Andruw

Monasterio

The Red Sox are set to face left-hander Trevor Rogers, so Mayer will head to the bench. Even with Trevor Story (abdominal) on the injured list, Mayer continues to sit against left-handed pitching. Today, Isiah Kiner-Falefa will play shortstop with Andruw Monasterio at second base despite Monasterio being just a career .249/.343/.380 hitter against left-handed pitching.

It continues to be a completely bizarre season for Yoshida as he’s basically been eclipsed by unheralded reserve Mickey Gasper and utilityman Andruw Monasterio for at-bats against right-handed pitching since Roman Anthony hit the injured list earlier this month. He can be safely ignored in all fantasy formats until that equation changes.

Boston’s former top prospect will get his first chance at shortstop later this weekend and figures to get an extended run at the position with Trevor Story on the injured list recovering from sports hernia surgery. Ultimately, it didn’t make a lot of sense for the Red Sox to keep rolling with Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Andruw Monasterio at the position with Story facing an extended absence. The 23-year-old was one of the top shortstop prospects in baseball before moving to third base last year.

It’s notable that Kiner-Falefa is making his second straight start at the spot with Andruw Monasterio on the bench. The 31-year-old infielder appears likely to help fill the void created when Trevor Story hit the injured list with a sports hernia last weekend. The widely-held assumption was that Boston would give former top prospect Marcelo Mayer a look at the position, but that doesn’t appear imminent.

The move is now official. It’s unclear whether Story will require surgery to address the groin issue that Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy told reporters has been bothering him pretty much all season. The lingering physical issue certainly helps explain his abysmal performance at the plate where he’s batted .206/.244/.303 triple-slash line with three homers and four steals through 41 games. It would make sense for the Red Sox to consider moving former top prospect Marcelo Mayer back to shortstop, but all indications are that Andruw Monasterio is going to be their short-term stopgap at the position with Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Nick Sogard taking the occasional turn. There should be some additional clarity on Story’s return timeline relatively soon.

No surprise here after Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy revealed that Story has been playing through a lingering groin issue pretty much all season. The 33-year-old shortstop has struggled to an abysmal .206/.244/.303 triple-slash line with three homers and four steals through 41 games. It’ll be Nick Sogard coming up from Triple-A Worcester to fill his roster spot. Putting former top prospect Marcelo Mayer at shortstop would make sense, but it was Andruw Monasterio at shortstop during Friday’s series opener in Atlanta.

Monasterio smacked a one-out double off of Jose Alvarado in the eighth inning and scored on a run-scoring single off the bat of Wilyer Abreu, pulling the Red Sox to within two runs at 3-1. That would be as close as they would get. With his two-hit attack, the 28-year-old lefty-masher is now hitting .258/.313/.419 with one homer, nine RBI and one stolen base through his first 67 plate appearances.

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.