Red Sox begin series in the Motor City, Devers back in lineup at DH, Tanner Houck on the mound
Rafael Devers returns to the Red Sox lineup Friday night against the Tigers, and he will serve as the team’s designated hitter and bat fourth behind Triston Casas.
Devers has not played in the last three games due to shoulder soreness. Nick Sogard will play the hot corner in his place, with Romy Gonzalez getting the start at second base.
Sogard had one of the two hits for the Red Sox in their 2-0 loss to the Blue Jays on Thursday night.
Masataka Yoshida will get the night off with Devers back in the lineup at DH. Among players with at least 100 plate appearances since the All-Star break, Yoshida ranks sixth in the big leagues with a .341 batting average and is eighth in OBP (.412).
Connor Wong will be behind the plate, and he continues to struggle offensively. Since the All-Star break, Wong is hitting just .233 with a .651 OPS. He was on fire, batting .307 before the break and had an .810 OPS.
Boston will face Tigers starter Casey Mize, who is making his 17th start of the season following being activated off the 60-day injured list after being sidelined with a strained left hamstring. Mize has faced the Red Sox three times in his career, owning a 0-1 record with a 4.20 ERA with 10 strikeouts. He last pitched against Boston this season on June 2 and received a no decision.
Rich Hill emotional following 2024 debut
Rich Hill made his 2024 season debut coming out of the bullpen in relief of Red Sox starter Kutter Crawford on Thursday night. The 44-year-old faced Daulton Varsho with a runner on third base. Hill battled Varsho, hurling seven pitches before getting him to strikeout swinging to end the inning.
The southpaw pitched a clean eighth inning, inducing two groundouts and striking out a hitter.
“He did an outstanding job,” Alex Cora said. “He’s not here just to hang out; he’s here to contribute. For the people that think this is kind of just like for a guy to play 20 years straight in the big leagues, no. We believe he can get people out, and he did an amazing job.”
With the appearance, Hill officially has pitched 20 major-league seasons.
After the game, Hill met with the media and was emotional, talking about his return to the mound this season and wanting to help the Red Sox make a postseason run.
“There’s a lot of people to thank to get to this point,” Hill said as he collected himself in front of the media. “It’s special. Unfortunately, the biggest thing is we want to come away with the win. That’s something that, being around this clubhouse for the last couple of days and seeing the way these guys work and put in that time, we’ll get back on track tomorrow in Detroit and just get back after it. That’s kind of been the heartbeat of this clubhouse, is just the continuous grind throughout the season. That’s one thing I’ve certainly seen in the last couple of days, and again, looking forward to getting back in the W column.”
Red Sox re-sign Brad Keller
The Red Sox are bringing back Brad Keller on a minor league deal, and he was assigned to Triple-A Worcester. In a similar situation as last time, Keller was outrighted and elected free agency before rejoining Boston.
In 11 games for Boston this season, Keller owned a 5.84 ERA with one save and 19 strikeouts with nine walks over 24 2/3 innings.
Cam Booser made his first rehab appearance, tossing one inning for the WooSox on Thursday. He hurled a scoreless sixth inning against the Toledo Mud Hens and struck out three hitters.
Key stats and Red Sox lineup
Red Sox vs. Mize: Wilyer Abreu 1-2, Rafael Devers 1-5, Jarren Duran 2-5, Danny Jansen 1-3, Ceddanne Rafaela 0-1
Tigers vs. Houck: Kerry Carpenter 1-2, Riley Greene 2-3, Andy Ibáñez 0-5, Colt Keith 0-3, Zach McKinstry 0-5, Jake Rogers 0-2, Spencer Torkelson 1-2, Matt Vierling 0-5
Houck’s last outing came last weekend against the Diamondbacks at Fenway Park. He surrendered six runs over six innings.
Boston sits 3 1/2 games behind the Twins for the third and final Wild Card entering play Friday.
Red Sox (69-65) lineup at the Tigers (68-67):
1. Jarren Duran CF
2. Wilyer Abreu RF
3. Triston Casas 1B
4. Rafael Devers RF
5. Tyler O’Neill LF
6. Connor Wong C
7. Nick Sogard 3B
8. Romy Gonzalez 2B
9. Ceddanne Rafaela SS
SP: RHP Tanner Houck (8-9, 3.23 ERA)
The first pitch is at 6:40 p.m. and can be seen on NESN, FuboTV, or Sling, and it can be heard on WEEI 93.7 FM.
