Why one of the hottest Red Sox bats won’t be on postseason roster

José Iglesias has kept the Red Sox’ postseason hopes alive, but won’t be eligible for the roster if they get there

If the Boston Red Sox reach the playoffs this year, one of the players who has been essential to getting them there will not be eligible to help them through it.

José Iglesias was added to the team too late in the season to be on the postseason roster.

Iglesias, who originally debuted with and played on the Red Sox from 2011-2013, signed with the Sox again on September 6 and made his second Sox debut on the same day. He was brought back due to the club’s massive COVID outbreak, but has become so effective and impactful that he’s continued to get regular playing time.

Over 17 games for the Sox, he’s hitting .370/.431/.565 with a .997 OPS, four doubles, a triple, a home run, seven RBI, and six runs scored. Coming into Tuesday’s series opener against the Baltimore Orioles, Iglesias was in the midst of a 12-game hitting streak in which he had a total of 15 hits, including three multi-hit games.

In a twist of fate, Iglesias filled in for fellow shortstop Xander Bogaerts, who made his MLB debut weeks after Iglesias was traded to the Tigers. The Red Sox traded Iglesias to Detroit during the 2013 season, so he went from playing on the championship team to being beaten by them months later in the ALCS. But Iglesias’ success at Fenway since the trade was clearly appealing to the Sox in their time of need; he went 29-for-82 with 11 doubles and two home runs in 22 games at America’s oldest ballpark.

According to Tuesday night’s NESN broadcast, Iglesias is the consummate teammate when asked about missing a potential postseason run, saying that he’s proud to be here to help the team get to October, and that’s what matters. But if the Red Sox do reach the postseason, they’ll have to get through it without him.