Red Sox's Blake Swihart: Playing time on upswing

Swihart will start in right field and bat eighth Sunday against the Astros, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports.

Injuries to Mookie Betts (abdomen) and Dustin Pedroia (knee) have opened up extra opportunities for Swihart, who will pick up his fourth start in five games Sunday. Despite the increased playing time, Swihart has yet to find much of a rhythm at the plate. He has recorded three hits in 17 at-bats over the past week and sports a .149/.231/.170 batting line across 52 plate appearances this season.