Why Adrian Gonzalez of the Boston Red Sox Has to Play Right Field Tonight

The Boston Red Sox will put Gold Glove-winning first baseman Adrian Gonzalez in right field tonight against the Philadelphia Phillies, and manager Terry Francona has no choice to put his best offensive player out of his comfort zone. 

The Red Sox and Phillies are in the middle an exciting three-game interleague series, which many believe could be a preview of the 2011 World Series this October. 

Since the game is taking place in a National League park, the designated hitter is not in use, and the pitchers must bat. 

Without the DH, the Sox have one spot (first base) in the lineup for sluggers David Ortiz and Gonzalez. 

But with the Red Sox trailing the Yankees in the American League East division race, and only leading the third-place Tampa Bay Rays by a small margin, the Sox need wins, no matter how they come. 

If the Red Sox were in first place, they wouldn’t have to put Gonzalez in the outfield, but the offense is struggling so much that the Red Sox need both Ortiz's and Gonzalez’s bats in the lineup to produce runs. 

The typical right fielders, J.D. Drew, Ryan Kalish, Mike Cameron and Josh Reddick, have not been giving the Red Sox enough offense this season. 

As a team, the Red Sox have struggled against bad teams this season; this past weekend, they lost two out of three games to the Pittsburgh Pirates. 

The Red Sox cannot afford to be losing games to bottom-dwellers, because both the Rays and Yankees are going to be in the division race all season. 

Francona has been hesitant to put Gonzalez in right field during Boston’s recent interleague schedule, even though he is capable of handling the position. 

If Gonzalez were to get injured in the outfield, the Red Sox offense would be in deep trouble. 

Through 78 games, Gonzalez is batting .357 with 16 home runs and 71 RBIs in his first season in Boston, and is among the early candidates for league MVP. 

While it’s unlikely Gonzalez will get hurt playing right field, the risk is certainly a large one, and if the Red Sox took care of business against the bad teams, It wouldn’t be a risk they have to take.

Nicholas Goss is a Bleacher Report Featured Columnist for the Boston Bruins and Oklahoma City Thunder. He is currently a student at Suffolk University in Boston. Follow him on Twitter.