Andruw

Monasterio

Durbin is 2-for-18 in his last five games, and his debut season with the Red Sox has not gone as expected. Andruw Monasterio will play third base and bat ninth, and Durbn can be dropped in all 12-team leagues and shallower.

The 33-year-old infielder plays nearly everyday for the Red Sox, so he has certainly earned a day off. He’s off to a very slow start offensively this season, slashing an underwhelming .206/.244/.302 with just two homers, 17 RBI and two stolen bases. Andruw Monasterio will start in his place at shortstop on Sunday and will bat fifth against Cody Bolton and the Astros.

With a left-handed pitcher on the mound, the Red Sox will have Andruw Monasterio at designated hitter, batting sixth, which will slide Duran to the bench. Duran is hitting just .172/.234/.253 on the season, but his .225 BABIP is far below his .334 career average. His barrel rate is the same as last season, but his hard-hit rates are down a little bit, and he’s swinging and missing more than ever, especially at pitches far out of the strike zone. It seems like the 29-year-old is pressing a little bit and just needs a few bounces to start going his way.

Monasterio ripped a pair of doubles in the early stages of the one-sided affair before launching a grand slam off lefty reliever Keegan Akin in the ninth inning to put the metaphorical cherry on top of a much-needed three-hit performance. It was his first round-tripper of the season. He’ll continue to see at-bats against left-handed pitching, but he’s mostly limited to reserve duty right now.

It’s the second straight game in which Duran has found himself on the pine against Tigers’ southpaws Tarik Skubal and Framber Valdez. Andruw Monasterio will start at first base and bat second for the Red Sox while Willson Contreras functions as the team’s designated hitter.

No surprise here with Tigers lefty ace Tarik Skubal toeing the rubber at Fenway Park. Losing Romy Gonzalez to a shoulder injury, in addition to Rob Refsnyder departing via free agency in the offseason, has led to some serious issues for the Red Sox against southpaws this season. Duran heads to the bench along with Masataka Yoshida and Marcelo Mayer while Trevor Story moves to DH. It’ll be Andruw Monasterio at shortstop, Caleb Durbin at the hot corner and Isiah Kiner-Falefa at the keystone. It’s not great.

Contreras was removed from Tuesday’s game with lower back soreness, which will keep him out for at least one game. As of now, there is no indication that the injury will require a trip to the injured list, but we will have more information on that in a couple of days. Andruw Monasterio will play first base and bat sixth for a Red Sox lineup that is really struggling right now.

With the Red Sox facing a left-handed pitcher, Mayer will head to the bench with Isiah Kiner-Falefa at second base. Trevor Story will also be at DH, so Andruw Monasterio will start at shortstop against his former team, the Brewers. Mayer is 1-for-2 with a home run off of left-handed pitchers this season, so it might be worth the Red Sox actually letting him see if he can handle lefties at the big league level.

It’ll be Masataka Yoshida getting a chance at DH in his place. Caleb Durbin is also on the bench with Andruw Monasterio at the hot corner. It qualifies as a mild surprise to see Duran on the bench with Astros ace Hunter Brown on the hill. The 29-year-old outfielder is off to a frosty start at the plate, hitting .154 (2-for-13) with zero extra-base hits and two steals through four games.

Eaton had a solid spring, going 9-for-32 with four RBI and two steals. However, he only played the outfield in the spring, so it seems like both Andruw Monasterio and Isiah Kiner-Falefa have surpassed him as true utility players.