The Boston Red Sox will be without one of their premier bats in the heart of the order when they begin a three-game series with the Toronto Blue Jays at Fenway Park on Friday.
J.D. Martinez, who was in the original lineup as Boston’s designated hitter, was scratched from the starting lineup 90 minutes before first pitch due to back spasms, per multiple reports. This isn’t the first time this season that the ailment has caused Martinez to be subbed out of the lineup.
Rob Refsnyder will take Martinez’s place as the team’s designed hitter in the series opener and will bat second while Rafael Devers slides down to Martinez’s usual third spot in the order.
While the Red Sox haven’t played since Sunday, Martinez did suit up in Tuesday’s Major League Baseball All-Star Game, where he went 0-for-2 with a strikeout. It’s unknown whether Martinez tweaked something during the exhibition contest.
The Red Sox begin the second half of the season against the Blue Jays with first pitch scheduled for 7:10 p.m. ET. You can catch the game on NESN.
