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Alex Cora: Red Sox will ‘mix and match’ with Marcelo Mayer’s platoon partner at second base
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- Alex Cora: Red Sox will ‘mix and match’ with Marcelo Mayer’s platoon partner at second base
FORT MYERS, Fla. — Appearing on NESN in the middle of Monday’s game , Red Sox manager Alex Cora said he anticipated utility man Isiah Kiner-Falefa “most likely” serving as Marcelo Mayer ’s platoon partner against left-handed starters early in the season. On Tuesday, he walked that back some.
Speaking with reporters on the final day of spring training in Fort Myers, Cora said both Kiner-Falefa and Andruw Monasterio — who was a better hitter against lefties last season — will get playing time to spell Mayer.
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“I think it’s mix-and-match,” Cora said, before correcting himself. “I know it’s mix-and-match. It’s not, ‘I think.’"
Entering camp, the Red Sox were hopeful Romy Gonzalez , who hit .331 with a .600 slugging percentage and .978 OPS in 143 plate appearances against lefties last year, would serve as a platoon option in the infield. Gonzalez, however, was dealing with a shoulder injury that required minor surgery on March 12 and is out for at least the first two months of the season . That opened the door to increased playing time for both Kiner-Falefa and Monasterio, who were added shortly before camp started.
Monasterio, who has logged at least 42 innings at three different positions (third base, shortstop and second base) in four big league seasons with Milwaukee , is likely the superior offensive player at this stage. The 28-year-old had just 50 plate appearances against lefties last year but hit .273 with two homers, three doubles and an .837 OPS. Kiner-Falefa, the superior defender, had a poor offensive year for Pittsburgh and Toronto last year and despite being a right-handed hitter, was slightly worse against lefties. He hit just .227 with a .536 OPS in 124 plate appearances.
The Red Sox will have to decide their plan against lefties soon, with Cincinnati starting southpaws Andrew Abbott (Thursday) and Nick Lodolo (Saturday) to start the season. Another option is having Ceddanne Rafaela play some second base against southpaws but the Red Sox love his defense in center and he did not see one inning in the infield during exhibition play.
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What’s clear is that Mayer, who was 4-for-26 with 10 strikeouts in the majors last year and had a .638 OPS in Triple-A against southpaws last year, won’t play much early in the year when the opponent starts a left-hander.
“We can mix and match with Mona,” Cora said on NESN during an in-game interview that was interrupted by a Ceddanne Rafaela homer . “We’re gonna use Izzy, most likely, against lefties at second base. Mona can do the same thing. He can pinch run.”
Both infielders are versatile enough to cover all four infield positions, especially after seeing significant time at first base during spring training with the Red Sox needing backup options behind starter Willson Contreras. Kiner-Falefa is likely the primary backup to Trevor Story at shortstop with Monasterio a better option at third base behind Caleb Durbin . Both players could see outfield time in emergency situations, too, though the glut of outfielders on the roster makes that less of a pressing need.
Monasterio, who was acquired along with Durbin and Anthony Seigler on the day camp opened, won the final bench spot Monday, beating out the speedy Nate Eaton . Eaton worked exclusively in the outfield in spring training and will provide depth there at Triple-A.
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