The Boston Red Sox saw their five-game winning streak snapped Tuesday, with a 6-1 defeat to the team with the worst record in baseball, the Los Angeles Angels.
The Red Sox send standout rookie left-hander Jake Bennett (9-6, 3.34, 81 K) to the mound for the rubber match of the three-game set against the Angels on Wednesday night.
Before the series finale, the Red Sox announced an eye-opening lineup decision at the catcher position with Bennett pitching.
Mickey Gasper is catching for the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday against the Angels, with both Adley Rutschman and Connor Wong out of Boston’s lineup at Fenway Park.
Gasper’s bat has been too good to keep off the field, and Rutschman’s balky right elbow has given Boston’s staff every reason to hand the 30-year-old switch-hitter another look behind the plate.
Gasper is batting second, right behind Roman Anthony‘s designated-hitter spot, with Wilyer Abreu and Trevor Story following. Nick Sogard starts at first base. Boston sends Bennett to the hill against Los Angeles right-hander Ryan Johnson, first pitch set for 6:45 p.m. EDT.
| BOSTON RED SOX STARTING LINEUP | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP: Jake Bennett (LHP, #64) • 9-6, 3.34 ERA, 81 K | ||||||||
| September 9, 2026 • Fenway Park, Boston, MA • Angels at Red Sox | ||||||||
| # | Player | Pos | B | HR | RBI | SB | AVG | OPS |
| 1 | Roman Anthony | DH | L | 3 | 7 | 2 | .237 | .716 |
| 2 | Mickey Gasper | C | S | 8 | 22 | 0 | .270 | .875 |
| 3 | Wilyer Abreu | RF | L | 23 | 70 | 8 | .255 | .795 |
| 4 | Trevor Story | SS | R | 3 | 23 | 4 | .233 | .600 |
| 5 | Nick Sogard | 1B | S | 4 | 16 | 0 | .267 | .770 |
| 6 | Caleb Durbin | 3B | R | 12 | 62 | 17 | .248 | .708 |
| 7 | Jarren Duran | LF | L | 20 | 69 | 18 | .204 | .624 |
| 8 | Isiah Kiner-Falefa | 2B | R | 2 | 16 | 8 | .277 | .714 |
| 9 | Nate Eaton | CF | R | 1 | 5 | 2 | .125 | .563 |
| Lineups subject to change. Angels lineup not yet announced. Nate Eaton .125 AVG reflects a small sample. | ||||||||
Mickey Gasper’s Breakout Behind the Plate
Gasper has exploded into one of the best stories of Boston’s wild season. Originally a 27th-round pick by the Yankees, the switch-hitter is slashing .270 with a .384 on-base mark and eight home runs, 22 RBI and 23 runs scored in 159 at-bats. FanGraphs pegs that production at a 145-146 wRC+. Gasper has 25 walks and 28 strikeouts.
His work at catcher remains limited. Gasper has caught 13 games and 101 innings with a 1.000 fielding percentage, most of his time otherwise split between first base and designated hitter. The Red Sox have leaned on him behind the plate specifically when Rutschman and Wong both need rest and his bat still needs to be in the order.
Since the All-Star break, Gasper is hitting .327 with a .865 slugging mark, eight homers, 12 runs and 15 RBI, according to Eric Samulski of NBC Sports. He started eight straight games before sitting out Tuesday’s series opener. Against right-handers specifically, Gasper carries a .964 OPS this season, compared to .269 against lefties, a split that lines up perfectly with Johnson on the mound Wednesday.
Why Adley Rutschman and Connor Wong Are Both Out
Rutschman first hurt the elbow swinging the bat Aug. 24 against Miami, and he has been on a modified schedule ever since. Interim manager Chad Tracy has described the injury as swelling and bone bruising, with no structural or ligament damage showing up on imaging.
“Can we get him to a better place and then go? So just not quite there yet,” Tracy said of Rutschman’s elbow management, according to Ian Browne of MLB.com. Rutschman has echoed that patience.
“Trending in the right direction,” he said.
Wong’s absence carries a simpler explanation. He started Tuesday and is sitting against a right-hander today, with no new injury attached to his name. His playing time has already shrunk since Rutschman’s Aug. 3 arrival from Baltimore, but Wong remains the clear backup whenever the switch-hitting catcher is healthy enough to start.
Boston enters Wednesday at 80-66, sitting third in the AL East, seven games behind the Tampa Bay Rays and four behind the New York Yankees. The Red Sox hold the second American League wild-card spot and sit six games clear of the field chasing the third berth.
They have won six of their last 10, including a four-game sweep at Baltimore, before splitting the first two games of this series against the last-place Angels. Kansas City comes to Fenway next, followed by road trips to Texas and Tampa Bay.
Red Sox Announce Eye-Opening Lineup Decision Before Angels Series Finale