Red Sox Embracing Versatility, Set To Deploy Funky Defense

If there’s one way to make Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora happy, it’s by allowing him to deploy versatile defensive alignments.

He’s about to be very happy.

The Red Sox are getting funky on defense after the All-Star break, with Cora telling reporters Friday that Pablo Reyes would be seeing time in centerfield upon his return from the injured list as Boston looks to get as versatile as possible on the defensive side.

“(Reyes) hasn’t played center in a while,” Cora said. “I talked to (Red Sox general manager Brian O’Halloran and chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom) and said it would be good for him to play center. We haven’t played him (in centerfield) up here and versatility is one of the things we really like about him. The opportunity to play center field is going to help us.”

Reyes hasn’t played in center since joining the Red Sox but has made 122 starts in the outfield over the course of his big league career.

“We’ll move him around off the bench.”

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Red Sox manager Alex Cora on Kiké Hernandez

The news of Reyes’ move came on the same day that Cora made waves by starting Justin Turner at second base — the 38-year-old’s first start at the position since Sept. 6, 2015. That raised questions about where Kiké Hernandez might play when he slots into the lineup, with Cora providing a foreseen answer.

“We’ll move him around off the bench,” Cora said. “Maybe we’ll start him on Sunday. I don’t know about the rotation in Oakland. … but we’ll find a way to use him.”

Hernandez has struggled in 2023, both offensively and defensively. The Red Sox have chosen to take him off shortstop, and with Jarren Duran’s emergence and Reyes’ move, there isn’t a spot for him in center field as Boston comes out of the All-Star break. Yu Chang, Christian Arroyo and Adam Duvall also need at-bats, which leaves Hernandez in a bench role moving forward.

The Red Sox also expect to see the return of Trevor Story at some point over the second half, which could eventually push one or two of the names listed above off the roster. In improving defensively and having the versatility to move pieces around, Boston can play the matchups offensively without worrying about compromising its defense.

That’s good news, but the Red Sox will soon have a few tough decisions to make as they gear up for a run at the postseason.