Lefthander Brandon Walter saves Red Sox bullpen in major league debut

Walter allowed three runs on six hits with three walks and two strikeouts. It was the longest outing by a Red Sox pitcher making his major league debut since Eduardo Rodriguez went 7⅔ innings on May 28, 2015.

“It was a blast, obviously, being able to pitch in my first major league game,” Walter said. “I tried not to think of that aspect of it too much. I just wanted to keep us in the game.”

Walter allowed a two-run double by Michael A. Taylor in the second inning and a home run by Byron Buxton in the third. Walter otherwise pitched well despite not having good fastball command.

When Cora came out to the mound to take Walter out of the game in the eighth inning, he asked the rookie where his family was seated and told him to give them a wave as he walked back to the dugout.

Walter did just that and shared the experience with them afterward. The Sox have not made it official, but Walter will be optioned back to Triple A and likely replaced by another pitcher on Friday.

Along with calling up Walter, the Sox made a series of other roster moves before the game.

Catcher Caleb Hamilton was selected to the roster from Triple A. Alex Verdugo was placed on MLB’s bereavement list and Reese McGuire went on the 10-day injured list with an oblique strain on his right side.

To make room for Hamilton on the 40-man roster, infielder Yu Chang was transferred to the 60-day injured list. Chang has been out since April 25 recovering from a broken bone in his left hand, so the new designation doesn’t change much for him, as he would be eligible to return next week.

But Chang has not progressed as quickly as hoped and is at least another 7-10 days away.

The Red Sox also purchased righthander Tayler Scott from the Dodgers. He had been designated for assignment June 17.

John Schreiber was moved to the 60-day injured list to make room for Scott on the 40-man roster. Schreiber has been out since May 16 with a shoulder injury.

The Red Sox are Scott’s ninth organization since he was drafted by the Cubs in 2011. He also played two seasons in Japan.

Scott is 0-1 with a 10.75 ERA and 2.24 WHIP over 27 major league games and 34⅓ innings. He appeared in six games for the Dodgers and allowed six earned runs over six innings.

More moves could be coming Friday. Second baseman Pablo Reyes left Thursday’s game in the fourth inning because of the abdominal strain that had taken him out of the lineup Tuesday.

“We’ll see what we do,” Cora said. “We have to be very careful about playing short.”

Verdugo will be away from the team until Tuesday while on leave. He will remain in Minneapolis with family from the area mourning the death of his grandmother on June 9.

Verdugo has hit safely in 12 consecutive games at 20 of 53 (.377) with seven extra-base hits and seven RBIs.

But he has gone 162 at-bats without a home run, his last coming on May 1.

Hamilton was on his way home after Worcester’s game Wednesday night when manager Chad Tracy called.

He returned to Polar Park to pack up his equipment and caught a 5:35 a.m. flight from Logan Airport.

“I had quite a bit of coffee this morning,” Hamilton said.

Hamilton, 28, spent seven seasons with the Twins before the Sox claimed him off waivers in October. He made his major league debut last season and was 1 for 18 with 14 strikeouts in 22 games.

“It’s definitely cool being back at Target Field,” said Hamilton, a career .211 hitter in the minors. “I definitely feel comfortable here.”

The Sox plan to lean more on Connor Wong.

The Red Sox and White Sox open a three-game series in Chicago Friday night. Brayan Bello will face Lucas Giolito. Bello is 4-3 with a 2.86 ERA in his last 10 starts. He will be facing the White Sox for the first time. Chicago is 29-32 after a 3-12 start … Cora said the Red Sox gave no thought to giving Nick Pivetta the start Thursday. “We like the fact he’s doing an outstanding job in the bullpen,” the manager said. Pivetta has a 2.20 ERA in 10 relief appearances. It was 6.30 through eight starts … The Dodgers-Red Sox game at Fenway Park on Sunday, Aug. 27, will be at 1:35 p.m. after ESPN passed on it. That certainly helps the Dodgers, who have a home game the next day … The Sox finished 4-3 against the Twins … Justin Turner has hit safely in 11 of his last 12 games at 20 of 48 (.417) … The Sox did not have any finalists for the All-Star team starter balloting. Rafael Devers came closest, finishing fourth among AL third basemen.

Peter Abraham can be reached at peter.abraham@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @PeteAbe.