One of the perks of the Caleb Durbin trade was getting a versatile chess piece in Andruw Monasterio. The 28-year-old gives the Boston Red Sox added flexibility and insurance thanks to his ability to play all over the infield.
Now, though, we've learned that Alex Cora has a different plan for Monasterio. The skipper wants him to get work in the outfield. Confused? So are we. If there's any place that the Red Sox don't need help, it's out on the grass.
What is the plan here? Is he an insurance policy to the insurance policy's insurance policy? Or is there something afoot?
Alex Cora and the Red Sox could find a better way to use Andruw Monasterio than adding to the outfield glut
Trading an outfielder at this juncture is very unlikely. Even if we hadn't passed the likely window for a trade until the deadline action heats up in July, Craig Breslow has made it abundantly clear that he never had any interest in trading from his stockpile.
— Drew Dwan (@AndrewDwanMLB) April 1, 2026
So while not impossible, it doesn't seem like flexing up Monasterio's versatility — he's played a total of four career innings in the outfield — to facilitate a deadline deal is likely.
The most probable cause of the request is simply to get Monasterio ready for the task should a need arise. For the most part, the former Brewer's best asset is his versatility, so the way to maximize his value is to lean into that.
A better use of Monasterio's talents would be to get a steady diet of middle-infield reps and have him overtake Isiah Kiner-Falefa as Marcelo Mayer's platoon partner. Kiner-Falefa is a career .250/.310/.332 hitter against southpaws, and actually performs better against righties. Monasterio is the superior option against lefties with a .255/.352/.375 line.
Offensively, Monasterio still pales in comparison to the Red Sox's other outfielders, and likely wouldn't be a better defender than any of them either due to his lack of experience. Even Masataka Yoshida might be a better defensive option, as he showed off some surprising chops during the World Baseball Classic.
All in all, more options, even redundant ones, are never a bad thing. Still, if Monasterio is going to be on the big league roster, then it makes sense to have him focus on the things that can allow him to make the greatest positive impact for the club. That means working as a platoon partner for Mayer and providing depth in the infield rather than being the sixth-string outfielder.