Voit is doing all he can to put those Shane Spencer comparisons to rest. In 39 games with the Yanks, in which the 27-year-old monster didn’t see regular playing time until the second week of August, “Louis,” is hitting .333 with 14 home runs, 33 RBIs and a 1.095 OPS. Voit has started all but five games since Aug. 24. As for the rest of the Yankee ALDS 25-man roster, manager Aaron Boone has decided to go with 12 pitchers: Aroldis Chapman, Dellin Betances, Zach Britton, Chad Green, David Robertson, Jonathan Holder, Stephen Tarpley, J.A. Happ, Masahiro Tanaka, Luis Severino, C.C. Sabathia and Lance Lynn. The five outfielders include Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, Aaron Hicks, Andrew McCutchen and Brett Gardner. There are also no surprises behind the plate as it will be Gary Sanchez and Austin Romine. In the infield, the Yankees will go with Luke Voit, Gleyber Torres, Miguel Andujar, Didi Gregorius, Neil Walker and Adeiny Hechavarria. Despite Bird’s career Postseason line of .250/.421/.500 with three homers and six RBIs in 44 at-bats, Neil Walker’s left-handed bat and defensive versatility gave him a leg up. A case could have been made for Hechavarria’s spot; however, Hech is a fantastic fielder and the perfect late inning replacement for Andujar or Torres. Perhaps if the Yankees and the Indians were to meet in the ALCS, Aaron Boone might have a change of heart and add Bird for that one moment where the stars align for him to face Andrew Miller once again.<doc-sep>
The Red Sox set their roster for the American League Division Series against the Yankees. Catchers (3): Sandy Leon, Blake Swihart, Christian Vazquez. Infielders (7): SS Xander Bogaerts, 3B Rafael Devers, UTIL Brock Holt, 2B Ian Kinsler, 1B Mitch Moreland, 3B-2B Eduardo Nunez, 1B Steve Pearce. Outfielders (4): LF Andrew Benintendi, RF-CF Mookie Betts, CF Jackie Bradley Jr., RF-LF-DH J.D. Martinez. There are no big surprises. Heath Hembree was bumped off just like he was last season. The righthander was second on the team with 67 appearances but has long been considered a second-tier reliever. Once Eduardo Rodriguez and Steven Wright were healthy enough to pitch, there was no room for Hembree. Workman pitched well enough to get that spot. Kelly is proof that no matter now often managers and coaches say they’re not focused on velocity, they’re focused in velocity. The hard-throwing righthander has been dreadful since June 1, posting a 6.31 earned run average and 1.74 WHIP in 48 appearances. But Kelly’s fastball sits at 98.6 miles per hour and he throws a hard slider. That lefthanders have hit .211 against Kelly played in his favor as did a 3.03 ERA in 16 previous postseason games. The Sox play the Yankees at 7:32 p.m. in Game 1. More Red Sox-Yankees coverage: ■ Peter Abraham: These four Red Sox players could have a bigger postseason impact than you might expect ■ Nick Cafardo: How the Red Sox and Yankees match up, position by position ■ Alex Speier: Does Chris Sale need velocity to dominate? Here’s what the numbers say ■ What will the Red Sox get from Chris Sale in Game 1 vs. Yankees? ■ Chad Finn: If there’s anything you still need to know about Red Sox-Yankees, here it is Peter Abraham can be reached at pabraham@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @PeteAbe.