BOSTON — The Red Sox return home Friday night to begin a seven-game homestand, opening with the Tigers, and once again roll out a different lineup, including a new No. 2 hitter.
Roman Anthony remains in the leadoff spot, while Willson Contreras moves up from cleanup to hit second. Wilyer Abreu slots into the three-hole, with Trevor Story batting cleanup.
“Just put them all together and keep rolling,” said Alex Cora. “It just feels right. Roman, Willson, Wilyer and then Trevor, who’s been amazing with men in scoring position, he’s hitting like .320. So, why not?
“Then obviously from there, there’s a lot of athleticism, something we haven’t been able to use because of the scores or not getting on base. Hopefully, we can put pressure on them after Trevor.”
Story has been red-hot after a slow start to the 2026 season. The veteran shortstop is 8-for-16 with three extra-base hits over his last four games and ranks third in the American League with 17 RBI.
“It started with a walk (in St. Louis) and then with a bloop single to right field,” said Cora of Story’s turnaround. “That’s the reality of it. You talk about using the whole field and he did. He had the four-hit game in St. Louis, the double to right-center in the last one in Minnesota. That’s what he did last year. He did it with men on a lot. If he keeps doing that, he’s going to be OK.”
Very encouraging sign to see Trevor Story shooting these balls into RF again. pic.twitter.com/U3irUdnVxx
— Tyler Milliken (@tylermilliken_) April 12, 2026
Connor Wong will get the start behind the plate Friday night, with Carlos Narváez heading to the bench. Narváez is hitless in his last eight at-bats and is batting just .195 on the season with 14 strikeouts in 41 at-bats.
“He’s struggling,” acknowledged Cora of Narvaez. “He struggled in Minnesota making contact and Connor is playing well so he plays tonight. (Narvaez is having) a lot of swing-and-miss. I think at the end of last season, we saw that. I thinl right now there’s lot of thinking going on. He’s a great defender behind the plate, one of the best in the big leagues. Offensively, (we) just (need him to) contribute. That’s what he needs to do and that’s what he did last year and we expect the same thing the rest of the season.”
Masataka Yoshida remains on the bench to open the series despite riding a five-game hitting streak, during which he’s batting .421 (8-for-19) with three doubles, three runs, four RBI, two walks, and a hit-by-pitch. He’s also reached base safely in 17 of his last 20 games dating back to Sept. 25.
Boston is set to face a pair of tough left-handers this weekend, Tarik Skubal and Framber Valdez, making it likely Yoshida could remain a late-inning pinch-hit option over the next two games.
Cora said during his pregame media availability that he was tempted to start Yoshida but ultimately stuck with the struggling Jarren Duran, who's hitless in his last 12 at-bats.
Masataka Yoshida ties it with his third hit of the day 💪 pic.twitter.com/2fWHi4z1va
— MLB (@MLB) April 5, 2026
“Yea, that’s the tricky part,” Cora said on getting Yoshida playing time plus having to balance the other outfielders at-bats in the lineup. “I was tempted today to play him. I think getting Jarren in the outfield and get him going offensively is very important… Not that it’s not important to play Masa. We’ll figure it out. But today, this is the alignment we’re going to go with and hopefully it works.”
Cora is also expected to mix and match with Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Andruw Monasterio as the Red Sox face a run of left-handed pitching, including Yankees ace Max Fried in the upcoming series.
Ranger Suárez (1-1, 5.02 ERA) gets the start for Boston, while the Tigers counter with right-hander Casey Mize (1-1, 3.94 ERA). First pitch is set for 7:15 p.m., with the game streaming exclusively on Apple TV+.
MRI on Tap
It’s been a tough road back to the mound for Kutter Crawford.
The right-hander hasn’t appeared in a big league game since Sept. 28, 2024, when he tossed 4 1/3 innings at home against the Rays. He missed all of last season with a knee injury and later required surgery after suffering a wrist injury in an at-home incident.
Boston sent Crawford out on a rehab assignment last week with Triple-A Worcester, where he allowed five earned runs on six hits, including three home runs, with one walk and five strikeouts. He was pulled from the outing after experiencing soreness in his pitching elbow.
At the time, the Red Sox downplayed the issue, but the outlook has since shifted. Cora said Crawford is still dealing with soreness and will likely undergo an MRI to determine the extent of the problem.
More Red Sox Injury News
The WooSox announced that right-hander Tyler Uberstine has been placed on the 7-day injured list with a sore right shoulder.
Uberstine recently made his major league debut during the Red Sox’ last homestand, allowing one run on three hits over 2 2/3 innings against the Padres.
Meanwhile, Justin Slaten is expected to begin playing catch Friday or Saturday, though it doesn’t appear he’ll be ready to return when first eligible early next week. The right-hander was placed on the injured list on April 8 (retroactive to April 5) with a right oblique strain.