Red Sox place right-hander Nick Pivetta on COVID-19 IL as outbreak worsens

The Red Sox now have a combination of 12 players and coaches sidelined due to the coronavirus.

Shortstop Xander Bogaerts; utility man Enrique Hernandez; second baseman Christian Arroyo; infielder Yairo Munoz; and pitchers Matt Barnes, Hirokazu Sawamura and Martin Perez tested positive for COVID-19, while left-hander Josh Taylor and first-base coach Tom Goodwin are in quarantine as close contacts. 

Quality control coach Ramon Vazquez has also tested positive for the virus. 

Boston's coronavirus outbreak began last week, and it comes in the home stretch of the regular season as the club continues to fight for a playoff spot. 

The Red Sox are third in the American League East with a 79-59 record, eight games behind the division-leading Tampa Bay Rays Rays. Boston is barely holding on to an AL wild-card spot as the Oakland Athletics are just four games out of the second spot. 

The Sox have won their last four games and will look to extend their winning streak to five games on Sunday against Cleveland before facing the Rays again.