Red Sox at Rays Lineups: Heath Hembree is activated

The Red Sox and Rays are playing a weird wraparound series with the finale coming on a Monday, the second time in recent weeks the Red Sox have done one of these. If you know why, I’d love to know because it is throwing off my sense of time. Is it my problem for basing my knowledge of what day it is based on where the Red Sox are relative to their current series? Who’s to say?! I’m just very confused.

Anyway, the story is the same as it has been. The game doesn’t matter for the Red Sox, but it very much does for the Rays. Tampa Bay is now tied with Cleveland for the final wildcard spot in the American League, and they need every win they can get in this final week of the season. The Red Sox want to make sure that doesn’t happen.

This game also marks the return of Heath Hembree, at least presumably. The righty was activated off the injured list ahead of Monday’s game. It may seem strange to not just shut him down for the year, but Hembree is auditioning for both himself and other teams — he is a nontender candidate for the Red Sox this winter — and wants to show both them and himself that he is healthy and ready for a normal offseason. Expect him to get two or three appearances before the year is over.

Elsewhere, Jhoulys Chacín gets the start in his own audition period, which has not gone all that well since coming to the Red Sox for September. On the other side, the Rays have ace Blake Snell on the mound. The lefty just got back from injury and won’t be out for too long as Tampa Bay tries to get him ready for their hopeful postseason appearance. At the plate, the Red Sox have another weird lineup with Marco Hernández leading off, Mookie Betts batting second, Chris Owings at shortstop and Sandy León behind the plate.

The full lineups are below.