KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Facing a tough lefty Saturday afternoon, the Red Sox would love to have southpaw masher Rob Refsnyder in their lineup. Because of back spasms, however, they won’t.
Refsnyder, who has not played since May 1 (last Thursday) and has been dealing with his back issue since Sunday, according to manager Alex Cora. The expectation is that the veteran outfielder will avoid the injured list but he still wasn’t ready to be in the lineup against Cole Ragans in the middle game of a three-game set at Kauffman Stadium.
“This happened a few days ago. A little bit tight,” Cora said. “We needed him yesterday, to be honest with you, not before that. It’s part of 162. He should be OK. He swung the bat today in the cage, feeling a lot better. We expect him to start over the week. Not tonight, of course. But we’ve got (Tarik) Skubal and we’ve got Chris (Sale) coming up, so he’ll be ready.”
Refsnyder, who has started nine times this year (including six times against lefties), is hitting .353 with a 1.016 OPS in 19 plate appearances against southpaws this year. With him unavailable, the Red Sox will stick with Wilyer Abreu in right field. Elsewhere, newly called up utility man Nick Sogard is starting at first base in his 2025 debut and Carlos Narváez is catching.
It’s just Abreu’s second start of the season against a lefty. He’s 3-for-16 with a double in plate appearances against them this year. Sogard is starting in place of Romy Gonzalez, who hit the injured list Saturday due to a left quad contusion.
The pitching matchup Saturday will feature two All-Stars from 2024. Boston will send lefty Garrett Crochet to the mound and the Royals will counter with Cole Ragans, their 27-year-old ace who finished fourth in the American League Cy Young voting a year ago.
First pitch is at 7:10 p.m. ET (6:10 local).
BOSTON RED SOX (20-20) @ KANSAS CITY ROYALS (24-16) · KAUFFMAN STADIUM · KANSAS CITY, MO · GAME 41
FIRST PITCH: 7:10 p.m. ET
TV CHANNEL: NESN
RADIO: WEEI 93.7 FM
PITCHING PROBABLES: LHP Garrett Crochet (3-2, 2.02 ERA) vs. LHP Cole Ragans (2-1, 3.79 ERA)
RED SOX LINEUP:
1) LF Jarren Duran
2) DH Rafael Devers
3) 3B Alex Bregman
4) 2B Kristian Campbell
5) SS Trevor Story
6) RF Wilyer Abreu
7) 1B Nick Sogard
8) C Carlos Narváez
9) CF Ceddanne Rafaela
ROYALS LINEUP:
1) 3B Jonathan India
2) SS Bobby Witt Jr.
3) DH Salvador Perez
4) LF Mark Canha
5) 2B Maikel Garcia
6) 1B Vinnie Pasquantino
7) RF Hunter Renfroe
8) C Freddy Fermin
9) CF Drew Waters
