With the addition of Alex Bregman, the Boston Red Sox have officially entered their playoff run window. Manager Alex Cora has the pieces needed to build a World Series lineup, but the infield alignment is yet unclear.
The Sox should experiment to create an infield that balances offense and defense while keeping the clubhouse happy. Rafael Devers’ determination to stay at the hot corner doesn’t make Cora’s job easier, and infield prospect Kristian Campbell adds another layer of complexity. For the Red Sox to succeed, Cora needs to be willing to shift the infield around. Having a go-to lineup for every occasion will make position placements much easier.
We’ll keep the rest of the lineup consistent with Connor Wong at catcher, Trevor Story at shortstop, and last year’s starting outfield Jarren Duran, Ceddanne Rafaela, and Wilyer Abreu in the seven, eight, and nine spots. Here are the best infield and designated hitter combinations that’ll give the Sox the best results for different needs.
3 potential Red Sox infield alignments to suit different needs
Best overall: Triston Casas (1B), Alex Bregman (2B), Rafael Devers (3B), Masataka Yoshida (DH)
This combination caters to everyone’s comfort. Casas and Yoshida don’t need to learn anything new, and Devers gets his wish of staying at third base, the only position he has any real experience with. Bregman is the only one who’d change positions, but at least he’d return somewhere familiar to him. Although he’s only played nine games at the top of the infield, he’s never recorded an error there.
With additional spring training reps, Bregman should be fine — and even excel — at second base. If he can bring the same caliber of defense he has at third base to second, the Sox’s infield will be scary.
Best hitting: Rafael Devers (1B), Kristian Campbell (2B), Alex Bregman (3B), Triston Casas (DH)
Adding Campbell’s bat and subtracting Yoshida’s bat brings pop to the infield. Campbell posted a .330 batting average and 20 home runs in 115 minor league games last year. Removing Yoshida preserves Casas’ power. Casas has a higher home run ceiling, making him more valuable at the plate than Yoshida. Bregman’s presence dilutes Casas’ consistency issues.
Putting Devers at first base keeps him conditioned and takes advantage of his powerful lefty swing. He wouldn’t be happy, but at least he would stay out of the dugout for half the game and would likely have better fielding statistics.