Pillar missed a couple of games while dealing with back soreness. He’ll return to the top of the lineup for Thursday’s finale against the A’s and left-handed hurler Jeffrey Springs. Leody Taveras will get the night off with the southpaw on the mound.

Pillar has received the occasional opportunity to lead off against southpaws this season, but he’s played sparingly overall. He’ll take a seat on Tuesday night with superstar Wyatt Langford leading off against Athletics lefty Jacob Lopez.

Pillar doubled in the second inning, then singled in the eighth on an infield hit. A runner would score on his base hit on an error, so he wasn’t credited with the RBI. The 36-year-old outfielder has helped fill in for Wyatt Langford in left field, going 7-for-20 with four runs scored.

Not bad for a guy who was close to retiring just months ago. The Red Sox are throwing left-hander Garrett Crochet, so Pillar was likely always going to be in the lineup, but with Corey Seager taking the DH spot, that means Pillar got bumped to center field and Leody Taveras was pushed to the bench.