Mookie Betts Not Expected Back Until Thursday
BOSTON (CBS) -- Mookie Betts is out of the Red Sox lineup for the third straight game Tuesday night.
Betts is sitting out Tuesday's tilt against the Toronto Blue Jays at Fenway Park as he deals with left side tightness. The Boston right fielder first experienced before Sunday's game against the Atlanta Braves, and hasn't played since.
Boston manager Alex Cora said Betts likely won't return until the Red Sox open a four-game set against the Astros in Houston on Thursday.
Mookie Betts is unlikely to play tomorrow, too. May be ready for the first game in Houston on Thursday.
— Chris Mason (@ByChrisMason) May 29, 2018
Andrew Benintendi will take Betts' spot atop the Red Sox lineup, with Brock Holt once again in right field. Here's the full lineup that Cora is sending out against Jays righty Marco Estrada:
1. Andrew Benintendi, LF
2. Xander Bogaerts, SS
3. Mitch Moreland, 1B
4. J.D. Martinez, DH
5. Rafael Devers, 3B
6. Dustin Pedroia, 2B
7. Brock Holt, RF
8. Sandy Leon, C
9. Jackie Bradley Jr., CF
-- Rick Porcello, RHP
Estrada (2-5, 5.40 ERA) has allowed 12 homers in 55 innings this season, the sixth-most in the American League. Bogaerts, Moreland, Martinez and Bradley Jr. have each taken Estrada deep in their careers, and with a warm night in Boston, baseballs could be flying out of Fenway Park on Tuesday.
Porcello (6-2, 3.74 ERA) is looking to bounce back from his worst outing of the season when he allowed six runs (four earned) on eight hits and two walks last Thursday against the Tampa Bay Rays. In April, he held the Jays to three runs while striking out nine over seven innings of work, earning a no-decision in a 4-3 Red Sox loss.