Chaim Bloom, Alex Cora Reveal Red Sox's Plans At Shortstop, Second Base

Boston has two internal middle infield candidates in place
Chaim Bloom, Alex Cora Reveal Red Sox's Plans At Shortstop, Second Base
Chaim Bloom, Alex Cora Reveal Red Sox's Plans At Shortstop, Second Base /
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The Boston Red Sox have been placed in a self-inflicted bind with the departure of shortstop Xander Bogaerts and the recent surgery on second baseman Trevor Story.

While the middle infield options appear to be bleak, the organization does have a pair of candidates in mind to succeed their All-Star duo.

“We have a lot of confidence in (Kiké Hernández). We have this whole way,” Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom told the audience at the team's yearly Winter Weekend event on Friday. “It’s one of the great things about him. He’s basically a plus defender wherever you put him on the field. There are not many guys in baseball you can say that about.”

Red Sox manager Alex Cora heavily implied that he'd told Hernández he's in line to be the starting shortstop next season.

“He’s excited about it. I do believe he can do it. His arm plays. His first step is amazing. His instincts are great,” Cora told the audience. “He can hit for power. If we can get power from that position, power from second base and power from center field, we’re in a better spot than we were a few weeks ago and probably last year.”

While a one-for-one swap from Bogaerts to Hernández is a notable downgrade, Cora's point about improving up the middle as a whole is valid. 

Newly acquired outfielder Adam Duvall is expected to provide more power than the entire outfield group a year ago. The 34-year-old's last full season was in 2021, when he blasted 38 home runs. Last year Alex Verdugo, Kiké Hernandez, Rob Refsnyder and Jarren Duran combined for just 26 home runs.

It would not be inconceivable for Hernández to outperform Bogey's 53 extra-base hits including 15 home runs from 2022 -- the versatile slugger logged 55 extra-base hits with 20 home runs in 2021. 

The second base position featured a rotating cast last season, and likely will offer more of the same this year, but Christian Arroyo is the leading candidate to start at the moment. 

“As of now, Christian is going to play a lot," Cora said. "He’s a guy that I know there are a lot of red flags as far as the physical part of it, right? The injuries. But when he’s on the field, he’s a pretty good one. The way he played second base in 2021 was solid. He’s a very talented kid who can run the bases, who can play good defense, and when he’s on, he’s a good hitter. So as of now where we at, Christian’s going to get a lot of repetitions at second base.”

Boston is expected to acquire multiple middle infielders prior to spring training, with Elvis Andrus and Josh Harrison being the most likely additions. Both veterans would mix in well with a middle infield group that severely lacks depth. 

For now, the Red Sox appear confident with Hernández and Arroyo leading the charge, but the aforementioned potential additions could shake things up. 

More MLB: Red Sox Reportedly Have Three Free-Agent Targets, Solution To Shortstop Dilemma


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Scott Neville
SCOTT NEVILLE

Scott Neville covers the Boston Red Sox for Sports Illustrated's new page "Inside The Red Sox." Before starting "Inside The Red Sox", Neville attended Merrimack College, where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Communication and Media with a minor in Marketing. Neville spent all four years with Merrimack's radio station WMCK, where he grew as a radio/podcast host and producer.  His propensity for being in front of a microphone eventually expanded to film, where he produced multiple short films alongside his then-roommate and current co-worker Stephen Mottram. On a journey that began as a way to receive easy credits via film classes, he received a call from "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia" star Charlie Day. Day advised him to make a feature-length film, which he completed his senior year. While writing the film, Neville completed an internship for United Way as part of their NFL Partnership Program. Neville ran the blog for a team of interns and hosted an internet show called "United Way's NFL Partnership Series" where he interviewed NFL alumni. After college Neville wrote for SB Nation's "Over The Monster," a Red Sox sister site of the flagship brand. His work would eventually lead him to a job as a content producer with NESN, where he would cover all sports. After developing as a writer with the top regional network in the world, he was given the opportunity to join the Sports Illustrated Media Group in his current endeavor as the publisher of "Inside The Red Sox." The successful launch and quick rise of "Inside The Red Sox" led to Neville joining the Baseball Essential ownership group, a national baseball site under SIMG. Follow him on Twitter: @ScottNeville46 Email: nevilles@merrimack.edu