Alex Cora Sees Progress With Red Sox Infield Defense

Defense has been a rollercoaster discussion for the Boston Red Sox in 2023.

While players such as Alex Verdugo and Trevor Story consistently make legitimate plays, the team as a whole has struggled and leads the American League in errors.

Despite Tuesday’s 6-4 loss to the Texas Rangers, Alex Cora saw strides from his ballclub, particularly in the infield. Rafael Devers has had inconsistencies at third base in 2023, but the Boston manager has seen better work from the 26-year-old as of late.

“They’ve been good, especially the last two or three weeks,” Cora told reporters, as seen on NESN’s postgame coverage. “That’s what we expect. (Devers), not only offensively but defensively has made some subtle adjustments.”

Story returned to the Red Sox during the summer after undergoing offseason elbow surgery. His impact on the defense instantly added stability to the Red Sox infield. Cora sees the role that Story has in helping his left side partner in Devers develop defensively.

They’re getting used to each other,” Cora explained. “This is a different kind of shortstop. That’s probably something that will benefit Raffy (Devers). The communication factor you see during the game. They just talk the whole time and it’s about defense. It’s a good learning experience for Raffy. Hopefully, we can continue to play defense the way we have been playing, especially on that side of the field and finish the season strong.”

The Red Sox wrap up their three-game series against the Rangers on Wednesday afternoon from Globe Life Field. First pitch is scheduled for 2:05 p.m. ET, and you can watch the game, plus an hour of pregame coverage, on NESN.