Nick Sogard swats third home run in loss Saturday

Contreras winds up missing the entire weekend series against the Rays after being hit on the hand by a pitch during Thursday’s contest. He isn’t dealing with any structural damage and is still considered day-to-day, but the Red Sox obviously aren’t going to rush him back here. Their priority will be to have him ready to go for the start of the postseason. Nick Sogard will once again start in his place at first base and will bat fifth against Griffin Jax and the Rays.

The primary concern for the Red Sox, who actually have a chance to clinch a playoff berth this weekend, is ensuring that Contreras is ready for the start of the postseason. The encouraging news is that X-rays came back negative for any fractures after Contreras was hit by a pitch on the right hand during Thursday’s series finale against the Rangers. It’s a tough break for fantasy managers in the middle of playoff action, but it feels like Contreras is going to need a couple additional days off to rest and recover before he’s ready to return. It’ll be Nick Sogard drawing another start at the cold corner in his absence.

Sogard put the Red Sox on the board with their only runs of the day, taking Jacob deGrom deep for a two-run homer in the third inning. The 29-year-old second baseman is hitting .264/.360/.416 with five homers, 28 runs scored, and 19 RBI across 233 plate appearances.

Since the All-Star break, Gasper is hitting .327/.514/.865 with eight home runs, 12 runs scored, and 15 RBI. Despite being a switch-hitter, Gasper will get a day off against lefty Reid Detmers, with Nick Sogard playing first base and batting fifth and Andruw Monasterio starting at second base and batting seventh.

Over his last 20 games, Sogard is hitting .289/.372/.526 with four home runs, 14 runs scored, and 10 RBI. He has the second-best wRC+ on the Red Sox over that stretch, so this is just a day off. Isiah Kiner-Falefa will start in his place at second base.

Durbin takes a seat as his struggles at the dish continue. He’s batting just .191 (9-for-47) over his last 15 games and has just 2 hits in 22 at-bats over his last seven contests. He was insanely hot for most of the summer, but has run into a cold stretch recently. It’ll be Nick Sogard at third base in this one.

Contreras has managed to play through an avalanche of physical issues without missing too much time during his Red Sox debut. It appears to be a routine day off with Nick Sogard getting a chance to handle the cold corner. He should be ready to roll for Friday’s pivotal series opener against the Yankees.

It appears to be a routine day off for Durbin with Nick Sogard getting a look at third base. The Red Sox are going to have some hard decisions in the near future with both Trevor Story and Isiah Kiner-Falefa close to returning from the injured list. That’s presumably why Sogard is getting the additional playing time in this case.

The Red Sox need to free up three roster spots with Roman Anthony, Trevor Story and Isiah Kiner-Falefa all due back this week, but Sogard, who has taken over as Boston’s starting second baseman, has to stick around. He has two homers, four doubles, five singles and six walks in his last six games, raising his OPS from .663 to .827.

Sogard continues to pay off in the leadoff spot for the Red Sox, reaching four times against the Giants on Saturday. He knocked a base hit and drew two walks before delivering a game-tying double in the ninth before Boston’s walk-off win. The 28-year-old infielder is slashing .277/.392/.387 with one homer, 18 runs scored, and eight RBI across 146 plate appearances.