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Red Sox have the ‘fastest DH in the league’ for opener; but how will Alex Cora divvy it up?
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- Red Sox have the ‘fastest DH in the league’ for opener; but how will Alex Cora divvy it up?
CINCINNATI — Speedster Jarren Duran joked early in spring training about the possibility of receiving time in the DH spot this season.
“I’d be the fastest DH in the league, so that’s a start,” Duran said .
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Duran will serve as the designated hitter in the regular season opener between the Red Sox and Reds at Great American Ball Park on Thursday. Meanwhile, Roman Anthony will start in left field.
Boston has five outfielders, including Masataka Yoshida , for only four spots — the three outfield positions and DH.
Ceddanne Rafaela is a Gold Glove center fielder and Wilyer Abreu is a Gold Glove right fielder. So they will be out in the outfield regularly, not rotating through the DH spot. That leaves Anthony and Duran rotating between DH and left field.
Anthony is an everyday player. Duran sat against some left-handed starters last year.
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“I tell the boys to pick a paper from a hat,” manager Alex Cora joked about deciding who plays DH and left field on a given day. “Nah, we’ll see how it plays out. I don’t want Roman to become a DH. I don’t want JD to become a DH.”
Cora said he plans to use Duran in center field and Anthony in left field on days when Rafaela is not starting. He will use Duran in left field and Anthony in right field when Abreu doesn’t start.
“And then we have to mix in Masa,” Cora said. “So I know it’s going to be a topic throughout 162-plus (games) and I respect that. But there’s nothing behind it analytic-wise, information-wise. They’re really good at what they do, all of them. So taking care of them physically is very important. Throughout the seasons, (Abreu) hasn’t been able to post every day. JD has been able to do that. Ceddanne towards the end of the season has tailed off. So having five is going to help us to make sure everybody’s fresh when it matters.”
Yoshida — who has started just five games in the outfield the past two seasons — played 27 innings in left field during the WBC, something manager Cora highlighted as a positive for the Red Sox . He showed he’s capable of playing out there occasionally.
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