Overview
- Durbin partially dislocated his left fifth finger while sliding into first during the Red Sox loss in Denver, and team staff reported the joint was reduced with X-rays showing no fracture.
- The club listed him day-to-day and put him back in the starting lineup the next day, with Durbin saying he does not expect to go on the injured list.
- Durbin hit a two-run, go-ahead home run in Thursday’s win over the Yankees, his sixth of the season and a key offensive contribution coming immediately after the injury scare.
- His exit in Denver forced an in-game reshuffle — Marcelo Mayer entered at short, Andruw Monasterio moved to second, and Anthony Seigler shifted to third — and those changes preceded errors that helped Colorado rally.
- Durbin’s return matters because he has been one of Boston’s hottest hitters in recent weeks after a poor start, and the team’s prior hand injury history plus other current roster absences increase the value of him staying available.