BOSTON -- The plan to move Nathan Eovaldi back to the rotation got delayed for a few days because manager Alex Cora pulled out all the stops to win the final two games of the series at Cleveland and deployed the flame-throwing righty out of the bullpen.

The latest plan is for Eovaldi to start Sunday’s finale of this three-game series against the Orioles.

“We’ll do everything possible to stay away from him,” said Cora.

Look for Eovaldi’s move back to the rotation to start as a sequential series of openers so he can build his pitch count back up. Eovaldi’s high in pitch count since returning from the injured list and going to the bullpen is 40.

How many pitches can Eovaldi throw Sunday if he starts?

“I think 60 pitches, yeah, that’s where we at right now,” said Cora. “We’ll talk to him. But he feels physically he’s fine.”

Though Cora is appreciative of how flexible Eovaldi has been in recent days, he knows it’s important to be cognizant of his medical history, which includes right elbow surgery in April.

“We talk about him physically, the way he is and the way he goes about it, he's a horse, but at the same time I think we have to be careful,” Cora said. “People talk about October and all that stuff that teams do. That's October. That's a lot different. And the schedule helps you out to do that. You have an off day every two days and obviously adrenaline and what you're playing for right there, you feel it, you taste it, it's right there. We've got to be smart.”

Holt mourns former coach

Red Sox utility player Brock Holt re-joined the team on Friday after missing the previous two games to attend services for his former coach at Navarro College, Derwood Penney. Holt played two years at Navarro before transferring to Rice.

“He was a special man. I keep saying it, he was the best man that I’ve ever met,” said Holt. “First, I want to say thank you to [manager Alex Cora], [president of baseball operations] Dave [Dombrowski], and the Red Sox organization for just letting me go. That’s something that’s kind of a difficult thing when they’re not technically family.

“But this man was family to me, so for them to let me go and to be there for him, for his family, it meant a lot to me. I didn’t know how much I needed to be there until I was there. It was a good day but it was a sad day, so I’m proud I was able to be there, and happy to be back here now."

Holt was on the verge of tears when he explained what set Penney apart.

“I think just how much he cared about everyone. Meeting him from Day 1 the day I stepped on to campus at Navarro, me and him just formed a relationship from there and it’s continued to grow,” Holt said. “I haven’t been to Navarro, it’s been 11 years since I’ve been to school there and he would still text me after pretty much every game, watching every game, gave me advice, rooting for me. He told me to relax and have fun if I was struggling, so it’s going to be hard not getting those texts. I’m going to miss him, but he was a good man.”

Red Sox honor Cafardo

The Red Sox held a pre-game ceremony on Friday to honor long-time Boston Globe baseball reporter Nick Cafardo, who died while working at Spring Training in February.

Cafardo’s grandchildren made the “Play Ball” announcement to fans prior to the game. Several members of Cafardo’s family took in the game from a luxury suite provided by the Red Sox.

Two national baseball writers -- Bob Nightengale of USA Today and Scott Miller from Bleacher Report -- flew to Boston specifically to attend the ceremony and pay their respects to the Cafardo family.

Price progresses, but not Hembree

David Price continues to make progress from the cyst on his left wrist that led to his move to the injured list last week.

The lefty played catch on Friday and could throw a bullpen session within the week.

Once Price is throwing off the mound, Cora expects his comeback to the active roster will come in short order.

Things aren’t going as well for righty Heath Hembree, who has been slow to recover from the elbow inflammation that landed him back on the IL on Aug. 2. Hembree had a PRP shot (platelet-rich plasma) on Aug. 6, but hasn’t felt much improvement.

“I mean, it’s taken longer than what we thought. Obviously we are running out of days, especially for guys to go on rehab assignments and all that stuff,” said Cora. “Hopefully he can turn the corner in the next few days and we can get him going. With him, it’s a little bit different than a starter obviously because he just needs to get on the mound and throw a few bullpens. He can always throw simulated games. For me, it’s taken longer than what we anticipated.”