Adam Duvall four home runs and 14 RBI in eight games with the Red Sox this season before breaking his right wrist. Michael Dwyer/Associated Press

Sometime in the next few weeks, the Red Sox will get a healthy Adam Duvall back, recovered from his broken wrist suffered in the second week of the season.

That will create a logjam in the team’s outfield alignment. The starting trio – from left to right, Masataka Yoshida, Jarren Duran and Alex Verdugo – has been superb. Verdugo has been arguably the team’s best overall player while Yoshida has overcome a slow start to become a dynamic offensive performer. Duran, meanwhile, has improved greatly – both in the field and at the plate.

As an above-average defender with as much power as anyone on the roster other than Rafael Devers, Duvall needs to play virtually every day. It doesn’t hurt that Duvall is a right-handed run producer, something the Sox otherwise lack with Verdugo, Yoshida, Devers and Triston Casas all hitting from the left side.

So, what to do?

Verdugo has to remain the everyday fixture in right, especially considering how improved he’s been at the position this season. And certainly, the club is not about to reduce playing time for Yoshida, who leads all club regulars in on-base percentage, OPS and OPS+ and is third in both total bases and slugging.

One solution, especially against lefties: play Duvall in center, have Rob Refsnyder or Duran in left, move Yoshida to DH and have Justin Turner play first base. Casas is struggling overall, but especially so against lefties (.167), and having Turner at first removes a weak lefty bat.

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Of course, this isn’t optimal. The Red Sox would prefer Turner mostly at DH to reduce the wear-and-tear on the team’s oldest player at 38.

But that lineup configuration only works against lefties, who make up about a third of the games. What about the rest of the time?

It wouldn’t be fair – or prudent – to bury Duran considering how well he’s played for the past month or so. And the Sox won’t. He’s provided offense from wherever he’s hit – anywhere from fifth to ninth – and now that he’s improved the routes he takes, his defensive play is no longer a liability. And then there’s his speed, which, oddly, has been somewhat underutilized with just seven steals in seven tries.

Another possibility: trying Duvall at first base. He’s played 43 games there over his career, though the last time he did so was in 2018. It’s not a perfect solution, but should Duvall be open to it, it gives the Sox a chance to have Turner, Yoshida, Duran and Duvall to be in the lineup together.

It won’t be much of an issue initially, as the Sox will want to ease Duvall back into the lineup and limit his workload as he regains full strength in the wrist. But eventually, it’s going to lead to some tough decisions.

CHRISTIAN ARROYO was in the lineup for the Worcester Red Sox as a designated hitter on Friday night as he continues his recovery from a hamstring injury.

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Arroyo was placed on the 10-day injured list earlier this month with a hamstring strain. He was batting .257 with one home run and 11 RBI before his injury, spending 23 of his 27 games played at second base. Prior to the start of the 2023 season, Red Sox Manager Alex Cora revealed Arroyo would be seeing a lot more playing time than past seasons due to Trevor Story’s elbow surgery opening up some room in the infield.

The 27-year-old was dealing with hamstring tightness in April but played through it until he ultimately landed on the IL. Despite a slow start to the 2023 season, Arroyo began to find his groove just before hitting the IL.

The Red Sox are thin at second base with Arroyo and Yu Chang (wrist) on the IL. Kiké Hernández has been the team’s primary shortstop in place of Story despite having more games played at second. However, moving Hernandez to second would create other problems up the middle.

Enmanuel Valdez, who was recalled from Worcester to replace Chang in April, has been filling in at second during his time with the Red Sox.

PROSPECT ISAAC COFFEY, a 2022 10th-round draft pick (309th overall) out of Oral Roberts, pitched six scoreless innings and struck out 11 in High-A Greenville’s 6-2 win over Rome on Thursday.

The 22-year-old righty improved to 3-2 with a 2.89 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and .218 batting average against in eight starts for Greenville. He has 61 strikeouts and just seven walks in 43 2/3 innings. He’s averaging 12.6 strikeouts and 1.4 walks per nine innings.

• Another top prospect Marcelo Mayer stayed hot in Greenville’s win. He went 2 for 5 with one double, three RBI and one walk. The 20-year-old left-handed hitting shortstop is batting .299 with a .370 on-base percentage, .547 slugging percentage, .917 OPS, seven homers, 11 doubles, one triple, 23 runs, 32 RBI, 15 walks and 36 strikeouts in 33 games.


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