Boston Red Sox third baseman Will Middlebrooks has been scratched from Sunday’s starting lineup against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Park in Arlington. He has been replaced at third base by Jonathan Herrera.
Middlebrooks has been scratched for “precautionary reasons” due to right hand soreness, according to the Red Sox. The 25-year-old was hit by a pitch on the hand in the eighth inning of Saturday’s 8-3 win over the Rangers.
Middlebrooks, who was checked on by the Red Sox’s trainer, stayed in Saturday’s game after getting hit by Rangers reliever Justin Germano. He told reporters after the game he felt fine.
“Initially it’s one of those things that doesn’t feel really good,” Middlebrooks said after Saturday’s game, according to MassLive.com’s Jason Mastrodonato. “That’s why I was like, ‘Let me run the bases and we’ll check it out after the inning,’ because it kind of died down and went away.”
While Middlebrooks’ absence from the lineup might only be precautionary, the Red Sox’s careful approach is understandable, as the slugger’s 2012 rookie campaign was derailed by a broken right wrist.
Middlebrooks, who spent time on the disabled list earlier this season with a calf strain, is hitting .211 with two home runs, six RBIs and a .338 on-base percentage in 17 games.
