Boston Red Sox: lineup and rotation patterns
What 2023–2025 Retrosheet data tells us about how the Boston Red Sox set their lineups and used their pitchers.
A record of past seasons, not a forecast: 2027 projections will be added once rosters take shape. About these team pages.
Our read on the Boston Red Sox
Boston swapped in right-handed hitters against left-handed starters. Rob Refsnyder started 87% of games against left-handers but 8% against right-handers, and Romy Gonzalez 84% against 32%, while Wilyer Abreu went the other way (76% against right-handers, 18% against left-handers). The average Red Sox lineup had 4.1 left-handed hitters against right-handed starters and 2.1 against left-handers.
Carlos Narvaez made 106 starts at catcher, and his start rate barely changed in day games after night games (61% against 67% otherwise). Jarren Duran was the regular leadoff hitter (106 games), and Garrett Crochet led the rotation with 32 starts. First base and second base had no player with half the starts.
Where the Boston Red Sox ranked in 2025
| Boston Red Sox | Avg | Rank | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wins | 89 | 81.0 | 9 |
| Different batting orders | 134 | 135.9 | T-18 |
| Same order as previous game | 8.1% | 4.8% | T-6 |
| Most uses of one order | 3 | 4.8 | T-21 |
| Same leadoff as previous game | 75% | 75% | 19 |
| Players in the lineup | 22 | 24.4 | T-22 |
| Games vs LHP | 45 | 42.6 | T-15 |
| Lefty hitters vs RHP | 4.1 | 3.6 | 11 |
| Lefty hitters vs LHP | 2.1 | 2.0 | 15 |
| Starting pitchers | 15 | 13.2 | T-8 |
| Top-five starters' share | 73% | 76% | T-17 |
| Starts on 4 days' rest or less* | 33% | 31% | 13 |
| Starts after 10+ days* | 6% | 5% | 10 |
| Primary catcher's starts | 65% | 58% | T-9 |
| Players at DH | 12 | 10.7 | 11 |
| Top DH's share | 45% | 51% | 17 |
Three seasons at a glance
| Season | W–L | Games vs RHP / LHP starters | Different batting orders | Different players in the starting lineup | Starting pitchers used |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 78–84 | 120 / 42 | 146 | 24 | 17 |
| 2024 | 81–81 | 119 / 43 | 146 | 25 | 13 |
| 2025 | 89–73 | 117 / 45 | 134 | 22 | 15 |
Who played where, 2023–2025
| Position | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| C | Connor Wong (105) | Connor Wong (99) | Carlos Narvaez (106) |
| 1B | Triston Casas (115) | Dominic Smith (66) | Abraham Toro (57) |
| 2B | Christian Arroyo (51) | Enmanuel Valdez (56) | Kristian Campbell (54) |
| 3B | Rafael Devers (149) | Rafael Devers (130) | Alex Bregman (110) |
| SS | Enrique Hernandez (54) | Ceddanne Rafaela (71) | Trevor Story (155) |
| LF | Masataka Yoshida (84) | Jarren Duran (71) | Jarren Duran (129) |
| CF | Jarren Duran (62) | Jarren Duran (89) | Ceddanne Rafaela (129) |
| RF | Alex Verdugo (135) | Wilyer Abreu (106) | Wilyer Abreu (95) |
| DH | Justin Turner (98) | Masataka Yoshida (98) | Rafael Devers (73) |
Month by month in 2025
| Month | Games | W–L | Games vs LHP | Different batting orders | Starting pitchers used | First start of the season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March/April | 32 | 17–15 | 6 | 25 | 8 | – |
| May | 28 | 11–17 | 6 | 22 | 7 | Abraham Toro, Marcelo Mayer, Nick Sogard |
| June | 26 | 14–12 | 11 | 22 | 6 | Nate Eaton, Roman Anthony |
| July | 24 | 17–7 | 8 | 23 | 7 | Masataka Yoshida |
| August | 28 | 17–11 | 8 | 22 | 8 | Jhostynxon Garcia, Nathaniel Lowe |
| September | 24 | 13–11 | 6 | 21 | 8 | none |
Batting order and positions in 2025
Most starts by batting slot: 1. Jarren Duran (106); 2. Rafael Devers (73); 3. Alex Bregman (62); 4. Trevor Story (45); 5. Trevor Story (43); 6. Trevor Story (32); 7. Ceddanne Rafaela (21); 8. Ceddanne Rafaela (36); 9. Ceddanne Rafaela (70).
| Position | Next most starts (leader: see above) | Players who started there | Starter changed |
|---|---|---|---|
| C | Connor Wong (52) | 3 | 58% |
| 1B | Romy Gonzalez (41) | 5 | 44% |
| 2B | David Hamilton (42) | 6 | 52% |
| 3B | Marcelo Mayer (28) | 6 | 24% |
| SS | David Hamilton (7) | 2 | 9% |
| LF | Roman Anthony (17) | 7 | 29% |
| CF | Jarren Duran (22) | 4 | 30% |
| RF | Roman Anthony (32) | 7 | 40% |
| DH | Masataka Yoshida (44) | 12 | 36% |
Against left- and right-handed starters
| Opposing starter | Left-handed | Right-handed | Switch-hitters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Right-handed | 4.1 | 4.3 | 0.5 |
| Left-handed | 2.1 | 6.2 | 0.6 |
| Player | Bats | Start rate vs RHP (starts) | Start rate vs LHP (starts) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rob Refsnyder | right-handed | 8% (9) | 87% (39) |
| Wilyer Abreu | left-handed | 76% (89) | 18% (8) |
| Romy Gonzalez | right-handed | 32% (38) | 84% (38) |
| David Hamilton | left-handed | 40% (47) | 4% (2) |
| Masataka Yoshida | left-handed | 38% (45) | 9% (4) |
Gaps may reflect timing, not a platoon (guide).
Rotation and rest in 2025
| Pitcher | Throws | Starts | First start | Last start | Median days of rest | Starts on 4 days or fewer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Garrett Crochet | LHP | 32 | March 27, 2025 | Sept. 24, 2025 | 5 | 11 |
| Brayan Bello | RHP | 28 | April 22, 2025 | Sept. 25, 2025 | 5 | 12 |
| Lucas Giolito | RHP | 26 | April 30, 2025 | Sept. 23, 2025 | 5 | 8 |
| Walker Buehler | RHP | 22 | March 29, 2025 | Aug. 19, 2025 | 5 | 6 |
| Hunter Dobbins | RHP | 11 | April 6, 2025 | July 11, 2025 | 4.5 | 3 |
| Richard Fitts | RHP | 10 | March 30, 2025 | July 28, 2025 | 5 | 1 |
| Tanner Houck | RHP | 9 | March 28, 2025 | May 12, 2025 | 5 | 3 |
| Sean Newcomb | LHP | 5 | March 31, 2025 | April 23, 2025 | 4.5 | 2 |
| Rest before start | Boston Red Sox | League average |
|---|---|---|
| 4 days or fewer | 33% | 31% |
| 5 days | 53% | 49% |
| 6 to 10 days | 8% | 15% |
| More than 10 days | 6% | 5% |
Catcher and DH in 2025
| Games | Team-games | Primary catcher started | League average |
|---|---|---|---|
| All games | 162 | 65% | 58% |
| Day game after a night game | 36 | 61% | 44% |
| All other games | 126 | 67% | – |
| Player | DH starts | Share of DH starts |
|---|---|---|
| Rafael Devers | 73 | 45% |
| Masataka Yoshida | 44 | 27% |
| Rob Refsnyder | 18 | 11% |
Most common lineups in 2025
The most common exact batting order was used only 3 times (club average 4.8).
Lineup 1 (3 times, last on May 17, 2025): 1. Jarren Duran LF, 2. Rafael Devers DH, 3. Alex Bregman 3B, 4. Kristian Campbell 2B, 5. Wilyer Abreu RF, 6. Trevor Story SS, 7. Abraham Toro 1B, 8. Carlos Narvaez C, 9. Ceddanne Rafaela CF.
Lineup 2 (3 times, last on June 8, 2025): 1. Jarren Duran LF, 2. Rafael Devers DH, 3. Rob Refsnyder RF, 4. Carlos Narvaez C, 5. Romy Gonzalez 1B, 6. Abraham Toro 3B, 7. Trevor Story SS, 8. Ceddanne Rafaela CF, 9. Kristian Campbell 2B.
Lineup 3 (3 times, last on Aug. 16, 2025): 1. Roman Anthony LF, 2. Alex Bregman 3B, 3. Jarren Duran CF, 4. Trevor Story SS, 5. Masataka Yoshida DH, 6. Romy Gonzalez 1B, 7. Wilyer Abreu RF, 8. Ceddanne Rafaela 2B, 9. Connor Wong C.
Top nine vs RHP (9/117): Alex Bregman, Carlos Narvaez, Ceddanne Rafaela, Jarren Duran, Kristian Campbell, Rafael Devers, Trevor Story, Triston Casas, Wilyer Abreu.
Top nine vs LHP (4/45): Alex Bregman, Carlos Narvaez, Ceddanne Rafaela, Jarren Duran, Kristian Campbell, Rafael Devers, Rob Refsnyder, Romy Gonzalez, Trevor Story.
Our own calculations from Retrosheet game logs, regular seasons only: notes, methodology.