The Red Sox have enjoyed a successful start to their 2023 season.
Boston is off to a roaring start compared to its expectations entering the season, and while there are plenty of reasons for that, depth is certainly toward the top of the list. The Red Sox at any given point could be seven deep in their rotation, which has led to stronger bullpen performances night in and night out to help get to the ultimate goal of watching Kenley Jansen do his thing in the ninth inning.
The offense has been even more impressive, with newcomers like Masataka Yoshida and Justin Turner deepening a lineup that already had Rafael Devers, Alex Verdugo and Kiké Hernández. There has been a revolving door at one position, however: second base.
The Red Sox have seen five men make a start at second base after news of Trevor Story's injury left them scrambling to find a full-time replacement in spring training. The likes of Christian Arroyo, Yu Chang, Hernández, Enmanuel Valdez, Pablo Reyes have all gotten starts, and each performed well when called upon. The same goes for shortstop.
That's why there's no rush for Adalberto Mondesi to get back.
"We haven't talked about it yet," Red Sox manager Alex Cora said when asked about a potential rehab assignment, per Christopher Smith of MassLive. "It's the whole back and forth of how he feels, how he's progressing. There's going to be good days and bad days. So we've just gotta make sure when the bad days happen, it's 'Hey, you're fine. Structurally, you're good. This is just part of the process. Be patient and we keep moving on.' "
If you've forgotten about Mondesi, we don't blame you. The Red Sox acquired the 27-year-old in a trade with the Kansas City Royals this winter, but placed him on the 60-day injured list as he recovered from a torn ACL suffered during the 2022 season. In the near year since the injury, Mondesi has slowly ramped up but is not ready to begin an official return.
"I believe so," Cora said, per Smith. "What feels right. He's so explosive. Right now, he is explosive but not at the level he used to (be). Maybe that's where it's kind of like holding him back. But he was here. MRIs and all that stuff. Structure great. (He's) progressing well. Now it's kind of like, just keep pushing, pushing, pushing and see where it takes (us)."
