This Red Sox has been nothing short of a rollercoaster of ups and downs. We have seen the loss of Xander Bogaerts in free agency along with other notable players. We saw the Red Sox give Rafael Devers the largest contract in franchise history. And we have seen Trevor Story go down on the IL for an undetermined amount of time due to an internal bracing procedure on his right elbow. With all of this, the team still looks decent. The bullpen looks much more improved, the lineup has some nice new additions, and the rotation could be solid if it remains healthy. However, this Red Sox infield looks different with the loss of Bogaerts and Story.
Kiké Hernandez, who has been Boston’s primary center fielder, has taken initiative and seems to be the candidate for starting shortstop. Alex Cora has implied that Christian Arroyo is set to be a regular at second base. The Red Sox have also recently traded for speedster shortstop Adalberto Mondesi. Mondesi has had trouble staying healthy in recent years, but has proven himself as a solid hitter and defender when on the field.
A couple days ago, the Red Sox officially put Trevor Story on the 60 day IL. With the open spot on the roster, the Sox signed infielder Yu Chang to a one-year, $850K deal. Chang appeared in 11 games for the Red Sox last year, and while he doesn’t bring much to the plate with offense, his defense is his specialty.
One More Addition For This Red Sox Infield?
Shortstops Elvis Andrus and Jose Iglesias still remain free agents. Would it be smart for the Red Sox to play it safe and sign one of them to add some more depth to this infield? Possibly. Adam Duvall is one of the newest additions to the outfield, but it’s unsure if he will be starting every day. If this is the case, Kiké may have to take some reps on Duvall’s off days. Meaning the infield will be down a man. Even if signed to a minor league deal, having some depth to an unsure infield is never a bad idea. Mondesi seems to be an injury risk, and Chang doesn’t offer much with the bat. So having a rotating door in the middle infield could save some guys from getting hurt even more.
This season will be an interesting one to say the least, and you should be excited. This team is more than capable of producing wins and having fun at the same time. The lineup looks new, the infield looks new, the bullpen looks new. New is good. For now, Spring Training is just getting started and we will see how this offseason will pan out soon enough.
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