FORT MYERS — Andrew Benintendi wasn’t supposed to make his first start with the Red Sox yesterday.
It was only supposed to be a late-inning appearance, a lower-profile entry for one of the organization’s top prospects to make his spring training debut. He told his parents, Chris and Jill, they’d get a chance to see their only son play against major leaguers before they left town today.
But in the morning, when Benintendi exited the designated minor league section of JetBlue Park and found his way into the Red Sox dugout, he noticed his name on the lineup card, batting eighth and playing center field between Mookie Betts and David Murphy.