With injuries mounting, Red Sox assessing backup options at first base
PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. — When the Red Sox acquired Willson Contreras this past December, they did so with the expectation that he’ll start at first base pretty much every day.
But on the days where Contreras isn’t available, the club could be in a bit of a bind.
With Romy Gonzalez and Triston Casas both working their way back from injuries and unlikely to be ready for Opening Day, the Red Sox do not have an obvious backup first base candidate.
Recognizing that, manager Alex Cora expects to give several others a shot in the coming weeks to see who acclimates themselves best.
“I think where we’re at right now with Romy and Casas, they’re behind, so we have to take a look at who can do that and just be ready for the opening series,” Cora said.
The first man up appears to be Nick Sogard, who has played 13 of his 69 career MLB games at first but only nine games across six seasons in the minors. Sogard subbed in for Contreras in each of Boston’s first two Grapefruit League games and got the start at first Monday in Port Charlotte.
“He’s a good baseball player. He’s versatile, offensively he keeps getting better, if you look at his numbers in Triple-A he was able to control the strike zone,” Cora said, adding that Sogard did a good job putting on muscle in the offseason. “He’s really good and as you can see in our roster, there’s not too many guys with experience at first base.”
In addition to Sogard, Cora also identified Andruw Monasterio and Isiah Kiner-Falefa as guys who could potentially factor into the first base equation. Monasterio has appeared in 20 MLB games at first, and Kiner-Falefa has never played first base despite appearing at every other position — including pitcher and catcher — during his eight-year career.
Injury updates
In addition to Gonzalez, Cora provided two additional injury updates. Left-hander Tyler Samaniego was shut down last week with a tight back but is scheduled to throw a bullpen on Tuesday. Cora said his injury is “nothing serious.” Right-hander Hobie Harris, a non-roster invitee, has also been shut down with forearm soreness.
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