For just the second time this season, Jarren Duran isn’t in the Red Sox lineup.
Roman Anthony is, though. Baseball’s No. 1 prospect will start in right field for his first-ever game against the visiting New York Yankees, who come to Fenway this weekend for the first time this season.
The Red Sox put the hurt on Yankees left-hander Ryan Yarbrough last weekend, torching him for eight earned runs on nine hits, two walks, and striking out just three times in four innings. Hoping for similar results on Friday, Red Sox manager Alex Cora is stacking his lineup with righty bats. Instead of Duran, who’s hitting .248 with a .282 on-base percentage and slugging at a meager .352 clip, Rob Refsnyder will lead off and start in left-field. In four seasons with the Red Sox, Refsnyder has slashed .312/.409/.507 with 110 hits, 22 doubles, 15 home runs, 54 runs, and 62 RBI in 418 plate appearances against lefties.
Fellow utility-man Romy Gonzalez, who’s starting at first base and batting third, has hit .313/.375/.520 in 168 plate appearances against southpaws since joining the Red Sox last year.
As a left-handed hitter, Anthony is a noteworthy exception in this righty-heavy lineup, but he put up strong numbers against southpaws in Triple-A before getting called up this week: a .361 average and .480 on-base percentage, compared to a .245 average and .384 OBP against righties.
Starr’s 7 Questions: When will Alex Cora let rookie stars face lefties?
Red Sox lineup
Rob Refsnyder LF
Rafael Devers DH
Romy Gonzalez 1B
Carlos Narváez C
Roman Anthony RF
Trevor Story SS
Abraham Toro 3B
Ceddanne Rafaela CF
Kristian Campbell 2B
Yankees lineup
Check back later
Probable pitchers
LHP Ryan Yarbrough vs. LHP Garrett Crochet
How to watch Yankees vs. Red Sox
First pitch: 7:10 p.m. at Fenway Park
Watch: NESN (Red Sox), YES (Yankees), MLB Network (out-of-market only)
Listen: Red Sox – WEEI 93.7, WCCM 1490 AM (SP), WESX 1230 AM (SP) / Yankees – WFAN 660/101.9 FM, WADO 1280
Originally Published: June 13, 2025 at 3:10 PM EDT