Nick

Sogard

Sogard apparently began feeling the soreness over the weekend and then also didn’t play on Tuesday against the Orioles. He’ll be out for at least two weeks as he tries to get healthy.

Sogard is at second base and hitting fifth after coming off the bench during Friday’s series opener in Cleveland. The versatile 28-year-old has been playing through a lingering side issue recently. He’s hit a respectable .273/.368/.394 with two RBI in 11 games since coming up from Triple-A Worcester earlier this month.

Red Sox’ skipper noted that the issue wasn’t severe enough to warrant a trip to the injured list, but was bothering Sogard enough that they wanted to give him a day off. Isiah Kiner-Falefa is starting in his place at second base and batting seventh for the Red Sox on Friday night against the Guardians.

Caleb Durbin will bat ninth as Sogard sits for the first time in the last six games against RHP Slade Cecconi. Sogard is off to a .273/.368/.394 start and figures to keep getting chances so long as Durbin remains ice cold.

Nick Sogard is playing third base and batting ninth on Monday. Despite Durbin’s struggles at the plate this season, he has been tremendous defensively for a Red Sox team that spent the off season adding ground ball pitchers to its rotation. As a result, we imagine this will be more of a mini reset for Durbin, rather than the Red Sox making a change at third base.

It has been a very rough season for the Red Sox’ third baseman, as Durbin has flailed to a hapless .169/.252/.250 slash line with only one home run, 14 RBI and four stolen bases in 152 plate appearances. Nick Sogard will start in his place at the hot corner and will bat ninth against Braves’ right-hander Grant Holmes.

Sogard figures to see action all over the diamond for the Red Sox after logging time at five different positions last year. The versatile 28-year-old doesn’t offer much from an offensive standpoint. He’ll likely see some time at shortstop with Trevor Story on the injured list, but most of those opportunities figure to go to Andruw Monasterio and Isiah Kiner-Falefa.

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.

Cheng, who was claimed off waivers from the Nationals in February, hit .133/.409/.133 in 22 spring training plate appearances. Good eye. The 24-year-old will try to carve out a path to the majors in a crowded Red Sox infield situation at Worcester.

On a day in which the Red Sox sat many of their key regulars after clinching a spot in the postseason on Friday, Sogard got them on the board first with an RBI single off of Keider Montero in the second inning. That would be their lone tally in the game though. The 28-year-old infielder is now slashing .261/.320/.337 with zero homers and nine RBI in 100 plate appearances on the season.