Why Red Sox Made Late Lineup Switch Before Facing Yankees

The Boston Red Sox intended to roll with a predominantly right-handed lineup — of seven righties — to counter left-handed starting pitcher Nestor Cortes to open a four-game series with the first-place New York Yankees, but a last-minute tweak was needed ahead of first pitch on Thursday night.

Boston yanked outfielder Rob Refsnyder from the lineup after being slated to hit third and patrol right field, due to right wrist discomfort, per MassLive’s Chris Cotillo. Red Sox manager Alex Cora lost out on Refsnyder’s right-handed bat and elected to substitute the 33-year-old with left-handed rookie Wilyer Abreu, who will bat eight and play right field instead.

Refsnyder logged a monstrous performance at the plate during Monday night’s division-rival matchup against the Baltimore Orioles, going yard on back-to-back instances with teammate Tyler O’Neill to headline a 4-for-4, two-home run, career-high five-RBI night in Boston’s 12-3 blowout victory. The jaw-dropping night marked Refsnyder’s second multi-homer game this season and played a critical role in the team’s effort to keep its last-minute postseason ticket bid alive and well.

Specific to Boston’s series-opener in The Bronx, losing Refsnyder could easily hamper the team’s ability to apply pressure to Cortes — who recently was pulled from New York’s starting rotation and moved to the bullpen. Refsnyder is hitting .300 with eight home runs — of his 11 total — seven doubles and 23 RBIs when facing left-handed pitchers this season through 144 plate appearances, and has batted .375 through Boston’s first six games to begin the critical month of September.

The Red Sox will take the field at Yankee Stadium trailing the Minnesota Twins by four games for the third and final wild card spot in the American League.