Rest did the road-weary Red Sox good during the All-Star break

As hot as the Red Sox were when they went into the All-Star break, interim manager Chad Tracy knew how much energy it took to dig themselves out of last place in the AL East and into contention for a wild-card spot.

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“I fielded a lot of questions or saw a lot of commentary on the narrative. Like, this is, man, a bad time for the break,” he said. “Regardless of what happens in the next handful of days, I don’t necessarily agree with that.”

He saw a team playing as well as it had all season, but also one that needed a deep breath.

“To me, guys were gassed,” he said. “You could see it. There was a lot of work that was done to get to that point, and it just felt like when that game ended, everybody [exhaled].

“So even having won nine games in a row, and playing really well, between that and the injuries and the guys that were banged up — who were not on the [injured list] but were playing for us — it was like, this is a good time for everybody to kind of get some rest and recovery. I didn’t care how many wins in a row there were. I still think it was beneficial to get that rest. So we’ll see what happens, but guys are ready to go.”

The Sox were in a similar position a year ago when they took a 10-game winning streak into the break. When they returned, they dropped six of their first 10 games, but that hot stretch put them in position to clinch a wild-card berth on the final day of the season.

The Sox already were in select company, one of just nine teams to put together winning streaks of nine games or more going into the All-Star break. They’re one of even fewer to come back from the break and keep the streak alive.

The 2010 White Sox, 2008 Mets, 1998 Braves, and 1954 Yankees took long winning streaks into the break and extended it in their first game back.

Tracy’s team made a point of being ready when they returned.

“Our guys did a good job. There were guys who came in here Tuesday and Wednesday to make sure they were prepared,” Tracy said. “I think we had probably almost 90 percent of the roster here [Thursday] just for an optional workout.

“So almost across the board, all our guys have gotten some type of activity during the break leading into this, which is great. I think them knowing, coming out of this, that we had two games in one day, it was imperative that they do something to keep themselves rolling.”

Lefthanded starter Ranger Suarez, out since July 6 with a left groin strain, has been recovering quickly, Tracy said, and depending on how the next few days go, he could be back in the rotation next week.

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Suarez threw Friday and is eligible to return Tuesday.

“We’ll see how he is over these next couple of days, if that’s going to be the day or if we need to give him a few more days before we pencil him back into the rotation,” Tracy said. “So he’s throwing, but he’s going to throw over the next couple of days and actually start to get out to some more long toss.”

Suarez is 4-3 with a 3.15 ERA in 17 starts this season.

“We’re trending in a really good direction,” Tracy said. “He’s getting better quickly. It’s just a matter of whether he starts Tuesday or if we need to give it a few more days.”

Isiah Kiner-Falefa (out since June 19 with left forearm inflammation) and Marcelo Mayer (out since June 26 with a bone stress reaction in his left ulna) are scheduled to see a hand specialist early next week.

“We’ll have a better idea of how they’re healing once they do that,” Tracy said.

Lefthander Connelly Early, on the injured list since July 1 with elbow inflammation, is set to throw from 75 feet Saturday, and the plan is to increase the distance based on his response.

The Sox signed 16 of their 2026 draft picks, reaching agreements with righthander pitchers Lucas Davenport, Alex Kranzler, and Luis Calderon; lefthanded pitchers Brett Lanman, Kide Adetuyi, Josh Volmerding, Kaleb LaFavor, Mason Lei, and Jase Evangelista; outfielders Owen Hull and Martin Shelar; and shortstops Jace Mataczynski, Wills Maginnis, Jacob Webster, and Colton Coates.

They finalized signing bonuses for five of their draft picks, according to an MLB source.

First-round pick Jake Schaffner signed for a $2 million bonus. His slot value was $4.373 million.

Hull, a Competitive Balance Round B pick, signed for a $1.2 million bonus (slot value: $1.317 million).

Those below-slot signings left extra money for Mataczynski, a third-round pick who signed for a $2 million bonus (slot value: $816,000); Shelar, a ninth-round pick who signed for a $1.5 million bonus (slot value: $205,000); and 10th-round pick LaFavor, who signed for an $850,000 bonus (slot value: $194,000).

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Alex Speier of the Globe Staff contributed to this report.