There's plenty of uncertainty about what the Red Sox's lineup will look like next year, but we know a few members of Boston's 2023 starting nine with certainty.
Trevor Story will be a fixture in the infield, as the two-time All-Star signed a six-year contract with the Red Sox a few weeks before the start of the campaign. Another lineup mainstay will be Kiké Hernández, who finalized a one-year extension with Boston on Tuesday.
Hernández all but surely will be the Red Sox's starting center fielder next season, but that's not the position where the versatile veteran is most comfortable. The 31-year-old actually feels most at home at second base, a preference he relayed to reporters Tuesday.
"Obviously I would love it if they moved Trevor (Story) to center and I played second, but obviously that's not gonna go like that," Hernández jokingly told the media. "I still say that my favorite position is in the lineup one way or another. If I can find my way in the lineup, I don't really care that much.
"I like playing every day. The only difference for me playing in one spot is that it puts me in a position where if I do well, I can potentially win a Gold Glove. After experiencing last year, to me winning is the most important thing and I want to win in Boston."
While the Red Sox never would consider it, the uber-athletic Story probably could make for a more-than-capable center fielder.
Hernández, Story and the Red Sox will try to avoid a three-game sweep at hands of the Rays on Wednesday. NESN's full coverage of the series finale begins at 5:30 p.m. ET.
