Red Sox have new plan for recently-demoted player after 2024 struggles

The Boston Red Sox have an excess of prospects who belong in the middle infield. Unfortunately for Enmanuel Valdez, he doesn't rank among the best of them.

Valdez hopes to make it back to the major leagues for the Red Sox, though, and his coaches have a plan to give him a better shot to stick with the big-league club.

The WooSox will shuffle Valdez around the field to increase his defensive versatility and repertoire of abilities. Worcester's manager, Chad Tracy, admitted to feeling more confident mixing up Valdez's defensive positioning than in seasons past — the infielder's arm and instincts are far superior than they were when he first arrived in Boston's system.

The Red Sox have tried this plan before. The WooSox gave Bobby Dalbec over 300 innings in the outfield last season in hopes that upping his defensive versatility would give him a better chance to stay in the big leagues.

Red Sox plan to turn Enmanuel Valdez into a more versatile utility player

Dalbec did not get an inning in the outfield in his 22 games with the Red Sox so far. Boston was in desperate need of infield help and had a surplus of outfielders, which may be why Dalbec didn't get to flex his outfield defense muscles. Ceddanne Rafaela, Rob Refsnyder, Jarren Duran, Tyler O'Neill and Wilyer Abreu have each played well in the pastures and they all surpass Dalbec offensively.

The Red Sox also expect Roman Anthony and Miguel Bleis to be MLB-ready by 2025 and 2026, respectively. Shifting players to the outfield to get them playing time is a temporary solution to a bigger problem.

But Valdez is ready to try and make it back to the majors. The 25-year-old said he's willing to put in the work to make the transition into a super utility player and he'll be at the ballpark bright and early to be as prepared as possible.

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