The Boston Red Sox lost to the Athletics 4-3 on Sunday, dropping back-to-back games for the first time since June 30 and July 1.
On Monday, the Red Sox traveled to Toronto to take on the Blue Jays for the first of a four-game set, the final meetings between the two division rivals this year. The Red Sox announced a decision involving utility infielder Nick Sogard.
Sogard was announced to be starting at shortstop for Boston on Monday against the Blue Jays, his third time there this season amid a stretch of 16 straight games without a day off.
Andruw Monasterio, who anchored shortstop through 17 consecutive starts, gets a rare breather — Chad Tracy’s answer to a schedule that has given Boston just a single day off since July 24. And that day off came a week ago.
Monasterio has been one of Boston’s steadiest hitters through that stretch, and Tracy has leaned on him daily as the Red Sox roll through one of the best runs in franchise history.
Sogard slides into shortstop instead, a position he’s rarely played at the major league level. Monday marks his third start at shortstop this season and just his 12th in the majors.
| BOSTON RED SOX STARTING LINEUP | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP: Sonny Gray (RHP, #54) • 14-2, 2.78 ERA, 106 K | ||||||||
| August 10, 2026 • Rogers Centre, Toronto • 7:07 PM EDT | ||||||||
| # | Player | Pos | B | HR | RBI | SB | AVG | OPS |
| 1 | Nick Sogard | SS | S | 0 | 3 | 0 | .253 | .711 |
| 2 | Ceddanne Rafaela | CF | R | 15 | 60 | 16 | .284 | .787 |
| 3 | Wilyer Abreu | RF | L | 20 | 63 | 7 | .255 | .790 |
| 4 | Willson Contreras | 1B | R | 23 | 70 | 3 | .285 | .927 |
| 5 | Masataka Yoshida | DH | L | 5 | 26 | 2 | .273 | .747 |
| 6 | Caleb Durbin | 3B | R | 11 | 54 | 14 | .251 | .730 |
| 7 | Jarren Duran | LF | L | 16 | 60 | 17 | .201 | .613 |
| 8 | Anthony Seigler | 2B | S | 3 | 12 | 2 | .248 | .713 |
| 9 | Connor Wong | C | R | 3 | 19 | 3 | .245 | .701 |
| Lineups subject to change. | ||||||||
Nick Sogard’s Bat Has Been Hard to Sit
Since Boston recalled Sogard from Triple-A Worcester on July 29 following Curtis Mead’s injury, the 28-year-old has posted a .364 on-base percentage across 75 at-bats, drawing 13 walks against 17 strikeouts.
Power still isn’t part of his repertoire. Sogard has zero home runs in 75 at-bats this season and none in 248 career at-bats, according to Baseball-Reference. The switch-hitter’s value runs through contact and plate discipline instead, traits that have kept him in Tracy’s lineup even as roles around him shift daily.
“It’s difficult,” Tracy said of picking between Sogard and fellow infielder Anthony Seigler, according to NESN’s report on the decision. “They both bring very similar things to the table. They can both hit from the left side. They put the ball in play. They usually do a very good job of controlling the zone.”
Both Sogard and Seigler are switch-hitters.
“It just feels like the quality of Sogard’s at-bats the last couple of games is hard to ignore, so you just kind of ride it right now,” the interim manager said, as quoted by NESN. “You play what you see and also take into account who you’re facing. You take all those things into consideration.”
| TORONTO BLUE JAYS STARTING LINEUP | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP: Jameson Taillon (RHP, #56) • 2-6, 5.96 ERA, 72 K | ||||||||
| August 10, 2026 • Rogers Centre, Toronto • 7:07 PM EDT | ||||||||
| # | Player | Pos | B | HR | RBI | SB | AVG | OPS |
| 1 | Nathan Lukes | RF | L | 6 | 21 | 1 | .270 | .699 |
| 2 | Brett Bateman | CF | L | 0 | 1 | 0 | .214 | .599 |
| 3 | Vladimir Guerrero Jr. | 1B | R | 7 | 46 | 7 | .261 | .698 |
| 4 | George Springer | DH | R | 12 | 36 | 8 | .234 | .713 |
| 5 | Jesús Sánchez | LF | L | 8 | 32 | 1 | .270 | .756 |
| 6 | Andrés Giménez | SS | L | 8 | 47 | 15 | .238 | .644 |
| 7 | Charles McAdoo | 3B | R | 1 | 3 | 0 | .160 | .440 |
| 8 | Josh Smith | 2B | L | 2 | 9 | 4 | .213 | .587 |
| 9 | Brandon Valenzuela | C | S | 8 | 21 | 1 | .230 | .695 |
| Lineups subject to change. | ||||||||
A Utility Piece With Boston Bloodlines
Nicholas John Sogard was born September 9, 1997, in Los Angeles and attended Jesuit High School in Carmichael, California, before starring at Loyola Marymount, where he won West Coast Conference Defensive Player of the Year honors as a junior, according to MLB.com.
The Tampa Bay Rays drafted him in the 12th round in 2019. Boston acquired him in February 2021 in a trade that sent pitchers Jeffrey Springs and Chris Mazza to Tampa Bay.
Sogard debuted in the majors on August 2, 2024, and has shuttled between Worcester and Boston since, filling in at second, third and first base as the Red Sox have needed him. He’s the cousin of former big leaguer Eric Sogard and the nephew of Steve and Dave Sax. Dave played for Boston from 1985 to 1987.
With Boston riding one of its hottest stretches in years, Sogard’s versatility has become something the roster leans on nearly every day.
Red Sox Announce Nick Sogard Decision Before Blue Jays Series Opener