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Who's ready to panic over the health of the Red Sox again? Just three days after hurting his ankle in a game against the Phillies, Jacoby Ellsbury is conspicuously absent from Wednesday's lineup against the Miami Marlins. This despite the team's earlier expectations that he would be good to go today.
- Jackie Bradley Jr., CF
- Daniel Nava, RF
- Dustin Pedroia, 2B
- Mike Napoli, 1B
- Will Middlebrooks, 3B
- Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C
- Jonny Gomes, DH
- Mike Carp, LF
- Jose Iglesias, SS
Ellsbury's absence is not the only noteworthy part of this lineup. With roster cuts due by 2 p.m. EST today, Mike Carp is in the lineup. I'll admit to not being certain of the exact process involved here, but unless the Sox can play someone in left field as their requesting waivers for them, that would seem like a pretty strong indication that Mike Carp has made the team in some way, shape, or form.
And, frankly, that would be no surprise. With both David Ortiz and Stephen Drew set to miss Opening Day, the Sox can afford to carry all three of Mike Carp, Daniel Nava, and Ryan Sweeney, at least for a short time.
That is, of course, assuming that Jackie Bradley Jr. starts the year in the minors. Then again, there's another scenario that would fit the bill: Jacoby Ellsbury missing Opening Day. While we here at Over The Monster are generally behind the idea of leaving Bradley down for a couple weeks to start the season in order to ensure an extra year of team control, it would be awfully hard for Boston to break camp with Jacoby Ellsbury hurt and Jackie Bradley Jr. demoted. Whichever side you come down on, if Ellsbury's ankle keeps him out, then you can probably assume Bradley will start in center field against New York.
Hopefully, though, that's not a scenario we have to deal with.
