Red Sox lineup has Jarren Duran (.167 in July) at DH Sunday, speedy reserve in outfield

NEW YORK — The Red Sox will unplug the struggling Jarren Duran from the outfield — but not the lineup — as they finish the unofficial first half of their season at Citi Field on Sunday.

With left-hander Zach Thornton pitching for the Mets, the Red Sox will start Nate Eaton in left field and have Duran serve as the designated hitter for the seventh time this season. Saturday hero Andruw Monasterio is the shortstop with Romy Gonzalez back in the lineup at first base. Connor Wong is doing the catching.

Interim manager Chad Tracy opted to go with Duran at DH over Masataka Yoshida, who homered in Saturday’s 4-0 win. Duran has hit just .217 with a .606 OPS against lefties this year, which is actually better than his .186 average against right-handers. So far in July, Duran is hitting just .167 with a double and a homer in eight games.

On the mound, lefty Payton Tolle will get his 15th start of the season, but Tracy hinted that the Red Sox plan to give him a shorter outing than usual with righty Brayan Bello, who was recalled earlier in the day, serving as a potential piggyback option. It’s clear Boston is hopeful that it can get Tolle some extra rest as the All-Star break approaches.

The Red Sox have won a season-high eight games in a row to start their nine-game road trip, which concludes Sunday. They enter the day winners of 16 of their last 21 games and are now just a half-game out of a wild card spot in the American League. After Sunday’s matinee, they will have four days off for the All-Star break before resuming play with a doubleheader against the Rays on Friday at Fenway.

BOSTON RED SOX (45-48) vs. NEW YORK METS (40-56) · CITI FIELD · FLUSHING, NY · GAME 94

PITCHING PROBABLES: LHP Payton Tolle (5-6, 3.14 ERA) vs. LHP Zach Thornton (0-1, 4.35 ERA)

1. Anthony Seigler 2B

2. Ceddanne Rafaela CF

3. Wilyer Abreu RF

4. Romy Gonzalez 1B

5. Caleb Durbin 3B

6. Andruw Monasterio SS

7. Jarren Duran DH

8. Nate Eaton LF

9. Connor Wong C

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