Red Sox 'like this version' of improved Travis

BOSTON -- Sam Travis has shown flashes since making his Major League debut in May 2017, but he couldn’t quite get them to stick. But after years of callups and Minor League assignments, the former second-round Draft pick has made an adjustment that has led to success at the plate and earned him more playing time with the Red Sox.

“As far as when I’m swinging, I’ve hit some balls the last couple of years, but I wouldn’t be hitting them the right way,” Travis said on Thursday before he made the start in left field against the Rays. “[I would be] staying back and spinning instead of getting some movement forward and working through the baseball.”

Travis split time between the Majors and Triple-A Pawtucket to begin the season. He batted just .194 and didn’t have an extra-base hit in 10 games with the Red Sox before the All-Star break.

He has emerged from the break with a surge, hitting .379 with two home runs and three doubles in 13 games since being recalled on July 15.

“I do believe that last year -- it was the first time I saw him -- in Spring Training, his swing was good. He stayed on top of the ball,” manager Alex Cora said. “The few times we called him up, it seemed like he was trying to create and trying to hit the ball in the air. His strength is actually [staying] on top of the ball and [hitting] line drives all over the place.”

The 25-year-old has committed to his approach at the plate. He has a greater awareness of his movements during his at-bats, and has seen the tangible results of the adjustment. He entered Thursday's series finale 4-for-6 in two games in the series against the Rays.

“Don’t like when [Travis] comes up to the plate to hit, because he’s getting some big hits against us,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said. “He’s shown the ability to kind of shorten up a little bit with two strikes and take his hits the other way. I know we shift him pretty heavily, but when a player shows that ability, it’s really difficult to defend. He’s putting together pretty professional at-bats, which basically one through nine do over there.”

Travis has had opportunities to make a mark in the past, now he's doing more frequently.

“You’re swinging at better pitches, you’re seeing the ball better and you’re just better on a daily basis,” Travis said. “This game is about consistency. You’ve got to be able to bring it every day.”

Said Cora: “We like this version.”

Cora to hold team meeting

Cora plans to meet with the Red Sox when they are in New York to face the Yankees, a series that can have implications in the standings. He planned to map out the message on the trip from Boston.

“It’s the reality of where we’re at,” Cora said. “They know, but it’s just a reminder.”

When asked how common these meetings are, Cora said, “Not common at all. We meet on a daily basis to go over pitchers, and I use that sometimes to send a message -- we need to do this better, or we’re doing this great, just keep going. Not too often.”

The Red Sox entered Thursday’s series finale against the Rays 10 games behind the first-place Yankees in the American League East and 2 1/2 games back in the AL Wild Card standings.

Vazquez out of lineup

Catcher Christian Vázquez was out of the lineup on Thursday after taking a ball off his right knee in Wednesday's loss. After getting off to a hot start and hitting .299 the first half of the season, he is batting .148 in his last seven games.

Although Cora didn’t say Vazquez would be unavailable the entire game, he noted, “I think he needs a day, I think mentally, too.”

“I do believe he’s chasing pitches,” Cora said. “He’s expanding the zone, something I don’t think he did earlier in the season. … I think a day away from it is going to benefit him. … I think offensively, that’s something he needs to get back to and just keep dominating the strike zone and go from there.”

Sandy León started behind the plate to catch Andrew Cashner.