Some Things I Think I Think: Tough decisions lie ahead for Chad Tracy, Red Sox

PITTSBURGH — It will take a few weeks, but by Sept. 1 or so, Chad Tracy is going to have to have some difficult conversations.

By then, the three injured players who will begin rehab appearances this week — Trevor Story, Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Roman Anthony — will be nearing the end of their time with minor league affiliates and ready to return to the parent club.

Welcoming three quality players back won’t be the problem, of course. But moving aside the players who have filled in, and not incidentally, helped the Red Sox on their magical six-week run, will not be easy.

Tracy can relate. He never reached the majors as a player, and as a manager, he’s nurtured the likes of Anthony Seigler, Nick Sogard and Andruw Monasterio. He’s told them to keep plugging, to keep dreaming big league dreams.

And now, he’ll soon have to tell them that they aren’t going to be playing regularly. He may even have to send one or two back to Worcester.

While he does all that, he has to hope that at least two of the three — Story and Anthony — perform better in the final month of the season than they did in the first couple. In Story’s case, it’s logical to assume that his play suffered because of the sports hernia/adductor injury he gamely played through.

Anthony’s case is different. For whatever reason, he wasn’t himself in the first six weeks. Maybe that changes now.

In the outfield, Tracy now has the same four-into-three quandary both he and his predecessor, Alex Cora, had back in April. He has four outfielders capable of playing every day, and only three spots available.

Good luck with all that.

∗ If you’re among those thinking that NFL preseason games are meaningless, try convincing Andy Borregales. In missing three field goals in Thursday’s exhibition opener, he managed to invite the ire of Mike Vrabel as well some internal competition for the job.

The peripatetic nature of placekickers serves as a reminder of how fortunate the Patriots have been for over the last 25 or so years, with either Adam Vinatieri or Stephen Gostkowski handling the job without drama or turnover for so many seasons.

∗ In theory, Major League Baseball wants to create late-season interest within its divisions, with rivals squaring off in the closing weeks and battling for playoff positions. That’s one of the reasons that teams still play four series against divisional opponents instead of the just one or two with other teams.

So how is it then that these are the final six teams to play at Fenway this season: Arizona Diamondbacks, San Francisco Giants, Seattle Mariners, Los Angeles Angels, Kansas City Royals, Cleveland Guardians and Chicago Cubs.

If you’re keeping track, that’s nine interleague games, six games with AL West teams and six more with clubs from the AL Central. Even allowing for the fact that other AL teams could be battling for wild card spots, that’s just wrong.

Some drama, huh?

∗ Even football contract disputes have become corporate and predictable.

Everyone knew that there wouldn’t be much movement with Christian Gonzalez until fellow corner Devon Witherspoon signed. And sure enough, now that that’s happened, expect Gonzalez to get his deal done within a matter of days.

∗ Wouldn’t it make sense for the Red Sox to investigate a contract extension for Sonny Gray? Gray has proven conclusively that he can perform in Boston, which wasn’t a given when he traded to the Red Sox last winter, especially considering his struggles in – and disdain for — New York.

Gray turns 36 in November, so he can’t command a long-term extension. But a two-year deal wouldn’t seem out of the question. The Red Sox have Garrett Crochet, Ranger Suarez, Payton Tolle and Jake Bennett under control for a number of years, but for now, they don’t have an established righthander to be part of their 2027 rotation. Extending Gray only makes sense.

∗ For a number of years, there was speculation that the Red Sox would be hosting the All-Star Game in 2029, which would mark the 30th anniversary of the game’s last visit to Boston. That year, the emotional pre-game tribute to Ted Williams and the brilliance of Pedro Martinez made it one of the most memorable All-Star Games ever.

But now, there are whispers that MLB will award the 2029 game to Toronto and the 2030 game to Baltimore, pushing Boston further down the list.

∗ The NBA can manipulate its schedule to create dramatic matchups whenever they want on the calendar. So why, then, did the league wait until January before having Jaylen Brown return to Boston? Seems like a missed opportunity.

∗ With training camp set to start in a few weeks, it increasingly looks like what you see is what you get with the Bruins — a disappointing state of affairs for those who had hoped that Don Sweeney might trade for another much-needed forward.

∗ The final episodes of the final season of The Bear on Hulu were superbly done, offering a fitting end to a magnificent series. TV seldom gets better than that.

∗ A reminder than the 32nd annual Old Time Baseball Game, an annual rite of summer in these parts, takes place Thursday, Aug. 20 at St Peter’s Field in Cambridge. The brainchild of Steve Buckley, the game is held each year to benefit a local charity. This year’s beneficiary: The Boston Home, a non-profit residence for adults with advanced neurological disorders. Among those scheduled to take part: former Red Sox Lou Merloni, Jake Peavy and Rich Hill.

∗ On the subject of Merloni, the NESN analyst seemed to be the one person in Toronto earlier this week who was on top of the bizarre ruling in which the rarely seen “fourth out” rule came into play. As always, Merloni was prepared to immediately offer an explanation to the obscure circumstance. NESN viewers are lucky to have him on the job.

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