BOSTON -- The anticipation of seeing right fielder Alex Verdugo start his first game with the Red Sox will have to last one more day.
With lefty Tommy Milone starting on Opening Day for the Orioles on Friday, Kevin Pillar got the start in right in place of Verdugo.
In 109 plate appearances against lefties last season, Verdugo hit .327 with an .843 OPS.
"He reassured me that he does hit left-handers well, which I know," said Red Sox manager Ron Roenicke. "We have statistics on him and what he does. I think a lot of it has to do with Jackie [Bradley Jr.] swinging the bat well these three weeks, [Andrew Benintendi] swinging the bat well these three weeks."
Verdugo joins Benintendi and Bradley in Boston's trio of left-handed-hitting outfielders. Pillar will always start against lefties, but there could be some rotation with who sits.
The Red Sox are excited to see how Verdugo's bat, glove and arm will play at Fenway Park. Verdugo was the key acquisition piece for the Red Sox in the deal that sent Mookie Betts and David Price to the Dodgers.
"We talked about it the last couple days on how we thought Opening Day would go against a left-hander," Roenicke said. "I called him this morning and talked to him about it."
Verdugo will be in right on Saturday when Alex Cobb starts for Baltimore. And Roenicke didn't rule out Verdugo starting on Sunday against lefty Wade LeBlanc.
"Things could definitely change Sunday when we face our next left-hander," Roenicke said. "I'm looking at nine innings from certain guys and how many times we're comfortable with him going in a row. Even though we know we need to win all these games, I still don't want to have him out there too often for nine innings at the beginning of the season."
Verdugo is coming off a stress fracture in his back that he suffered last season for Los Angeles.
Finally, Roenicke manages
After the Red Sox decided on Roenicke to replace Alex Cora as manager on Feb. 11, nobody could have ever imagined the 63-year-old would have to wait more than five months to manage his first Major League game since 2015.
But that is life in 2020, where a pandemic has thrown off schedules all around the world.
Roenicke finally got his chance to make out his first official lineup card on Friday, and he was thrilled.
"All that time sitting and waiting at home, trying to figure out what was happening, then finally getting to this point, the three weeks of [Summer] Camp, all the building up to this point, I'm excited about it," Roenicke said. "I'm excited to see what our team is going to do. Opening Day is always a different feeling. Even though we waited a long time, it's still great to have it come tonight."
New playoff format could help Red Sox
The Red Sox are one of the teams who could benefit the most from the new postseason format MLB has adopted for 2020.
Instead of five American League teams qualifying for the playoffs, there will be eight teams who make it.
Given the lack of depth the Sox have in their starting rotation, they could be hard pressed to win the division or even finish second. But this season, a third-place team could make it.
The top three seeds go to the three division winners. The next three seeds go to the second-place finishers. And the two teams with the best record after that are the final two teams.
"It should [help us]," said Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts. "Obviously it helps a lot of different teams, to get some more teams in the postseason. We have to take it one day at a time, try to go 1-0 every day. If we have a tough loss, just try to bounce back tomorrow. Come out hot, come out aggressive and try to win that game on that particular day. Just go 1-0 every day is going to be our main point."
Bogaerts will soon 'hit up' Mookie
After coming through the Red Sox farm system with Betts and teaming with him for over five years on the Red Sox, Bogaerts was thrilled to see Betts got his big contract extension with the Dodgers.
But he hasn't spoken to him about it -- yet.
"I haven't hit him up yet," Bogaerts said. "I know it's really hectic over there with the contract and Opening Day. I'll try to reach out in a couple days. I'll let things settle down a little bit, because I want that reply back on my texts. I don't want him not replying to me because he's so busy.
"So it's been nice to see him get all that, man. He deserved that and even more. Just a great player and a great person. We had so many amazing memories here. He was a special player here with us and I know the Dodgers are definitely getting one of the best players in the game."
Up next
Lefty Martín Pérez makes his debut for the Sox in Saturday afternoon's 1:35 p.m. ET game against the Orioles. Originally signed to be the team's No. 5 starter, Pérez has been bumped all the way up to the No. 2 spot due to the trade of Price and several injuries to the rotation. Veteran first baseman Mitch Moreland, starting his fourth season with the Red Sox, should be in the lineup after getting Friday off against the lefty. Catch the action live on MLB.TV.