Franchy Cordero Starting At First Base For WooSox Vs. Lehigh Valley

When the Worcester Red Sox announced their lineup for Wednesday’s game against the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, they buried the lede a little bit.

Sure, it’s impressive that Raynel Espinal, who is getting the start, has won his last seven outings, but there was another interesting roster note. Check out who is starting at first base for Worcester:

Franchy Cordero, who came to Boston as an outfielder in the trade that sent Andrew Benintendi to the Kansas City Royals, will make his first professional start at first base.

It’s not an entirely surprising move. He was spotted at the bag during batting practice last week, and Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom praised Cordero’s versatility.

While he hasn’t suited up at first base professionally, he’s no stranger to the infield. He was a shortstop coming through the San Diego Padres organization, but hasn’t played a Major League Baseball game on the dirt.

In 34 games for the Red Sox this season, he primarily served as the left fielder. But his offense wasn’t there, and after he slashed .178/.228/.274 and struck out 37 times, he was demoted to Worcester.

It’s been a different story for Cordero with the WooSox. Through 27 games, he is batting .385 with 24 RBIs and six home runs. But while the bat is back, it may not be enough to put Cordero back where he started.

The Red Sox have consistent weapons on the grass in Alex Verdugo, Kiké Hernández and Hunter Renfroe, all of whom also perform at the plate.

That means the only clear opening would be if Cordero were to work alongside Bobby Dalbec at first. Dalbec has slightly improved upon the hitting slump he found himself in last month, but he continues to struggle against right-handed pitchers.

If Cordero can get control at his new position, that could pave a path back to the big leagues for the 26-year-old.