BOSTON — After a long few days at the ballpark this weekend, the Boston Red Sox had optional infield work prior to Sunday’s game. In a nearly empty ballpark two hours before first pitch, two players took grounders with infield coach José Flores: Marcelo Mayer and Kristian Campbell. Neither player was set up as his natural position. Flores hit ground balls to Mayer at third base as Mayer fired across the diamond to Campbell at first base.
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Such is the team’s current reality, as they look to make all the different parts fit together while missing two of their top infielders, Alex Bregman and Triston Casas.
During the drills, Mayer, who’d played just six professional games at third base in Double A and Triple A before his big-league debut at the hot corner on Saturday, short-hopped a throw to Campbell, who’s yet to play a professional game at first.
Campbell made a nice pick on the play and the coaching staff and a handful of fans watching let out loud cheers. Campbell, who is learning the position on the fly, enthusiastically spiked the ball in mock celebration.
It’s not how the Red Sox envisioned working two of their top prospects into their everyday lineup, but it’s what the current situation has dictated in the wake of Bregman’s severe quad injury and Casas’ season-ending knee surgery.
The injuries have brought on a youth movement, of sorts, in the Red Sox infield. On Sunday, Mayer started at third again, Campbell at second and Carlos Narváez at catcher, marking three rookies on the infield. Second-year player David Hamilton started at short in place of the struggling Trevor Story. Journeyman Abraham Toro was the only infielder in the lineup in the series finale against the Baltimore Orioles with more than two years service time.
“Every day is going to be something different, probably,” manager Alex Cora said. “We’ll mix and match and maximize the roster.”
The Red Sox lost Sunday’s game, 5-1, splitting the four-game set with the Orioles. Mayer collected his first two hits — a single and a double — and scored his first run. He once again moved from third base to shortstop later in the game when Nick Sogard pinch-hit for Hamilton in the seventh and stayed in the game at third base. Both Mayer and Hamilton were charged with errors.
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There figures to be plenty of movement in the Red Sox infield for the next several weeks. Mayer, a natural shortstop, and Campbell, a second baseman and outfielder, will be moving around the infield like most of their teammates. Cora noted Mayer is likely to see a majority of his innings at third base going forward, but he’ll also see time at second and short. Campbell had started to take reps at first base when Casas got hurt as a way to further expand his versatility. He could make his official debut at first within the next few series.
Campbell backhands a ball at second while Mayer looks on from short in the eighth inning on Saturday night. (Bob DeChiara / Imagn Images)
With the Red Sox planning to leave Rafael Devers at designated hitter, the rest of the roster will be a jigsaw puzzle Cora will piece together on a daily basis based on pitching match-ups and player strengths.
The defensive positioning won’t be the only tricky aspect of Cora’s job as he fills out his lineup card each day. He will also have to find a way to balance a lineup that already leaned heavily towards left-handed hitters even before the team lost their top right-handed hitter (Bregman), replacing him with another left-handed bat (Mayer).
On Sunday, the Red Sox led off with three left-handed hitters — Jarren Duran, Devers and Wilyer Abreu. Abreu was in the three-hole where Bregman had been hitting. Narváez, a right-handed hitter who’s been crushing the ball with an .835 OPS, was moved up from the bottom of the order to the cleanup spot.
“That’s going to be tricky,” Cora said of the lineup balance. “Like I told (Rob Refsnyder) this morning, we’re back to everybody ready from the fifth inning on. You saw it (Saturday), we will do it. We’ll mix and match. Obviously, Jarren, Raffy, Wily, they’re going to get their at-bats, right? But besides that, just mix and match and see how it goes.”
Story’s right-handed bat could offer some balance to the lineup, but his production has been almost non-existent outside of a small stretch in April. Coming into Sunday, over his last 28 games, Story was hitting just .126 (14-for-111). He may sit during Monday’s matinee in Milwaukee, too.
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“Disconnect him today, maybe tomorrow, and keep working,” Cora said. “It’s not a lack of working. It’s been a lot. Maybe just back off and watch the game from a different perspective, not to think about the game plan or go out there and compete and just relax and clear your mind. Hopefully that benefits him.”
Cora said when Story is out, he’ll play Hamilton at short, Campbell at second and Mayer at third. Toro and Nick Sogard can also play third base, but Cora wants to give Mayer reps at the spot to see how he handles it with the realization that, like Campbell, Mayer is going to have a learning curve adjusting to the majors.
“He did an outstanding job trying to slow it down,” Cora said of Mayer’s debut. “One thing I told him, enjoy it. Doesn’t matter the result, 0-for-4 with four strikeouts or 4-for-4 with four home runs. Just enjoy it, you’re a big leaguer. Nobody’s going to take that away from you. … He loves the game. We met a little bit today to go over a few things, and he’s excited about the opportunity.”
As for Bregman, he’ll remain in Boston to receive treatment on the quad during the Red Sox road trip to Milwaukee and Atlanta. Cora noted that even on the IL, Bregman will find a way to help a young team.
“You saw it yesterday in the dugout, he’s locked in,” Cora said. “He got here today at 8:15 so nothing’s gonna change. I bet he’s gonna have his group chats and send scouting reports and what he sees. This guy’s a baseball freak. He loves it. He loves it, and he’ll find a way to contribute even when he’s on the IL.”
The Red Sox will need all the help they can get.
(Top photo of Mayer in his debut: Winslow Townson / Getty Images)
This news was originally published on this post .
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