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After sitting out for a few days, Hanley Ramirez is back in the middle of the Red Sox lineup. Obviously, it’s been a really rough year for the designated hitter, but the good news is this happened last year as well. There are reasons to doubt he can put together another torrid streak as he did in 2016, but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible. Hopefully this absence got him the rest he needed to go on a tear.
So, Ramirez is back, but it’s not a full-strength lineup for the Red Sox as Dustin Pedroia gets the day off at second base. He also hasn’t had a great year but his absence is still felt in this lineup. With Pedroia out, Tzu-Wei Lin will get the start at the keystone position. As much as like Lin, this is a clear downgrade for the Red Sox. Also of note: Benintendi is hitting second in today’s lineup instead of Jackie Bradley. I would have opted for the latter, but it’s not a huge deal.
On the hill will be David Price, and here is the full lineup behind him.
| Lineup Spot | Twins | Red Sox |
|---|---|---|
| Lineup Spot | Twins | Red Sox |
| 1 | Brian Dozier, 2B | Mookie Betts, RF |
| 2 | Robbie Grossman, LF | Andrew Benintendi, LF |
| 3 | Joe Mauer, 1B | Xander Bogaerts, SS |
| 4 | Miguel Sano, DH | Mitch Moreland, 1B |
| 5 | Eduardo Escobar, 3B | Hanley Ramirez, DH |
| 6 | Jorge Polanco, SS | Jackie Bradley, CF |
| 7 | Max Kepler, RF | Christian Vazquez, C |
| 8 | Chris Gimenez, C | Tzu-Wei Lin, 2B |
| 9 | Byron Buxton, CF | Deven Marrero, 3B |
| SP | Kyle Gibson, RHP | David Price, LHP |