Nate

Eaton

Eaton, who turns 30 in December, was just 8-for-50 with one homer for the Red Sox last season, dropping his career line to .221/.294/.307 in 328 plate appearances. He is, however, a very good defensive outfielder, and a nice asset on the basepaths. He can also fill in at third base when needed. He fits fine as a 26th man who gets occasional starts against lefties.

Eaton was one of the guys expected to be squeezed from Boston’s 40-man this winter. The 29-year-old has hit .221/.294/.307 in 328 plate appearances since debuting in the majors in 2022.

This always seemed likely after the 22-year-old reaggravated a hand injury on a check swing on Sunday and then further hurt it in Game 1 on Tuesday. Nate Eaton will start in left field and bat ninth against left-hander Max Fried, but now the bigger question will be whether or not the Red Sox request permission to replace Anthony on their roster for the postseason.

Eaton was just optioned out on Wednesday, but he’ll return to the Red Sox’ bench with Mickey Gasper (biceps) landing on the injured list on Sunday. The versatile 29-year-old has hit .146/.293/.250 with one homer, six RBI and a pair of stolen bases in 58 plate appearances with the Red Sox this season.

Eaton winds up losing his spot on Boston’s bench with center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela back from the injured list. He figures to be in the mix for one of the final spots on the club’s postseason roster given his defensive versatility.

It sounds like it could be a potential injured list situation for White, who is absent from Wednesday’s lineup with right foot soreness, after crashing into the center-field wall during Tuesday’s game against the Angels. It’ll be Nate Eaton taking over in center field with starter Ceddanne Rafaela (quad) still on the injured list. There should be an update on his status at some point later this week.

With Ceddanne Rafaela (quad) landing on the injured list on Sunday, Eaton will join the Red Sox to add some outfield depth. The 29-year-old outfielder has hit just .125/.282/.281 with one homer and five RBI in 39 plate appearances at the MLB level this season.

Eaton was just 4-for-32 this season, though at least those four hits did include a homer and two doubles. He might find himself bounced from the 40-man at some point if the Red Sox need a spot.

Contreras left Wednesday night’s game after fouling a pitch off of his foot. He didn’t believe he was dealing with anything other than a bruise, but he was also noticeably limping when he left the game. The Red Sox will give him at least one day off and go from there. Brett Harris, just up from Triple-A, will bat eighth and play first base, and Romy Gonzalez will hit cleanup and be the DH. Nate Eaton is also batting seventh and in left field after coming off the suspension list.

Eaton was suspended for two games for his role in the Nationals and Red Sox’s bench-clearing incident last week. He’s just 4-for-28 in 12 games this season for the Red Sox.