For the first time as a member of the Red Sox, Kyle Schwarber will be in the field.
The newly acquired slugger will bat second and play left field Monday afternoon in the Red Sox’s series finale against the Rangers. J.D. Martinez will be back in his usual DH position, which he’s vacated for the last several days.
While the Red Sox have been conservative with Schwarber since he joined the club Aug. 13, he’s played the bulk of his career in left field, logging 529 career games in that spot.
The Red Sox have been abysmal defensively as of late, with Martinez personifying many of their struggles. For example, he took a circuitous route to a fly ball in Boston’s loss to the Yankees last Tuesday afternoon, failing to make the catch after an awkward-looking slide. The Yankees wound up scoring two runs in the inning.
On Saturday night, the Red Sox were charged with a whopping five unearned runs in their 10-1 loss to the Rangers.
With a slumping offense, Alex Cora has understandably tried to fit as many bats into the lineup, but the defensive trade-offs have been difficult to take. Schwarber is not a great outfielder, but at least he’s experienced.
So far, he’s slashing .375/.545/.563 in 22 plate appearances with the Red Sox.
