The Red Sox’s Coco Crisp has been hot at the plate and turning in some fielding gems since returning to the starting lineup earlier this month. He’s hitting .309 for the month.

AP / Nam Y. Huh

NEW YORK — When Mark Kotsay arrived in the visitors clubhouse at Yankee Stadium last night to join his new teammates, Red Sox outfielder Coco Crisp said he didn’t feel like the odd-man out.

When J.D. Drew missed six consecutive games because of a herniated disk and was subsequently placed on the 15-day disabled list Tuesday (retroactive to Aug. 18), Crisp was in the starting lineup every night. Entering tonight’s game against the Yankees, Crisp is hitting. .440 with three RBI in the last seven games. In fact, he’s recorded a pair of three-hit performances in the last four games.

Plus, he’s been playing Gold Glove-caliber defense in center field, while Jacoby Ellsbury has replaced Drew in right.

Now with Kotsay on the scene, Crisp’s playing time could be reduced once again to a platoon situation. He’s said he’s used to it at this point of the season, even though he thought his days in the organization were numbered when Ellsbury replaced him for Game Six of the ALCS last October against Cleveland.

After last night’s game, Red Sox manager Terry Francona announced that Kotsay would make his Red Sox debut in this afternoon’s series finale. Kotsay will start in right field against veteran Mike Mussina, with Ellsbury sliding back to center as Crisp goes to the bench.

“I know Kotsay’s an outstanding player,” said Crisp before last night’s game. “And J.D. is right around the corner of being healthy. I haven’t put too much thought into it and how things will work out. I’ve just been going with the flow and I’ll continue to do that.”

Other clubs were actively interested in Crisp in the season, when he was hitting .310 in the month of June. However, his stock began to fall when he hit .167 in 14 games last month as the trade deadline came and went.

Now that he knows he’s here, plus with Drew on the shelf, Crisp has been playing well of late. Entering last night’s game, he’s hitting .309 for this month.

“I’ve enjoyed myself this year,” he said. “That’s the main thing that you want out of anything you do, I guess. You want to continue to have fun and the situation hasn’t been terrible where I’ve gotten down on myself, saying, ‘This stinks.’ I was able to continue to be happy and enjoy playing the game. Once that happens, then you don’t want to be somewhere else playing in a different situation. I think everything has worked out just fine.”

Crisp didn’t make it a secret earlier in the year that he wanted to play every day and wasn’t interested an outfield rotation of four players. Now with Kotsay in the mix, Crisp will have to deal with it once again.

“It’s always good to have players on your team who are capable of being starters in other places, who aren’t exactly perceived as a starter,” he said. “It gives you depth as a team, and obviously guys wouldn’t want to be in that situation. They would rather be starting somewhere else, but [acquiring Kotsay] definitely makes the team a lot stronger.”

Red Sox ace Josh Beckett played with Kotsay briefly when the two were in the Marlins organization, and the pitcher said he was looking forward to his arrival.

“He’s going to be a great addition,” said Beckett. “He’s one of those leader-type guys and a pretty good baseball player.”

Mike Lowell also played with Kotsay in Florida and believes he’ll be a welcome addition, too.

“He’s a guy you consider a baseball player,” said Lowell. “He knows the game well and he knows his strengths. He’s the best right fielder I have ever saw cut a ball off and has a very accurate arm. People have said they try to test Vladimir Guerrero when he was in Montreal, but no one wanted to test Kotsay. He brings more to the table than just swinging a pretty good bat. I think he knows the game very well.”

A peek at ‘09

Additional details have emerged about the 2009 schedule.

The Sox will face N.L. East teams as interleague opponents. The New York Mets and Florida Marlins will visit Fenway, while the Sox will travel to Philadelphia and Washington.

As part of the rotating format, the Sox will also have a home-and-home arrangement with the Braves, with the Sox visiting Atlanta and also hosting the Braves in Boston.

The first meeting with the Yankees will be in Boston, with the Sox visiting the new Yankee Stadium for the first time in May.

The Sox will open the regular season at home for just the second time in the last 12 seasons, hosting Tampa Bay.

Beckett throwing well

Yes! Beckett is still pitching for the Red Sox tomorrow. The right-hander threw a side session at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday and he reported nothing but good news.

“It went well,” Beckett said. “I was excited afterwards. I’m still day-to-day, and we’re going to keep checking it and being smart with it.”

He also says the numbness and tingling he had been feeling of late is all gone. If anything came of his recent setback, Beckett feels the added rest will actually help. Francona has continually talked Beckett will pitch only when he’s symptom free. Beckett says this process has been frustrating, but he’s content it was handled the proper way.

“We’re trying to be cautious,” he said. “We’re not talking about ending the year; we’re talking about ending a career. Anytime you’re dealing with a pitcher’s arm, and I appreciate them doing that.”

Sore neck for Casey

Red Sox backup first baseman Sean Casey has been dealing with a sore neck for a week, causing him to miss some playing time. He said it’s getting better, and Francona believes Casey will not have to make a trip to the DL, joining Lowell, Drew, Julio Lugo, David Aardsma and Bartolo Colon.

Francona said Casey attempted to hit off a tee Tuesday and wasn’t feeling that good yesterday.

“If there is [a chance to go on the DL] we’re not going to do it, yet,” said the manager. “Because it’s a stiff neck, we feel like there’s more of an opportunity for him to show up and feel better than it would be if it was his back.”

Casey first felt the stiffness in Toronto last week.

Around the bases

Kevin Youkilis, who had a hit and a walk in five plate appearances last night, has now reached base in 36 consecutive games, dating back to July 12. That represents the longest current streak in the majors and is the longest of Youkilis’s career…Dustin Pedroia scored three runs, giving him 101 for the season. That’s the second-most in a single season by a Red Sox second baseman. Hall of Famer Bobby Doerr holds the franchise record with 103 in 1950…Over his last 15 games, David Ortiz is hitting .352 (19-for-54) with eight doubles, three homers and 15 RBI

jmcdonal@projo.com