- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 1,129,325
- Reaction score
- 59
You must be registered for see images attach
BOSTON — Caleb Durbin is not in the Red Sox starting lineup Wednesday for the sixth time in the past nine games.
It was only a matter of time before he got relegated to a bench role. The 26-year-old third baseman is batting .163 with a .241 on-base percentage and .238 slugging percentage in 48 games (164 plate appearances) during his first season with Boston.
Is it now only a matter of time before he’s optioned to Triple-A Worcester? How will he fix his swing here if he’s not playing?
“You’re not going to get out of a slump if you’re not playing,” Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy said. “It’s not something we’ve ventured too far into right now. I look at it right now as our whole process is like, ‘How do we create offense?’”
Tracy is playing Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Nick Sogard over Durbin because they give Boston a better chance to score runs.
Kiner-Falefa has seven hits, including a homer and two doubles, in his past 13 at-bats. Sogard is 8 for 27 (.296) with a .406 on-base percentage since he got promoted from Worcester.
“Izzy has stepped in really since Kansas City, the quality of his at-bats has been very good,” Tracy said. “You guys have seen Sogie’s at-bats. They’ve been very good. So when we find the right matchups, we’re trying to get those people involved to get kickstarted and get some runs on the board.”
Durbin told MassLive last week that a potential demotion to the minors hasn’t been on his mind.
“That stuff’s out of my hands,” he said.
“At the end of the day, I want to be here,” Durbin added. “I want to be in the fight with these guys. I’m happy to be a Red Sox, and I’m confident that moving forward, it will turn eventually. But it’s like you want it to turn right now.”
But with limited playing time, Durbin faces an uphill battle to turn it in the right direction.
If the Red Sox were to option Durbin, Nate Eaton would be a top candidate to take his spot.
- BETTING: For Thursday’s contest against the Braves, Red Sox moneyline is listed at +120 on BetMGM. Our comprehensive BetMGM Sportsbook review shows you how to navigate through their app.
Eaton played an important role down the stretch in the regular season for the 2025 Red Sox. He went 24-for-81 (.296 batting average) with a .348 on-base percentage in 41 games. He then went 2 for 5 in the AL Wild Card Series against the Yankees.
He has a .813 OPS in 44 games for Worcester this season.
But all of Eaton’s reps in games this year have come in the outfield. He has played plenty of shortstop, third base and second base in past seasons but the Red Sox have been surprisingly reluctant to play him in the infield this season.
Tracy was asked if the Sox are now considering it with Durbin struggling and shortstop Trevor Story sidelined after undergoing surgery to repair a sports hernia.
“I will tell you, when I was down there, even though Nate was playing all outfield, he was doing a lot of ground ball work in between,” Tracy said. “So there are days if there’s just basic ground ball work in the outfield, Nate will come in and take ground balls in the infield. So while he’s not playing games there right now, he has been doing work on the dirt in the infield in between. But we haven’t ventured down that far yet.”
More Red Sox coverage
- Former Red Sox ace ‘just as shocked as everybody’ by Alex Cora’s firing
- Red Sox might be seeing the ‘ceiling’ of key youngster who has thwarted fatal flaw so far
- Red Sox rookie becoming ‘absolute dog’ after he had to ‘grow up pretty quick’
- Red Sox give ominous update on Garrett Whitlock’s knee injury after Wednesday’s win
- Red Sox injuries: What are the next steps for Roman Anthony, Garrett Crochet as homestand ends?
Read the original article on MassLive. Add MassLive as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Continue reading...
