After taking a 93 mph fastball off the head in Wednesday’s game, Trevor Story leads off Thursday afternoon in the Boston Red Sox lineup against the Toronto Blue Jays while Kiké Hernandez will take a seat for the first time this season. Tanner Houck is on the mound while J.D. Martinez is out, and Christian Vazquez returns from the COVID-19 related injured list after missing two games.
Martinez left last night’s game after doubling in the third inning with a left adductor injury and is labeled as day-to-day.
“He’s a little bit sore,” manager Alex Cora said after last night’s loss. “Nothing yet as far as (roster) moves. We should be day-to-day with him. He won’t play tomorrow and we’ll see where he’s at.”
The designated hitter went 2-for-2 and drove home Boston’s only RBI before leaving. Cora says he felt something a couple of days ago but it didn’t seem to be anything of worry, and as then as soon as he took off running after hitting his double; the manager remained complimentary though of how the designated hitter takes care of himself.
“He mentioned it the other day that he was a little bit tight but nothing to be concerned about,” Cora said. “He does such a good job taking care of his body that when he’s a go, he’s a go. It just felt like as soon as he hit that ball, he felt it running. I think it was more about being smart about it. Just come out of the game, take care of it and hopefully, it’s something that’s just a couple of days.”
Story, who usually bats either sixth against righties (righty Kevin Gausman is on the mound for Toronto), will hit leadoff with Hernandez taking a maintenance day. Taking Hernandez’s spot in center will be Jackie Bradley Jr. hitting sixth.
Bobby Dalbec, who the Sox wanted to add some versatility to this offseason, will play third base; taking his spot at first is Travis Shaw, and the usual third baseman Rafael Devers will be at the designated hitter spot second in the lineup. Alex Verdugo will hit cleanup in his usual left field position.
Houck will look for his second win of the season, and the Sox will look to take the series on getaway day as first pitch is at 1:35 p.m. ET at Fenway Park.
Boston Red Sox Toronto Blue Jays Lineup
| Red Sox | Blue Jays (TBA) | |
| 1 | 2B Trevor Story | |
| 2 | DH Rafael Devers | |
| 3 | SS Xander Bogaerts | |
| 4 | LF Alex Verdugo | |
| 5 | 3B Bobby Dalbec | |
| 6 | CF Jackie Bradley Jr. | |
| 7 | C Christian Vazquez | |
| 8 | 1B Travis Shaw | |
| 9 | RF Christian Arroyo | |
| P | Tanner Houck | Kevin Gausman |
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