Mookie Betts will see some time at a familiar position when the Boston Red Sox take on the Kansas City Royals on Saturday in Game 3 of their four-game weekend series.
Betts will make his first major league appearance at second base, where he spent plenty of time in the minors before being shifted to the outfield. With Dustin Pedroia out for the rest of the season, Betts likely will see plenty of time in the infield.
Betts will lead off for the Sox, as well, as he hopes to continue his torrid hitting pace. Since Aug. 23, the rookie has raised his batting average from .228 to .291, and he’s done so with nine multi-hit games.
David Ortiz and Mike Napoli also return to the lineup, hitting third and sixth, respectively. Both Ortiz and Napoli have had success against Royals starter Jeremy Guthrie. Ortiz is hitting .317 with three home runs and nine RBIs against Guthrie. Meanwhile, Napoli is hitting .316 with two homers and four RBIs against the right-hander.
Jemile Weeks and Allen Craig will have the night off after starting in Friday’s win.
Rubby De La Rosa will take the mound for the Red Sox as he makes his second career start against Kansas City. In his first start against the Royals on July 19, De La Rosa scattered five hits, allowed one earned run and earned the win. Since then, though, the righty is 1-4 and has seen his ERA rise from 2.64 to 4.01.
The Red Sox hope to establish their first three-game winning streak since mid-August, when they had a string of four straight wins.
Here are the full lineups for Saturday night’s game.
Boston Red Sox (65-83)
Mookie Betts, 2B
Xander Bogaerts, SS
David Ortiz, DH
Yoenis Cespedes, LF
Daniel Nava, RF
Mike Napoli, 1B
Jackie Bradley Jr., CF
Will Middlebrooks, 3B
Christian Vazquez, C
Rubby De La Rosa, RHP (4-6, 4.01 ERA)
Kansas City Royals (80-66)
Alcides Escobar, SS
Nori Aoki, DH
Lorenzo Cain, RF
Alex Gordon, LF
Salvador Perez, C
Eric Hosmer, 1B
Omar Infante, 2B
Mike Moustakas, 3B
Jarrod Dyson, CF
Jeremy Guthrie, RHP (10-11, 4.54 ERA)
