BOSTON — Given an imperfect roster, Boston Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy has been doing anything he can to find a lineup that produces. Lately, that’s meant leaning on his bench players.In recent days, Mickey Gasper, Nick Sogard and Isiah Kiner-Falefa have seen increased playing time thanks to injuries and underperforming regulars, and each has taken advantage of the opportunity. On Wednesday, their contributions led to Boston’s most lopsided home victory this season, 8-0 over the Atlanta Braves, who own the best record in baseball.“They take good at-bats,” Tracy said of the trio of unheralded players. “You can see when they’re in there and when you’re watching, they know what a strike is, they know what a ball is, they’ll go deep in the count, they get into hitters’ counts, they’ll use the off-side of the field. That sparks things when people see that.”While leadoff man Jarren Duran went 4-for-5 and No. 2 hitter Ceddanne Rafaela had a three-hit night, the bottom of the order provided the kindling the Red Sox have desperately searched for all season.Masataka Yoshida opened the fourth with a leadoff single against Braves starter Bryce Elder, who entered with a 1.97 ERA. Gasper drew a walk, and Sogard hit a sacrifice bunt to move the runners into scoring position. Marcelo Mayer reached on an error at first, scoring the first run, and Kiner-Falefa kept the pressure on, slapping a run-scoring single to left to make it 2-0.Rafaela and Abreu each added two-run singles, pushing the lead to 6-0, the most runs in an inning for the Red Sox at home this season.All year, the Red Sox have waited for Duran’s bat to come alive, and over the past 10 games, he’s hitting .357 with a 1.191 OPS and four homers. But traffic at the bottom of the order in recent days has helped take some pressure off.“I love guys like Sogey coming up and putting the bunt down and causing havoc and doing the job getting guys over and stuff like that,” Duran said. “That’s the small thing we’re going to have to do as a team, and for him to do that is awesome.”Sogard and Gasper didn’t start the season with the big-league club. Kiner-Falefa has made just 17 starts through 54 games.And yet, each is playing with desperation to make an impact — and garner more playing time — that has jolted the Red Sox to life. Over the last nine games, the Red Sox have hit .288 with a .795 OPS and nine homers.Sogard has gone 9-for-30 (.300) in nine games since his promotion. Gasper is 14-for-43 (.326) in 15 games, and Kiner-Falefa, with increased playing time lately, has gone 7-for-16 (.438) in his past six games.With Trevor Story out for the foreseeable future rehabbing from a sports hernia surgery, and third baseman Caleb Durbin struggling mightily at the plate, Sogard and Kiner-Falefa have entered the mix more. Sogard has started nine straight games since he was called up when Story went on the injured list, and Kiner-Falefa has started three of the last four games. Even Gasper, called up when Roman Anthony went on the IL on May 4, seemed like an imperfect fit as a catcher on a roster already with two starting catchers.But Tracy has forced Gasper’s bat into the lineup. He’s served as designated hitter in five games and has started two straight games behind the plate this week, with the potential for a third Thursday as Payton Tolle, whom he caught in Triple A, takes the mound.“I think it’s probably more a product of Mickey and the quality of the at-bat,” Tracy said of Gasper starting rather than Carlos Narvaez and Connor Wong.Tracy recently noted Sogard’s arrival “coincided with some things turning for us” on offense.“You just can’t ignore when he came up, the at-bat quality that he’s had,” Tracy said. “[Durbin] plays great defense, but you just can’t ignore [Sogard]. So it doesn’t mean that it sticks that way. Durb could get going and things could change, but right now, those [Sogard] at-bats are good. And we’re starting to put up some runs. We’ve got to try to keep going with that.”The offensive outburst Wednesday helped starter Connelly Early cruise through seven scoreless innings against one of baseball’s toughest lineups.“Any time you’re pitching after your team puts up six runs in the fourth inning, it makes it a little bit easier going out there,” he said. “So that inning was pretty sick to go out after that and just be able to throw the ball, knowing the defense that I have behind me, really good feeling.”Consistent pitching has been a stabilizing force for the Red Sox much of the year. If they can continue to build on the offensive output they’ve shown lately, they’ll at least give themselves a chance in an otherwise wholly disappointing season.May 28, 2026Connections: Sports EditionSpot the pattern. Connect the termsFind the hidden link between sports terms