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Friday Red Sox Lineups: Jackie Bradley Jr. Bats Eighth

Jackie Bradley Jr. is in the lineup Friday afternoon making, in all likelihood, his first appearance as a regular on the Boston Red Sox.

By Ben Buchanan
USA TODAY Sports

So, remember how that Opening Day lineup seemed all worked out?

Welcome Jackie Bradley Jr. to the party.

Boston Red Sox

  1. Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
  2. Shane Victorino, RF
  3. Dustin Pedroia, 2B
  4. Mike Napoli, 1B
  5. Will Middlebrooks, 3B
  6. Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C
  7. Jonny Gomes, DH
  8. Jackie Bradley Jr., LF
  9. Pedro Ciriaco, SS

Obviously this isn't quite an Opening Day preview. There's the whole situation where Jarrod Saltalamacchia is the starter, but with Jon Lester on the mound for the Red Sox, and CC Sabathia going for the Yankees, Farrell might want to opt for the better hitter from the right side of the plate who can also give Lester a better strike zone. With a right-handed pitcher going for the Twins today, it's hard to draw any conclusions. And, beyond that, Pedro Ciriaco is playing over Jose Iglesias.

Still, it's pretty close to what you can expect to see against right-handed pitchers come the beginning of the season. With that being said, what's interesting is that Jackie Bradley Jr. will bat eighth against said right-hander, rather than second. Shane Victorino is no platoon player, but we have seen him bat awfully low in the lineup against righties over the past month. Perhaps Farrell is giving him a chance to show he can cut it at the top of the lineup in these situations? Only time will tell.

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