BOSTON -- Red Sox manager Alex Cora has been pressed on how he'll construct his postseason roster at various times during this homestand. With a playoff berth clinched and the magic number for a division title down to six, the skipper said Saturday that his roster decisions won't be impacted by recent performance.

"I'm not gonna go with small sample sizes," Cora said. "I don't think five days or two outings are gonna dictate your season or who we believe you are. One day, if you get three outs, it doesn't mean you threw the ball well. Or if you didn't get three outs, it doesn't mean you struggled."

Cora will instead consider "everything"-- including matchups, season-long performance and versatility when constructing his roster. That holistic approach will vary series to series as Boston changes its roster for different postseason series.

Cora gained experience in postseason roster construction a year ago with the Astros, who changed their roster for each round of the playoffs. Houston's most difficult call heading into October was choosing a backup catcher between Juan Centeno and Max Stassi, with Centeno ending up as the choice after an impressive play against the Red Sox at the end of the season.

With the A.L. East title not yet clinched, Cora has not begun the official process of constructing his roster quite yet.

"I haven't actually sat down and looked at it," he said. "I know there are a lot of guys here who can contribute. We are where we are because of that. I haven't sat down yet with Dave or the coaching staff to start thinking way ahead.

"We still have time to make those decisions. We're trying to hopefully finish off the division sooner rather than later and then we can sit and go over stuff like that."