Red Sox Place Steve Pearce on IL and Promote Sam Travis

The Red Sox are running incredibly thin at the first base position.

Just days after placing team home run leader and first baseman Mitch Moreland on the injured list, the Red Sox have also placed Steve Pearce on the 10-Day IL with a lower back strain.

World Series hero Steve Pearce goes on injured list for #RedSox, recall Sam Travis
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) June 1, 2019

Pearce was pulled from Friday's game against the Yankees after he took just one at-bat. As a corresponding move, the team has recalled Sam Travis from Triple-A Pawtucket.

The reigning World Series MVP struggled to start the season, but in his last 39 plate appearances, he's slashed .286/.333/.457 with a home run and six RBI.

Travis has pieced together a rather pedestrian campaign in Pawtucket this year, posting a modest .730 OPS with 13 extra-base hits in 49 games.

Sam Travis has been called up to Boston from the @PawSox after Steve Pearce was placed on the injured list. Travis is slashing .251/.359/.371 and was 2-for-7 for the Red Sox earlier in the season. pic.twitter.com/tfYovMxRXa
— SoxProspects.com (@SoxProspects) June 1, 2019

The last thing the Red Sox needed was for a vital piece of last year's World Series-winning team to end up on the sidelines in the midst of a critical series against New York.

Now 8.5 games out of first place, they'd better hope that Travis can somehow provide a spark for an otherwise sluggish team.