Red Sox Role Player Potentially Undergoing Position Change Amid Roster Turnover

Is Boston moving one of their outfielders to the infield?
Matt Kartozian/USA TODAY Sports Images
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BOSTON -- Are the Boston Red Sox considering a position change for one of their oft-used bench players? 

A clip surfaced that indicated as much, but don't look too far into it.

WEEI's Rob Bradford successfully stirred the pot here -- intentional or not -- showcasing outfielder Raimel Tapia taking some grounders at first base.

With outfielder Adam Duvall just a few rehab assignments away from his return to Boston, the comments ran wild, thinking the team was moving Tapia to clear room in the outfield for Duvall.

Tapia currently is used as a reserve outfielder and pinch hitter against right-handed pitching -- a role he's found a lot of success in (and does not correlate with Duvall's).

The 29-year-old is hitting .274 with six extra-base hits with a home run, 10 RBIs and a .718 OPS in 38 games this season.

I'd be very confident in saying that after seeing the video -- and being about five feet away when it was taken -- he'll remain in his current role. Tapia used an outfielder glove and only took a few grounders before going back to his normal pre-game routine. 

Not only is Tapia far from the ideal build and player to move to first base, he certainly did not act as if he was learning a new position before the game. Anyone that jumped to conclusions about this video can exhale.

More MLB: Red Sox Catcher Elects Free Agency In Effort To Make MLB Roster Elsewhere


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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