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Red Sox lineup (weather-permitting) has new catcher starting Saturday vs. Rays
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- Red Sox lineup (weather-permitting) has new catcher starting Saturday vs. Rays
UPDATE:The game has been postponed and rescheduled as part of a day-night doubleheader on July 17, when the Rays return to Boston for their second and final trip of the season.
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BOSTON — On Thursday, the Red Sox called up Mickey Gasper from Triple-A Worcester to replace Roman Anthony on the roster when the outfielder was placed on the injured list . On Saturday, Gasper will get a chance to start.
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Gasper is catching lefty Payton Tolle and hitting sixth for the Red Sox on Saturday, weather-permitting. Boston will play Tampa Bay at 4:10 p.m. ET, but heavy rain is in the forecast all afternoon. As of 3 p.m. ET, the game is still on.
"I've heard anything from, 'It's gonna be off-and-on rain' to start raining around game time and rain all night and I've heard it could start at 6:00," said interim manager Chad Tracy. "Everything I've heard means we haven't heard much yet. Just preparing to play and we'll figure out when it looks like closer to game time. I know it's gonna rain at some point."
Gasper hit .296 with six homers and a .947 OPS in 28 games for the WooSox before being recalled. He debuted with the Red Sox in 2024 and went 0-for-18 at the plate before being traded to the Twins that winter. Boston re-acquired him on waivers before spring training.
Tracy said both Carlos Narváez and Connor Wong are healthy and available Saturday. Starting Gasper was largely about his familiarity catching Tolle and hitting left-handed against Tampa Bay righty Nick Martinez .
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"He knows Tolle. He's caught him two or three times down in Worcester," Tracy said. "I watched him do it and he knows how to handle him, knows his arsenal and knows what his usage is. And the left-handed bat, which is a very, very quality at-bat from the left side."
Elsewhere, it's status quo in the lineup with Jarren Duran in left field and Masataka Yoshida (again hitting fourth) with Anthony sidelined due to a wrist sprain. The Red Sox, who have won four of their last five, will face a tough matchup in Martinez, who enters with a 1.71 ERA.
Tolle will look to continue a strong start to the season after holding the Tigers to one hit and two unearned runs in seven innings Monday night . He struck out eight in that outing and now has 23 strikeouts in his first three starts of the year.
TAMPA BAY RAYS (25-13) vs. BOSTON RED SOX (17-22) · FENWAY PARK · BOSTON, MA · GAME 40
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FIRST PITCH: 4:10 p.m. ET (POSTPONED)
TV CHANNEL: NESN
RADIO: WEEI 93.7 FM
PITCHING PROBABLES: RHP Nick Martinez (3-1, 1.71 ERA) vs. LHP Payton Tolle (1-1, 2.04 ERA)
RED SOX LINEUP:
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Jarren Duran LF
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Wilyer Abreu RF
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Masataka Yoshida DH
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Trevor Story SS
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Caleb Durbin 3B
RAYS LINEUP:
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Yandy Díaz DH
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Ryan Vilade 1B
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Jonny DeLuca RF
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Taylor Walls SS
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