Who will man second base for Red Sox in '25?
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BOSTON -- Who will be the starting second baseman for the Red Sox in 2025?
Boston hopes the answer will be someone who can finally give it sustained stability and production at the position.
Not only is Dustin Pedroia one of the most accomplished players in Red Sox history, but he serves as a reminder of the revolving door the club has had at his position since he stopped playing regularly due to injuries at the end of the 2017 season.
As the Sox embark on the 2025 season again facing uncertainty at second, here is a refresher on the madness that has taken place the past seven seasons.
In 2018, a World Series championship-winning season, Eduardo N¨²?ez started 70 games at second. Brock Holt took on 49 games, in addition playing other positions. Ian Kinsler was acquired in a trade at the end of July that season, and he started 35 games, plus eight more in the postseason.
Pedroia¡¯s last-ditch attempt at a comeback in ¡¯19 ended after six games, leaving the Sox in another second-base scramble. Holt, Mr. Versatility, led the group with 56 starts at second in his final season in Boston.
N¨²?ez was released in mid-July, but he got in 21 starts at second before hitting the road. Michael Chavis came onto the scene that season viewed as a top prospect, and he made 40 starts there his rookie season before fizzling out in part-time roles over the next two years. Marco Hern¨¢ndez, a utility player who never really panned out, made 29 starts.
In the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, the plan was for free-agent pickup Jos¨¦ Peraza to take over. That experiment didn¡¯t work, and Peraza started 24 of Boston¡¯s 60 games at second. The other starts were dispersed between Christian Arroyo (13), Jonathan Ara¨²z (13), Chavis (7) and Tzu-Wei Lin (3).
The Sox had a solid plan in place in 2021. Free-agent acquisition Kik¨¦ Hern¨¢ndez, known for his slick defense, was going to be the primary second baseman. The problem was that he proved to be much more valuable in center field and started just 45 games at second, which still led the club. Arroyo, who was emerging at that time with his bat and glove, started 43 games and was the mainstay during the club¡¯s surprising postseason run. Marwin Gonzalez (30) and Chavis (14) also chipped in. Jose Iglesias (14 starts after his September acquisition) was another player heard from. Nine players started at second for manager Alex Cora that season.
Trevor Story -- taking a year off from shortstop -- finally brought some excellence and stability to second base for the Red Sox in 2022, getting 92 starts at second between injuries. Arroyo was his primary fill-in with 35 starts. Does anyone else remember Yolmer S¨¢nchez starting 12 games at second that year? I don¡¯t.
On to 2023. Arroyo got the first chance, but he was underwhelming in 51 starts. Enmanuel Valdez, whose glove can best be described as shaky, was in Cora¡¯s lineup 44 times. It was another season in which Cora deployed nine players for starts at second.
And finally, for what Boston hopes marked the end of its nonstop turnover at second base, we present to you the findings from 2024. Vaughn Grissom was acquired for Chris Sale on Dec. 30, 2023, to take over second base. Grissom was injured and ineffective, making 28 starts. Valdez led the team with 56 starts. David Hamilton (28 starts) turned into a nice option, but he rotated between there and short before breaking his left index finger at the end of August. In ¡¯24, Cora started a whopping 11 players at second.
How can the position at least be solidified? Here are four options for ¡¯25.
Alex Bregman: The two-time World Series-winning veteran is a free agent seeking a deal that could reach close to $200 million. Bregman is also a third baseman, but he is willing to move to second in the right circumstance.
Gleyber Torres: The second baseman was a key cog for the Yankees in last year¡¯s postseason, and he has some pop in his bat. Torres has belted at least 24 homers in a season four times in his seven-year career.
Grissom: Boston could always go with the ¡°sort-of¡± incumbent. Cora recently said he was enthused by the offseason Grissom is having and mentioned that Grissom should get a mulligan based on the barrage of injuries he sustained that started in the offseason last year.
Kristian Campbell: One of Boston¡¯s Big Three of elite prospects, Campbell has the athleticism to play all over the diamond. If the Red Sox don¡¯t sign a second baseman, Campbell -- the club¡¯s No. 3 prospect per MLB Pipeline and No. 10 in baseball -- and Grissom might battle it out for the job in Spring Training.