Caleb Durbin was the headlining piece of the six-player deal the Boston Red Sox and Milwaukee Brewers made on February 9, but Andruw Monsterio has been the player making the biggest impression in the first few days of spring training.
The 28-year-old is a super-utility player who is putting himself in the driver's seat in the race for Romy Gonzalez's spot on the Opening Day roster. Gonzalez is dealing with a shoulder injury sustained late last season, and it is highly unlikely to be ready for Opening Day.
Gonzalez is known as the Sox's lefty killer (proven by his .978 OPS against them last season), and Monasterio played a similar role for the Brew Crew last year. While he wasn't as dominant as Gonzalez, Monasterio hit .834 against southpaws last year. He also played all-around the infield, similar to what Gonzalez did for the Sox in 2024.
Fast forward to this spring, and Monasterio has already received praise from manager Alex Cora.
"Oh shoot. He can move. He's versatile. He can hit lefties," Cora said about the Venezuelan on February 19, before any games had been played.
Andruw Monasterio is showing why he could be a key piece of the Red Sox's infield
Andruw Monasterio with his first homer as a member of the Sox! pic.twitter.com/gRQPdAPUgG
— Red Sox (@RedSox) February 21, 2026
Now that games have gotten underway, Monasterio has started hot. In his second at-bat with the club, Monasterio blasted a home run against the Twins off veteran righty Justin Topa after drawing a walk in first. In his second game, he ripped a single off a lefty in a 1-3 performance against the Rays.
Interestingly, Monasterio's two games this spring have come at third base. Most Red Sox fans and analysts believed Gonzalez was going to be in a platoon with Marcelo Mayer. If Gonzalez isn't ready, Monasterio would be a perfect fit to slide into that platoon.
A lot of focus has been put on Mayer and Durbin's positioning in practice. Reports over the offseason suggested the Sox wanted Mayer at third base, but he's seen a lot of time at second so far, with Durbin at third. If Mayer is going to be in a platoon with Monasterio, seeing Monasterio at third may suggest that Mayer (who hasn't made his spring debut yet) could be playing there once the season begins.
In the battle for that roster spot, Monasterio has put himself in pole position. He does have two minor league options remaining, which also bodes in his favor. While there is a lot of time remaining until Opening Day, first impressions matter, and Monasterio's has been great.