Red Sox Bench Players Advised to 'Keep It Simple' Against Cy Young Winner Skubal

Boston manager Alex Cora wants reserves Andruw Monasterio and Isiah Kiner-Falefa to focus on fundamentals in starting roles.

Apr. 18, 2026 at 6:55pm

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A fragmented, geometric painting depicting a baseball game in progress, with players and the field broken down into angular, overlapping shapes and planes of color.A cubist interpretation of the Red Sox's lineup adjustments against Tigers ace Tarik Skubal captures the strategic complexity of facing a dominant pitcher.Boston Today

With several key Red Sox starters sitting out, manager Alex Cora is advising bench players Andruw Monasterio and Isiah Kiner-Falefa to 'keep it simple' against Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal, a back-to-back Cy Young Award winner. Cora wants the reserves to focus on fundamentals rather than trying to do too much against Skubal's overpowering fastball and changeup.

Why it matters

The Red Sox are facing one of the American League's top pitchers in Skubal, who has dominated right-handed hitters this season. Cora is looking to get production from his bench players in the starting lineup, as Boston tries to overcome Skubal's dominance.

The details

Monasterio and Kiner-Falefa are both right-handed hitters starting at shortstop and second base, respectively, as Cora loads up the lineup with righties to counter Skubal. Through eight games, Monasterio is batting .263 with two doubles, while Kiner-Falefa is hitting .222 with no extra-base hits. Against left-handed pitching, Monasterio is 0-for-4 and Kiner-Falefa is 1-for-5.

  • Tarik Skubal enters his fifth start of the season on Saturday.
  • Skubal has a 2.22 ERA, 23 strikeouts and 4 walks in 24 1/3 innings so far in 2026.

The players

Alex Cora

Manager of the Boston Red Sox.

Tarik Skubal

Pitcher for the Detroit Tigers and a back-to-back American League Cy Young Award winner.

Andruw Monasterio

Utility infielder for the Boston Red Sox, starting at shortstop.

Isiah Kiner-Falefa

Infielder for the Boston Red Sox, starting at second base.

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What they’re saying

“I believe the way you do it is keeping it simple. We know what's coming, it's a good fastball, a good changeup. … Just kind of like, keep it simple and go from there. Don't try to be someone that you're not, that's the most important thing.”

— Alex Cora, Manager

The takeaway

With several key Red Sox starters out, manager Alex Cora is relying on bench players Andruw Monasterio and Isiah Kiner-Falefa to step up against one of the AL's top pitchers in Tarik Skubal. Cora wants the reserves to focus on fundamentals and not try to do too much, as the Red Sox look to overcome Skubal's dominance of right-handed hitters this season.