Red Sox: Will Mitch Moreland be available for Opening Day?
By Sean Penney
The Boston Red Sox will have quite a quandary on their hands if Mitch Moreland isn’t ready to play first base by Opening Day.
Who will play first base for the Boston Red Sox on Opening Day? The answer to that is currently a mystery.
Mitch Moreland, the presumed primary first baseman, has been sent back to Boston with the flu. While his quarantine isn’t expected to keep him away from the team for long, it does put his availability for Opening Day in jeopardy with only a handful of days left before the season begins.
It’s unlikely that Moreland will remain sick long enough to warrant a stint on the disabled list, so if he does miss any time at the beginning of the season then his replacement will need to be someone already on the 25-man roster. Unfortunately, the Red Sox are short on appealing options.
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Hanley Ramirez hasn’t played first base all spring due to shoulder soreness that bothers him when he throws. He’ll be in the lineup as the designated hitter, but it’s unclear when or if he’ll be able to play in the field this season. If Moreland is still out, Hanley probably can’t be counted on to fill in at first base.
Josh Rutledge saw some time at first in camp and would have been a prime candidate to fill in at the position if needed, until a hamstring injury took him out of the running. He’s expected to open the season on the DL, leaving the Red Sox scrambling for other options.
The Red Sox could turn to Brock Holt to cover first. His versatility allows him to play almost any position, including first base. However, he’s only played 15 career games at the position, none of which came last season. The limited pop in his bat also isn’t ideal for that position, even if it’s only a short-term solution.
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Moving Pablo Sandoval across the diamond to cover first so that Holt can play third, where he has much more experience, could potentially improve the infield defense. While Sandoval has played first base before, manager John Farrell stated that he isn’t considering shifting him to another position. Considering the Panda missed almost all of last season, keeping him at the position he’s most comfortable seems like a wise decision.
The final bench spots on the roster are likely to come down to Steve Selsky, Marco Hernandez and Deven Marrero, all of whom could conceivably provide a short-term fill in at first base.
"“Selsky is another guy that even though he’s been optioned out, he’s a guy we’re having discussions on,” Farrell said, per the Boston Herald’s Jason Mastrodonato. “Any guy in our camp that we feel is going to make us a more complete or balanced roster — Deven Marrero — they’re all in consideration.”"
Fans may see this as an opportunity for spring stud Sam Travis to get a shot, but don’t count on it. He’s not on the 40-man roster and the Red Sox won’t cut someone else to make room for him for a few days while Moreland recovers. The promising prospect will get his chance soon enough, while in the meantime he could use some more seasoning at the Triple-A level after his 2016 season was cut short by injury.
The Red Sox will have some options if Moreland is ruled out for Opening Day, although none of them would call first base their natural position.
Next: What should the lineup look like on Opening Day?
Hopefully Moreland can shake the flu bug over the next few days so that he’ll be ready to roll on Monday when the Red Sox host the Pittsburgh Pirates to kick off the 2017 season.