Headlines were made early in Red Sox spring training about who would start at third base, but those close to the organization aren’t concerned.
Alex Bregman established himself as one of baseball’s top third basemen throughout his nine-year stint with the Houston Astros. The veteran is versatile enough to play second base, and that appeared to be his best fit in Boston. Rafael Devers clarified that he preferred to play third base and not DH.
Manager Alex Cora and Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow did not seem disturbed about Devers’ forthright statements. Bregman and his Red Sox colleagues were unconcerned about the alleged controversy. David Ortiz, a franchise legend, also shared his thoughts on the situation.
“Well, we’ll see how the organization deals with it because, as you know, we have Rafael Devers over there who has been our third baseman for a long time. And then you have another great third baseman like Bregman, and you need to have both of them in the lineup,” Ortiz told NESN’s Tom Caron. “We have a long spring training ahead. Hopefully, the organization and the players get to be on the same page, and the problem gets solved by Opening Day. And the most important thing is that everybody is happy with whatever we’re going to have to deal with moving forward.”
Bregman mostly started at third base in Boston’s Grapefruit League action, but that’s primarily due to Rafael Devers working his way into the lineup. Cora noted nothing was definitive with the Opening Day lineup and those questions likely will be answered until then.
