BOSTON -- David Ortiz, not surprisingly, is back in the Red Sox lineup. And so, just as unsurprisingly, is Brock Holt.
After getting a day off Sunday in Baltimore, Ortiz is back at DH in the No. 3 spot in the batting order as the Red Sox open a nine-game homestand with a Monday night encounter against the Blue Jays. And Holt, whom manager John Farrell promised a few days ago to get into the lineup "somewhere" on a more consistent basis, is in right field tonight after starting Sunday's game in left and then moving to second base.
The reason, of course, is his offense. He went 2-for-2 with three walks in Sunday's 18-7 loss and is currently batting .457 (in 35 at-bats) with a .513 on-base percentage and a .600 slugging percentage. Now that Shane Victorino's on the DL and the Sox have replaced him with a rotating cast of pitchers, expect to see more of Holt . . . at least in the short term.
Daniel Nava gets the start at first base in place of Mike Napoli, who is sick.
"He's under the weather," Farrell said of Napoli. "He's here. He's not completely unavailable, but he's not capable to start right now. He's dealing with some illness right now."
After waiting to see how Jose Bautista looked in batting practice, the Blue Jays relaeased their lineup - with Bautista on it. Bautista had been dealing with a right shoulder injury but did not hit the DL. He'll DH and bat cleanup after missing the last five games.
Tonight's lineup:
RED SOX:
Mookie Betts, CF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
David Ortiz, DH
Hanley Ramirez, LF
Pablo Sandoval, 3B
Daniel Nava, 1B
Brock Holt, RF
Xander Bogaerts, SS
Ryan Hanigan, C
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Joe Kelly, P
BLUE JAYS:
Jose Reyes, SS
Devon Travis, 2B
Josh Donaldson, 3B
Jose Bautista, DH
Edwin Encarnacion, 1B
Russell Martin, C
Michael Saunders, RF
Kevin Pillar, CF
Dalton Pompey, LF
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Aaron Sanchez, P