BOSTON -- With a handful of key hitters sidelined by injuries that have put their status for the postseason in doubt, the Rays know they’ll have to count on young players more than they had planned down the stretch.

One priority over the final week of the regular season, manager Kevin Cash said, is to boost those players’ confidence and help them see what they can do when the playoffs begin next week.

“The guys that are playing tonight that are on this roster right now -- some form of them are going to contribute to our postseason rosters,” Cash said Tuesday afternoon. “So let them feel good about themselves a little bit.”

They found something to feel good about Tuesday night in a 9-7 win over the Red Sox at Fenway Park, even as the Orioles’ 1-0 win against the Nationals reduced Tampa Bay’s elimination number in the American League East race to two.

• Games remaining (4): at BOS (1), at TOR (3)
• Standings update: The Orioles (98-59) hold a 2 1/2-game lead over the Rays (96-62) for first place in the AL East. Baltimore also controls the head-to-head tiebreaker against Tampa Bay. The AL East champion will be the No. 1 seed and get a bye into the Division Series. The second-place team will be the No. 4 seed and host a Wild Card Series.
• Postseason status: Clinched a playoff berth and home-field advantage in their first series

While All-Stars Yandy Díaz and Randy Arozarena continued to rest day-to-day injuries, the rest of the lineup stepped up to deliver 13 hits and a pair of big innings early on and another rally late as the Rays won their 96th game, tied with the 2010 and ‘19 seasons for third-most in franchise history.

“It was an awesome day at the park to see those young guys kind of go off and play well defensively,” said starter Zach Eflin, who pitched five innings to earn his AL-leading 16th win. “It’s good to see those guys come into an environment like Fenway and be able to produce like that.”

Of the nine players in Tampa Bay’s starting lineup Tuesday night, only four began the season with the Rays: Isaac Paredes, Josh Lowe, Manuel Margot and Taylor Walls. Even Margot has been affected by injuries, playing every day in center field with Jose Siri (fractured hand) and Luke Raley (cervical strain) sidelined.

After missing a month due to an elbow injury that required surgery, Margot has stepped up amid those absences. He went 4-for-4 with a pair of RBIs on Tuesday, his seventh career game with at least four hits. Margot has recorded at least three hits in three of his last 10 games back from the injured list, batting .368 (14-for-38) during that time.

“It feels a lot better. It feels really good,” Margot said through interpreter Manny Navarro. “Before, I think I was forcing it, when I wasn't feeling good. But all I'm trying to do is just compete.”

The Rays will need veterans like Margot at their best when postseason play begins next week, but they’ll also need contributions from the young players who filled out their lineup at Fenway Park.

Three of their starters -- infielders Jonathan Aranda and Curtis Mead and catcher René Pinto -- broke camp with Triple-A Durham, and third baseman Junior Caminero was a 19-year-old with High-A Bowling Green on Opening Day. Pinto has quietly taken on a majority of the work behind the plate over the last month, but those four still entered the night with a combined 142 games of Major League experience.

But given the uncertainty regarding Brandon Lowe, Raley and Siri, at least some of those players seem likely to play a bigger part in the postseason. If they want to feel good about themselves heading into October, this was a good start.

Caminero blasted a 105.9 mph RBI double off the Green Monster in the Rays’ three-run first inning. Mead went 2-for-5, playing a part in that rally and a four-run third against Red Sox starter Tanner Houck. Pinto gave Tampa Bay a 7-0 lead in the third with a two-run blast to center, his sixth homer of the season.

And perhaps most encouraging of all, Aranda -- whose Minor League success has not yet translated to the Majors -- put together his first career three-hit game while reaching base a career-high-tying four times.

After the Red Sox pulled within a run by scoring three off Eflin in the fifth, two off reliever Kevin Kelly in the sixth and one off lefty Colin Poche in the seventh, the Rays created some breathing room with a two-run eighth. The rally started with Margot’s fourth hit of the night and ended with Aranda’s third, an RBI single to right.

“That was hopefully a breakout for him, to hit the ball and to get some breaks and find some holes,” said reliever Pete Fairbanks, who picked up his 25th save and bounced back from a couple tough outings by striking out the side in the ninth. “I thought it was very encouraging. It was very fun to watch some guys continue to get a taste and continue to contribute.”