Red Sox vs. Yankees: Mookie Betts debuts in right

Mookie Betts will make his professional debut Sunday night as the Red Sox aim for a series win against the Yankees.

Betts' place in the lineup will come at the expense of Xander Bogaerts, who remains mired in a severe June slump. Brock Holt will shift from the outfield back to a more familiar position at third base, with Jackie Bradley Jr. and Daniel Nava filling in the rest of the outfield.

The benefit of waiting until tonight to get Betts into the order comes in the form of Chase Whitley. While Betts' plate discipline will not be at its most useful against a strike-throwing contact pitcher, Whitley is a lot closer to the level of competition Betts has gotten used to facing in Triple-A this past month than the other rookie the Red Sox had to face last night. There's some value to easing the top prospect into things.

First pitch is at 8:05 p.m. ET with broadcasts on ESPN and WEEI.