Everything you should know about where the Red Sox are at

The page was turned with authority on Tuesday.

The last time the Red Sox were seen prior to 2 p.m. at Fenway Park was when they doused the visitors' clubhouse at Tropicana Field with Prosecco and beer while reflecting on the ups and downs that led them to a postseason berth. The series opener against the Guardians was supposed to be a day to take a deep breath and ease into conversations about what awaited them in New York in one week.

Nope.

Too much to talk about. Too much to do. And it all started with Chad Tracy putting on a suit and ripping off the interim tag on his title at a press conference with Craig Breslow and Sam Kennedy five hours before first pitch. It was the first in a lengthy list of news items on a day that ended with a 3-2 loss to Cleveland.

Here are the ins and outs of life for the Red Sox on the first day of their last regular season homestand:

- Tracy's demeanor when being announced as the non-interim manager of the Red Sox spokes volumes. With Breslow (who had his 2029 and 2030 options picked up) and Kennedy piling on the praise for the guy who started the season as the skipper for Triple-A Worcester, Tracy stared straight ahead, almost emotionless. Then would come to speak and he would explain his gratitude in the matter-of-fact, personable tone that had remained constant throughout his tenure in the manager's chair.

After wins. After losses. After receiving a new three-year contract. Tracy was almost always the same. It's one the key reasons it has all worked.

“Yeah, quite a bit, 22 years to be exact, playing and coaching,” Tracy said. “That's a long time, so I loved every minute of it. I was pretty committed to trying to achieve this as a player, and was committed to it from like high school. ‘I'm gonna play baseball and I'm gonna become a big league player’ and worked and gave everything I possibly could to try to make that happen. Different obstacles got in the way that didn't allow it.

He added, "And then I made the choice that I'm gonna go start all over at the very lowest level and do it all as a coach because I love the game of baseball and I love sharing knowledge with players, and I love being a part of a locker room, and I love being around baseball players. Along that journey, as you get down the road with that a bit, you certainly feel like getting to this point would be awesome.”

For Breslow, there was an understanding his options would be picked up back in July. In Tracy's case, it took a little bit longer, but after that 27-3 run flipped the season's narrative on its head, such a commitment seemed like a forgone conclusion. His father, Jim, didn't have his interim tag taken off his title in 2009 until a month after that Colorado Rockies team's playoff participation. Chad now gets to go into October with the security earned over five months.

Once the 30-minute press conference ended, it allowed for the lingering conversation regarding Tracy's future to be flipped away like the manager's sports jacket, and turned back to the other decisions that loom.

- Almost immediately after the interview room was emptied, all eyes turned to the Fenway Park field. That was where Garrett Crochet could be seen in full uniform, throwing to an actual hitter for the first time since April. In this case, it was courtesy a 16-pitch live batting practice session, with Ceddanne Rafaela standing in the batters box.

The exercise resulted in optimism regarding a possible Crochet postseason appearance. The lefty's velocity sat between 94-96 mph, with his slider getting the sort of uncomfortable reaction from Rafaela so many hitters could relate to.

"I would say the way that live just went, that I could go get outs," Crochet said. "It depends obviously what role they want me in. It's not really for me to say. I know myself, and I know my body, and the biggest thing was that I felt good out there. Felt like I was able to ramp up intensity to a place that I haven't gone yet."

Regarding a possible spot on the Wild Card roster (which would mark the first time he pitched with Tracy as the manager), Crochet added, "It's whatever Craig (Breslow) thinks is right. This team's had a great year. I think that for me to take a spot on the roster, someone would have to lose one. I would feel bad doing that because this team's pitched their ass off the whole season. Ultimately, that’s something that's coming up to the front office, and whenever they gauge that I'm ready, then I'll accept that. In the meantime, I'm just gonna keep working my butt off."

- About an hour or so after Crochet's appearance on the Fenway field, another key member of the club could be seen proving his health with the days winding down before Game 1 at Yankee Stadium. Willson Contreras, who couldn't even get his hand around a bat last Friday, took tens of swings in the batting cage, showing little ill-effects from his bruised right hand. Not only did Contreras spend nearly 20 minutes hitting in the cage, but he also added to that with more swings inside against the Trajekt batting practice machine.

It appears as though Contreras' goal of returning to the lineup when the final regular season rolls around will be a reality.

- It was also announced that Rafaela, who hasn't played since Sept. 2 because of a quad injury, was on target to return to the lineup for Wednesday's game.

- While the Red Sox's minor league season has concluded, it doesn't mean that some of the players who just recently participated for Worcester are done. Tracy relayed that Tanner Houck, Johan Oviedo, and, perhaps most intriguing, Braiden Ward have headed down to Fort Myers, Fla. as part of the club's "stay ready" group.

For Houck, the path to a postseason roster spot is likely blocked by Greg Weissert, who hasn't given up a run since Aug. 19. Ward might have a far better chance at landing in New York, possessing a cheat-code skill set (stealing bases) that could play a major factor in any close postseason game. Ward's presence would likely take the place of current members of the Red Sox's roster Andruw Monasterio and/or Nate Eaton.

The conversation regarding the WooSox's stolen base record-holder would be far different if Eli White was available. But the outfielder's season is deemed officially over, with the team announcing he underwent Lisfranc repair surgery on his injured foot.

- As for what that lineup might look like against Cam Schlittler for Game 1 of the Wild Card round, Mickey Gasper once again made a strong case for being part of the mix. Coming in as a pinch-hitter in the eighth inning against the Guardians, Gasper tied the game with the first pinch-hit homer of his career, and 10th home run of the season.

If Gasper is deemed to be the best option at DH against Schlittler, that would necessitate putting Roman Anthony in left field, with Jarren Duran starting the game on the bench. Anthony went 0-for-5 on Tuesday, with Duran walking while pinch-hitting in the ninth.

- While there were some positives to take out of the Red Sox's loss on Tuesday, such as Adley Rutschman's three-hit game, some September concerns lingered. No team in baseball has been worst with runners in scoring position this month (.179), with the Sox going 0-for-9 against the Guardians. They have also scored the fewest runs in MLB through September.

Also, there is the Erik Miller conundrum.

The reliever who had been dominant for his first month in a Red Sox uniform continued his slide the other way, taking the loss after giving up a run in the ninth. In his last four outings, Miller has allowed six runs on five hits and six walks.

"[My patience is] definitely running thin at this point,” Miller said. “I'd be lying if I said otherwise. I think the whole point when you're a reliever is you try to minimize the blips, and then you try to ride out when you're kind of on a heater. And I would like to kind of have been through this by now, like even be over it."

- As for the Red Sox's potential Game 1 starter, Payton Tolle, he pitched well enough (5 2/3 innings, 2 runs) to keep optimism - and good vibes - after his 26th, and final, regular season start.