The Boston Red Sox made a surprising lineup decision before Friday’s series opener against the Los Angeles Dodgers, turning to one of their recent call-ups.
The move gives the Red Sox a different look against Los Angeles while creating an unexpected opportunity for a player trying to establish a role in Boston. Ranger Suárez starts for Boston opposite Edgardo Henriquez, who opens for a Dodgers bullpen day expected to lean on right-handed relief.
Nick Sogard is batting leadoff and playing second base at Dodger Stadium, just two days after his recall from Triple-A Worcester. Tim Healey of the Boston Globe reported the lineup, with Sogard leading off ahead of Ceddanne Rafaela, Wilyer Abreu and Willson Contreras. Slumping Jarren Duran was dropped to eighth in the batting order, only the second time this season he has started a game in that slot.
Sogard, playing in just his 14th game of the season for the major league Red Sox club, is making his first leadoff assignment of the year.
| BOSTON RED SOX STARTING LINEUP | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP: Ranger Suárez (LHP, #55) • 4-3, 3.02 ERA, 103 K | ||||||||
| July 31, 2026 • UNIQLO Field at Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles, CA • 10:10 PM EDT | ||||||||
| # | Player | Pos | B | HR | RBI | SB | AVG | OPS |
| 1 | Nick Sogard | 2B | S | 0 | 3 | 0 | .275 | .731 |
| 2 | Ceddanne Rafaela | CF | R | 11 | 52 | 14 | .282 | .768 |
| 3 | Wilyer Abreu | RF | L | 16 | 53 | 6 | .248 | .754 |
| 4 | Willson Contreras | 1B | R | 23 | 67 | 3 | .289 | .945 |
| 5 | Masataka Yoshida | DH | L | 4 | 19 | 2 | .260 | .716 |
| 6 | Caleb Durbin | 3B | R | 10 | 44 | 12 | .243 | .704 |
| 7 | Andruw Monasterio | SS | R | 6 | 21 | 2 | .259 | .774 |
| 8 | Jarren Duran | LF | L | 13 | 54 | 15 | .195 | .589 |
| 9 | Carlos Narváez | C | R | 3 | 9 | 1 | .193 | .544 |
| Lineups subject to change. | ||||||||
Why Sogard Is Leading Off
No one in the Red Sox organization has offered a direct explanation tied specifically to Friday’s assignment, but interim manager Chad Tracy has been consistent all season about what he values in Sogard’s game. Discussing playing time in May, Tracy addressed a lineup platoon question and said of Sogard, “You can’t ignore since he came up, the at-bat quality that he has had. … You just can’t ignore it. That doesn’t mean it sticks that way. Durb could get going and things could change, but right now, those at-bats are good and we’re starting to put up some runs.”
Tracy also cited Sogard’s ability to hit from both sides of the plate, though with Sogard in the lineup and playing second, another switch hitter, Anthony Seigler, is on the bench for Friday’s game.
A month later, Tracy discussed Sogard’s instincts on the bases.
“Really good baseball player, high-level IQ, really good instincts, knows what he’s doing, knows when to bunt.” Those qualities line up with what managers want atop the order, particularly with Duran, Boston’s former leadoff man, demoted down the order for Friday’s game.
| LOS ANGELES DODGERS STARTING LINEUP | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opener: Edgardo Henriquez (RHP, #60) • 4-1, 2.79 ERA, 42 K • Bullpen game | ||||||||
| July 31, 2026 • UNIQLO Field at Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles, CA • 10:10 PM EDT | ||||||||
| # | Player | Pos | B | HR | RBI | SB | AVG | OPS |
| 1 | Shohei Ohtani | DH | L | 23 | 65 | 6 | .289 | .931 |
| 2 | Andy Pages | CF | R | 18 | 71 | 10 | .269 | .797 |
| 3 | Miguel Rojas | 2B | R | 3 | 18 | 0 | .284 | .730 |
| 4 | Freddie Freeman | 1B | L | 15 | 53 | 5 | .301 | .864 |
| 5 | Mookie Betts | SS | R | 13 | 36 | 1 | .232 | .699 |
| 6 | Teoscar Hernández | LF | R | 9 | 38 | 2 | .252 | .724 |
| 7 | Kyle Tucker | RF | L | 9 | 51 | 7 | .235 | .701 |
| 8 | Enrique “Kiké” Hernández | 3B | R | 1 | 2 | 0 | .571 | 1.857 |
| 9 | Eliezer Alfonzo | C | S | 0 | 2 | 0 | .188 | .501 |
| Lineups subject to change. Max Muncy out vs. LHP Suárez. Dalton Rushing may start at C in place of Alfonzo. | ||||||||
From Worcester to the Top of the Order
Sogard, 28, was born in Los Angeles and played collegiately at Loyola Marymount before Tampa Bay drafted him in the 12th round in 2019. Boston acquired him in a February 2021 trade that sent Jeffrey Springs and Chris Mazza to the Rays. He debuted in August 2024 and has played all four infield spots since. His uncles, Steve Sax and Dave Sax, and cousin Eric Sogard all reached the majors before him.
He was recalled Wednesday to replace Curtis Mead, who landed on the 10-day injured list with a fractured wrist, and reached Sacramento only after travel trouble left him overnight in Dallas. CBS Sports reported he started at second base anyway, going 2-for-5 with a game-tying RBI single in a 4-2 extra-inning win over the Athletics.
Across 13 games with Boston this season, Sogard is hitting .275 with a .356 on-base percentage. At Worcester, he had slashed roughly .270/.415/.440 with five homers before the call-up, per Worcester batting statistics from SoxProspects.
Boston enters at 57-51, third in the American League East, after a turnaround that followed Alex Cora’s firing in April. The Red Sox were 32-46 in late June before a franchise-tying 15-game winning streak, a stretch The Athletic chronicled as baseball’s best this season.
The Dodgers, 69-40 with a wide lead in the National League West, have been steady all year behind Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts.
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