Major League Baseball is, as always, a "what have you done for me lately" business.
The Boston Red Sox have shown many of their players that fact the hard way this season. Infielder Anthony Seigler and utility man Mickey Gasper both felt the sting of a demotion at the end of August when more established players got healthy.
At the time, Roman Anthony , Trevor Story , and Isiah Kiner-Falefa were coming back from the injured list. Now, the Red Sox are close to welcoming back All-Star first baseman Willson Contreras . And if they're judging by recent playing time, the answer to who gets sent down to Triple-A to accommodate Contreras' return seems fairly simple.
Aug 29, 2026; Bronx, New York, USA; Boston Red Sox shortstop Andruw Monasterio (32) reacts after striking out against the New York Yankees during the sixth inning at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
After playing a key role for the Red Sox for nearly the entire summer, utility infielder Andruw Monasterio has barely played at all of late. Story has reclaimed the starting shortstop job, which Monasterio enabled in part because of shaky defense, and for the last two weeks, Monasterio has only two starts under his belt.
With his red-hot second half of July, Monasterio was a major key to the Red Sox getting back into the playoff race. Not only did that earn him a healthy does of fan-favorite treatment, but it made it hard at the time to envision a scenario in which Monasterio could become the odd man out.
But looking at the rest of the infield, it doesn't seem as if Kiner-Falefa is in danger of being designated for assignment, Nick Sogard has earned the right to hit against righties, and Mickey Gasper still has the glow of his recent hot streak.
In his 30 games since Aug. 1, Monasterio sports a .208/.272/.257 slash line with no home runs in 114 plate appearances. That dropped his season OPS from .770 all the way down to .687, the difference between a standout first season with his new team and a mediocre one.
Contreras could be back on Saturday, and if this writer had to guess who he'd take the spot of, it sure looks like Monasterio would be the most logical move right now.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/red-sox/onsi as Red Sox Fan-Favorite Infielder Losing Role, Appears in Jeopardy of Demotion .
