The Boston Red Sox went on an infield depth addition spree as spring training inched closer. The day many Red Sox pitchers and catchers reported to Fenway South at Fort Myers, fans learned why.
Multiple local sources on February 9 reported that utility infielder Romy Gonzalez has dealt with shoulder pain for much of the offseason. He injured his left shoulder late last season, it healed some in the first weeks of the winter, then he experienced a setback in January that is still causing him pain.
Gonzalez is behind many of the other participants already at spring training, but he hopes to be ready to play before Opening Day (subscription required). His injury explains some of the Red Sox's latest offseason moves.
Boston still needed an infielder, in general, after Alex Bregman's departure in free agency — adding Willson Contreras alone didn't make the offense any better. From February 4-9, the Red Sox signed Isiah Kiner-Falefa, then traded with the Milwaukee Brewers to add three more infielders: Caleb Durbin, Andruw Monasterio and Anthony Seigler.
Romy Gonzalez's injury status may have led to some of Red Sox's many sudden infield additions
The Red Sox only gained two infielders in the Durbin deal, however, since one of the three players it sent to Milwaukee was David Hamilton. Monasterio is a one-for-one upgrade over Hamilton and doesn't contribute to the sudden surplus of infielders on the roster.
Gonzalez's injury sheds some light on the Kiner-Falefa signing. Before that addition, some MLB insiders guessed that the Red Sox would platoon Gonzalez and Hamilton at second base. With Hamilton out of the picture, Kiner-Falefa could've taken the job. Durbin or Marcelo Mayer are options, as well, and the other could take third base.
But that still leaves Boston's infield in a precarious situation. Mayer and Trevor Story have experienced frequent injuries in recent years, and losing one or both of them when Gonzalez is healing would be devastating on both sides of the ball. Offensively, Gonzalez and Story were two of thew only righty bats on the team all offseason. Kiner-Falefa, Durbin and Monasterio are all righties and make solid infield injury insurance.
Defensively, Mayer and Story are supposed to hold the infield together. Hamilton and Gonzalez have previously served as backups for them. Now, Kiner-Falefa and Durbin fill the role of defensively-sound replacements.
It's unfortunate to hear that Gonzalez may still be working through his injury by Opening Day, especially after his excellent season last year and his dominance against lefty pitchers (he slashed .331/.378/.600 with a .978 OPS against them last season). At least the Red Sox finally have the capable depth they need to work around Gonzalez's injury for now.