Fresh off an epic comeback win to close out Friday’s game in New York, the Red Sox are back at it with a matinee against the Yankees on Saturday.
Jacoby Ellsbury has missed the past two games with a foot injury and it appears to be serious enough to call Jackie Bradley Jr. up from Triple-A Pawtucket. Bradley will get the start in center field on Saturday as Ellsbury has apparently returned to Boston for further examination on his foot, manager John Farrell confirmed on Saturday.
Bradley, who started the season with the big league club, struggled in 23 games in the majors this season, hitting just .155 with five extra-base hits (three doubles, two home runs) and seven RBIs. He’s been much better since returning to the minors, though, hitting a solid .275 with 10 homers and 35 RBIs for the PawSox this season.
Recent callup Xander Bogaerts is also in the starting lineup on Saturday, getting the nod at shortstop in place of Stephen Drew. The 20-year-old has played in just nine games since being called up on Aug. 20, hitting .300 (6-for-20) with one RBI in his limited action. Ryan Lavarnway will get the start behind the plate in place of Jarrod Saltalamacchia, and Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez will get the day off with Eduardo Nunez getting the go at the hot corner.
Here are the full lineups for Saturday’s matinee in New York.
Red Sox
Shane Victorino, RF
Johnny Gomes, LF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
David Ortiz, DH
Mike Napoli, 1B
Will Middlebrooks, 3B
Jackie Bradley Jr., CF
Ryan Lavarnway, C
Xander Bogaerts, SS
John Lackey, P
Yankees
Brett Gardner, CF
Derek Jeter, SS
Robinson Cano, 2B
Alfonso Soriano, LF
Curtis Granderson, DH
Eduardo Nunez, 3B
Lyle Overbay, 1B
Ichiro Suzuki, RF
Austin Romine, C
David Huff, P
