J.D. Martinez has been mired in a slump for over a month, and he'll be out of the starting lineup Friday night when the Boston Red Sox visit the Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards.
Martinez hasn't homered since July 10, a span of 27 games in which he's slashed .156/.239/.229 across 109 plate appearances. That's a .468 OPS for the Red Sox designated hitter, who had been one of the most productive sluggers in Major League Baseball since joining Boston in 2018.
Rob Refsnyder will serve as the DH for Friday's series opener in Baltimore. He'll bat seventh, sandwiched between first baseman Eric Hosmer and catcher Reese McGuire.
Alex Verdugo jumps up to the No. 2 spot in Boston's order, right after Tommy Pham, who's become the go-to leadoff hitter since joining the Red Sox in a deadline trade with the Cincinnati Reds. Verdugo, unlike Martinez, has been swinging a hot bat in the second half.
Christian Arroyo, who's also wielding a sizzling stick, bats fifth, right behind the superstar tandem of shortstop Xander Bogaerts and third baseman Rafael Devers.
Kiké Hernández rounds out the lineup, batting ninth and playing center field. Hernández, who just returned from a hip injury, played Tuesday and Wednesday against the Pittsburgh Pirates but sat out Thursday's series finale, which the Red Sox lost 8-2 at PNC Park.
Boston is entering a crucial stretch in its season, with three games against Baltimore followed by a six-game homestand featuring matchups with the Toronto Blue Jays and Tampa Bay Rays at Fenway Park.
The Red Sox entered Friday five games back of the third and final wild-card spot in the American League. The surprising Orioles, meanwhile, sit 2 1/2 games back.
Friday's first pitch from Baltimore is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. ET, and you can catch all the action on NESN, beginning with an hour of pregame coverage on NESN at 6 p.m.
Here are the complete lineups for Friday's Red Sox vs. Orioles matchup.
BOSTON RED SOX (59-60)
Tommy Pham, LF
Alex Verdugo, RF
Xander Bogaerts, SS
Rafael Devers, 3B
Christian Arroyo, 2B
Eric Hosmer, 1B
Rob Refsnyder, DH
Reese McGuire, C
Kiké Hernández, CF
Kutter Crawford, RHP (3-4, 4.18 ERA)
BALTIMORE ORIOLES (61-57)
Cedric Mullins, CF
Adley Rutschman, C
Anthony Santander, DH
Ryan Mountcastle, 1B
Kyle Stowers, RF
Austin Hays, LF
Rougned Odor, 2B
Ramón UrÃas, 3B
Jorge Mateo, SS
Jordan Lyles, RHP (9-9, 4.48 ERA)
