Red Sox Vs. Rays Lineups: Rafael Devers Aims To Make Boston History
Rafael Devers will look to make Red Sox history Monday night when Boston visits the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field.
Devers enters the contest having homered in five consecutive games, tying a franchise record. He’ll bat cleanup for Boston’s series opener in St. Petersburg, where he’ll aim to become the first player in Red Sox history to homer in six straight games.
Devers joins Chicago Cubs rookie Michael Busch as the only two players in MLB to homer in as many as five straight games this season. The last player to homer in six straight: Mike Trout, who went deep in seven consecutive games in September 2022.
The long-ball barrage comes amid a torrid stretch for Devers, who owns a nine-game hit streak in which he’s posted a 1.117 OPS. Boston’s offense has sputtered at times this season, but Devers’ breakout is an excellent sign for the Red Sox as they continue to hover around .500.
A trio of outfielders — Jarren Duran, Wilyer Abreu and Tyler O’Neill — will set the table for Devers on Monday night. The slugging third baseman will be followed in the order by Connor Wong, who serves as the designated hitter with Reese McGuire getting the nod behind the plate.
Tanner Hock toes the rubber for Boston, marking his first career start at Tropicana Field. He’ll be opposed by Taj Bradley, another promising young hurler looking to make a name for himself at the big-league level.
The Red Sox dropped three of four to the Rays last week at Fenway Park, before then losing two of three to the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium over the weekend. Boston’s bats showed up Sunday, though, so Alex Cora’s club will look to carry that momentum into a new week and a new city.
Monday’s first pitch is scheduled for 6:50 p.m. ET, and you can catch all the action on NESN, beginning with pregame coverage at 5:30 p.m. ET.
Here are the full lineups for Red Sox vs. Rays.
BOSTON RED SOX (23-24)
Jarren Duran, CF
Wilyer Abreu, RF
Tyler O’Neill, LF
Rafael Devers, 3B
Connor Wong, C
Dominic Smith, 1B
David Hamilton, 2B
Reese McGuire, C
Ceddanne Rafaela, SS
Tanner Houck, RHP (3-5, 2.17 ERA)
TAMPA BAY RAYS (25-23)
Yandy Diaz, 1B
Josh Lowe, RF
Isaac Paredes, 3B
Brandon Lowe, 2B
Jonathan Aranda, DH
Jonny DeLuca, CF
Richie Palacios, LF
José Caballero, SS
Ben Rortvedt, C
Taj Bradley, RHP (1-1, 2.45 ERA)