Red Sox's Middle Infield Issues Exacerbated By White Sox Adding All-Star Shortstop

Boston is running out of middle infield options

Scott Neville | Feb 20, 2023

Red Sox's Middle Infield Issues Exacerbated By White Sox Adding All-Star Shortstop /

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Entering the weekend, the Boston Red Sox's middle infield options were far from reliable but there was at least a promising option in free agency to bolster the group.

Fans hoping Boston would make a notable addition before the season begins took a tough blow Sunday night.

Shortstop Elvis Andrus is re-signing with the Chicago White Sox on a one-year, $3 million deal after a long bout on the free-agent market the team announced.

Andrus was the best middle infielder on the market by a wide margin and would have been a strong fit for the Red Sox.

The 34-year-old two-time All-Star hit .249 with 49 extra-base hits including 17 home runs, 58 RBIs and a .707 OPS in 149 games between the Oakland Athletics and White Sox last season.

With Andrus out of the picture, it's starting to feel more and more likely that the Red Sox are content with their current group -- a massive mistake in my opinion.

Boston currently has utility man Kiké Hernández slotted as the Opening Day starting shortstop and Christian Arroyo taking over at second base for the injured Trevor Story.

The only other middle infielder expected to crack the 26-man roster is Yu Chang -- a recently re-signed middle infielder that had some draft pedigree but has yet to pan out.

The 27-year-old journeyman hit .208 with 10 extra-base hits including four home runs, 15 RBIs, a jarring 59-to-16 strikeout-to-walk ratio and a .605 OPS in 69 games last season between the Cleveland Guardians, Pittsburgh Pirates, Tampa Bay Rays and Red Sox.

The Red Sox added intriguing speedster Adalberto Mondesí in a notable trade last month but he's expected to miss some time with a torn ACL he suffered last April.

Top prospect and versatile rising star Ceddanne Rafaela can play shortstop but he's almost certainly going to spend at least the first half of the season in Triple-A Worcester.

The only other middle infield candidates on the 40-man roster are Enmanuel Valdez and David Hamilton -- neither of whom are ready for Major League Baseball.

Boston still has time to add before the season kicks off but is running out of capable candidates to make the team. José Iglesias would be the most logical addition at this point but there has yet to be any report of interest by either side.

If the team stands as it is, Chang will receive regular playing time. Hernández missed 69 games last season. Arroyo and Mondesí are two of the most injury-prone players in baseball. The ladder is already injured.

A full season of Hernández and Arroyo is not nearly as strong on paper as Xander Bogaerts and Story from a season ago but they'd still be a solid duo if healthy for a full season. The issue is the depth behind them and the mounting injury concerns.

The Red Sox entered 2022 with high expectations that were quickly erased by an overwhelming amount of injuries to key players. If they do not add another serviceable middle infielder, they would be begging for the same thing to occur again.

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Published Feb 20, 2023

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