How Shohei Ohtani Would Fit Into Red Sox’s Lineup If Boston Signed Star

Shohei Ohtani is a generational superstar who will change the competitive complexion of wherever he signs in free agency. Could that be with the Boston Red Sox?

The Red Sox are, at the very least, in the running for the two-way player as he fields offers after his first Major League Baseball stop with the Los Angeles Angels. Wherever he goes, Ohtani offers a massive bat in the middle of the lineup and could offer quality innings as early as 2025 as he recovers from Tommy John surgery.

With his pitching prowess on hold for the 2024 season, offense is the emphasis of the early part of Ohtani’s eventual contract. With the bat, how would he fit in with the Red Sox?

Despite three losing seasons in four years, Boston still offers a quality offense with capable hitters. The group ranked No. 9 in baseball last season in OPS (.748) and first in doubles (339). Rafael Devers, Triston Casas and Masataka Yoshida lead the way as run-producers while Jarren Duran can spark the top of the lineup with speed.

Justin Turner and Adam Duvall played larger roles last season, though their futures with the Red Sox are uncertain as they too enter free agency.

If the season were to start right now and Ohtani joined Boston, here is a potential Red Sox lineup with the Japanese superstar:

1. Jarren Duran, CF
2. Rafael Devers, 3B
3. Shohei Ohtani, DH
4. Triston Casas, 1B
5. Trevor Story, SS
6. Masataka Yoshida, LF
7. Alex Verdugo, RF
8. Pablo Reyes, 2B
9. Connor Wong, C

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Overall, a solid group. Though, there looks to be one problem: The group is far too left-handed heavy. Story, Reyes and Wong would be the only right-handed bats in this hypothetical lineup. If that’s the biggest problem in this scenario, however, the Red Sox can make it work for a dominant star in Ohtani.

With a deeper look at his impact, Ohtani could further elevate Devers, serving as quality protection behind the Red Sox slugger and takes the weight off of being the central threat of the offense.

Ohtani also adds some serious thump to the offense as a hitter who has averaged over 40 home runs per year over the last three seasons. The Red Sox ranked No. 18 in baseball in 2023 with 182 homers while Ohtani led the sport with 44 of his own.

There is zero question that Ohtani greatly improves the Boston lineup if he were to sign with the Red Sox. This would cause an outfield shuffle as Yoshida would remain in the outfield instead of a potential shift to designated hitter. Boston would also need to get creative with one or more right-handed additions to balance a group of mostly left-handed bats.

Ultimately, while some slight adjustments would be necessary as a result, Ohtani adds a unique depth to the Red Sox lineup as a powerful hitter as a centerpiece of the offense.