KANSAS CITY -- After a travel adventure they won't forget any time soon, Sam Travis and Deven Marrero played key roles for the Red Sox in an 8-3 victory over the Royals on Tuesday at Kauffman Stadium.
As it turns out, the baseball was the easy part. Getting there was the challenge.
The Red Sox informed both players late Monday night that they would be getting recalled from Triple-A Pawtucket to help reinforce Boston's injury-plagued infield.
Sometimes, there are more complexities to joining the team than the simple roster moves.
After waking up at dawn on Tuesday, Travis and Marrero got stuck in traffic and took two hours to get from Providence to Boston's Logan Airport.
And once they got there, things got complicated. The combination of rainy weather in Boston and searing heat in Phoenix put airplanes at a shortage.
Red Sox vice president of Major and Minor League operations Raquel Ferreira saved the day by successfully arranging a charter flight for the two players from Hanscom Air Force Base in Bedford, Mass.
"Yeah, it was very up in the air," said Marrero. "Me and Sammy just grinded it out, played some cards, had Starbucks like three times. It was a long day, but it was definitely worth it."

Marrero started at third base and went 2-for-2 with a walk and an RBI and scored twice. Travis, who is ranked the club's No. 3 prospect by MLBPipeline.com, belted a key double in Boston's four-run fourth inning.
"They were big," said Red Sox manager John Farrell. "Sam made a number of nice picks around the bag. To see those guys walk off an airplane here at 4 in the afternoon, get right in the lineup and contribute as they did, it was a much needed lift given the physical status of a number of our guys here."
Travis and Marrero took off at 2 p.m. ET, and landed in Kansas City roughly three hours before Tuesday's first pitch. Marrero and Travis both had successful stints on the roster earlier this season, and they were given warm welcomes by their teammates when they entered the clubhouse.

"We all know what they can do," said winning pitcher Chris Sale. "Not only do they bring good energy to the clubhouse, but they're damn good ballplayers. I like both their styles, they play aggressive, they're both really good and they've got a lot of heart. Seeing guys like that come up here and not be intimidated and kind of take the bull by the horns is pretty impressive."
It was the definition of a team effort, given what the players did upon arrival, and what team executives did in Boston to get them there.
"Yeah, we ended up with a private flight just because everything was booked, canceled or otherwise," said Farrell. "The fact we were able to scramble, that's a tribute to a lot of people back in Boston trying to find a way to get them here and it was key to tonight's game."
Did the players ever have a doubt they'd make it on time?
"No, this is the Boston Red Sox," said Marrero. "They get stuff done here. There was no worry. Sammy was a little worried. I was like, 'Hey, man, we'll be all right.' We were just talking about the game and excited to get here and help this team. It was just a fun long day, but we're going to sleep good tonight, that's for sure."
"It was a long day but definitely worth it," said Travis. "Raquel definitely did wonders and got it done."