Red Sox Announce Unusual Lineup Decision Before Angels Game

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The Red Sox announced an unusual lineup decision involving Jahmai Jones before their game against the Los Angeles Angels.

The Boston Red Sox look for their sixth win in a row Tuesday night when they face the Los Angeles Angels at Fenway Park.

The second contest of the three-game set features a matchup of left-handers with the Red Sox’s Patrick Sandoval (1-4, 4.41 ERA, 50 strikeouts) opposing the Angels’ Reid Detmers (4-8, 3.44 ERA, 182 strikeouts).

Before the game, the Red Sox announced an unusual decision with their starting lineup.

Jahmai Jones Gets Unfamiliar Lineup Role

The Red Sox will place Jahmai Jones in an unfamiliar spot Tuesday against the Angels, batting the right-handed hitter second for only the fifth time all season between two clubs, the Red Sox and Detroit Tigers. Jones will serve as designated hitter against the southpaw Detmers.

Jones slots between Roman Anthony and Wilyer Abreu in Boston’s lineup, with Patrick Sandoval scheduled to start for the Red Sox. The arrangement follows the usage Boston envisioned when it acquired Jones from Detroit in July, to give him opportunities against left-handed pitching, particularly when the club can use the DH spot to keep its preferred defensive alignment intact.

The 29-year-old has made the most of those chances in Boston. Jones entered Tuesday having appeared in 25 games for the Red Sox, going 16-for-35 with four doubles, a triple, three homers, eight RBIs, five walks and three stolen bases. That works out to a .457/.558/.886 slash line and a 1.444 OPS since the trade. Jones’ Boston production has been extraordinary in a small but increasingly useful sample.

From Detroit DFA to Boston Production

The contrast within Jones’ 2026 season is stark. Detroit designated him for assignment on July 9 after he hit .137 with a .219 on-base percentage and .221 slugging percentage in 57 games. He had two homers, seven RBIs, 10 walks and 35 strikeouts in 95 at-bats for the Tigers.

Boston acquired Jones five days later for a player to be named later, adding a right-handed outfield/DH option to a roster with several left-handed hitters. Detroit had designated Jones for assignment despite his productive platoon work during its 2025 season.

“I actually know Jam, had him with the Angels, so obviously numbers this year aren’t what they were last year,” interim manager Chad Tracy said at the time. “But there’s been a couple years where he’s had a high level of success versus left-handed pitching. So to be able to get him, see if we can get him back on track and use him to take down some at-bats versus lefties.”

That description has matched Jones’ role. He has started at DH and in the outfield against southpaws, while also appearing off the bench in other matchups. In 2025, Jones hit .287/.387/.550 with seven home runs and 23 RBIs in 72 games for Detroit. All seven 2025 homers came off lefties, as 122 of his 150 plate appearances that season came against left-handed pitching.

Jones Gets Detmers Matchup

Jones’ career splits explain the placement near the top of the order Tuesday. The right-handed hitter owns a .261/.353/.503 career line with eight homers in 161 at-bats against lefties, compared with a .213/.275/.266 line and no homers in 94 at-bats against right-handers. His career split favors left-handed pitching by a considerable margin.

His 2026 results have followed the same pattern. Jones entered the day with a .231/.344/.423 line in 104 at-bats against left-handed pitching across his time with Detroit and Boston, while his opportunities against righties have been much more limited and far less productive.

Jones has only one prior plate appearance against Detmers, drawing a walk in 2025. Jones has walked in one Detmers matchup, leaving no official at-bat, hit or extra-base hit in their head-to-head history.

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