The Boston Red Sox enter Friday night’s series opener against the Texas Rangers coming off a brutal 2-6 stretch against AL East opponents that now has them with the second-fewest wins in baseball. There may not be a better encapsulation of the state of the Red Sox offense than interim manager Chad Tracy’s lineup for Friday night. 

For just the second time in his major league career, utility man Mickey Gasper will bat lead off, as Tracy made the decision to slide the usual leadoff man, left fielder Jarren Duran, into the five hole. 

After hitting .261/.331/.548/.879 with nine home runs in May, the 29-year-old Duran has cooled off significantly in June, hitting just .152/.152/.212/.364 and striking out 42.4 percent of the time. 

There is perhaps no better encapsulation of Gasper’s placement in the leadoff spot than a report from the Boston Globe’s Alex Speier on Wednesday night, where a rival executive described the Red Sox offense as a “Lot of guys…who satisfy the model but are role players who are being overexposed.” 

While the 30-year-old journeyman initially provided a spark for the Red Sox offense, hitting .344/.364/.406/.770 in his first 10 games after being recalled on May 10, Gasper has hit just .222/.294/.289/.583 in the 14 games since. While Gasper is hitless in seven plate appearances batting first, he has worked three walks, good for a .429 on-base percentage. 

Friday’s lineup is the latest example of Tracy grasping at straws to try to spark an anemic Red Sox offense, which has trended in the wrong direction after a better showing in May. 

After finishing May second in baseball in batting average (.265), sixth in on-base percentage (.330), ninth in slugging percentage (.406), and 11th in wRC+ (102), the Red Sox offense finds itself back at the bottom of the league. 

Through the first eight games in June, the Boston offense ranks in the bottom two in baseball in batting average (T-29, .215), on-base percentage (30th, .255), and runs scored (29th, 27), while boasting the worst wRC+ in the sport at 67. 

After being scratched from Wednesday’s lineup with neck and back spasms, shortstop Marcelo Mayer is back in the Boston lineup on Friday, hitting eighth. The 23-year-old has gone 2-for-7 in three games since introducing a toe-tap to his swing during Saturday’s rain delay in New York. 

Ahead of Friday night’s game, injured starter Garrett Crochet told Tim Healey of the Boston Globe that while he is getting closer to resuming throwing, he doesn’t expect to be back in the Boston rotation until after the All-Star break, which runs from July 13-16.

As noted by WEEI's Rob Bradford, second baseman Romy Gonzalez will begin a rehab assignment on Tuesday with Double-A Portland. The 29-year-old second baseman has been on the injured list for the entirety of 2026 after undergoing offseason shoulder surgery. 

Left-handed starter Patrick Sandoval made his second rehab appearance for Triple-A Worcester on Thursday afternoon in game one of Worcester’s doubleheader. The 29-year-old allowed one run on one hit while walking one and striking out three in 1.2 innings of work. According to Tommy Cassell of the Worcester Telegram, Sandoval’s velocity topped out at 95.5 mph. 

Recently optioned starter Brayan Bello was scheduled to make his first start for Worcester in game two of Thursday’s doubleheader in Rochester before the game was postponed due to rain. The 27-year-old is now scheduled to get the start on Saturday night. 

Sonny Gray (7-1, 3.20 ERA) will get the start for Boston opposite Jack Leiter (3-5, 4.69 ERA) for Texas in game one of a three-game weekend set at Fenway. First pitch set for 7:10 p.m. ET. 

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