The aggressive Red Sox aren’t waiting for the problems to resolve themselves

The aggressive Red Sox aren’t waiting for the problems to resolve themselves originally appeared in NBC Sports Boston

When the Red Sox saw obvious problems last year, they were finally able to fix them. Perhaps. After much debate.

Kiké Hernández brutalized the infield defense at shortstop for three months before being traded to the Dodgers and replaced by bargain cellar Yu Chang, who represented a significant (and overdue) defensive upgrade. The Red Sox hoped to wait for Trevor Story to return, but with disastrous results.

The rotation suffered similar neglect in July, when injuries to Chris Sale, James Paxton, Tanner Houck and Garrett Whitlock left manager Alex Cora with two healthy starters and a flurry of games from the bullpen. The days off helped the Red Sox survive for a month, but the wear and tear hit like a hammer in August and it was goodbye to the season.

Craig Breslow replaced Chaim Bloom as director of baseball, promising to act aggressively, and although that didn’t translate into a busy offseason (blame the property), was reflected in a more urgent approach to problem solving.

The 2024 Red Sox have faced no shortage of challenges, since Story Season Finale Shoulder Injuryfor one decimated starting teamfor losing first baseman Triston Casas possibly for the rest of the first half.

But unlike a year ago, when problems persisted for weeks without being resolved, these Red Sox are not messing around. Just consider some of the following centers, who helped the team to a surprising 19-16 start.

• Left-hander Joely Rodriguez surprisingly made the opening day roster, defeating current manager Brennan Bernardino. Rodriguez surrendered a home run on opening day, suffered the loss in his next appearance and threw exactly one clean game in 11 at-bats. It took just 10 days for Bernardino to return and he has been on a roll ever since, with a 0.64 ERA as both a bridge man and an opener. The Red Sox moved Rodriguez to Triple-A last week.

• Story’s injury created a sucking vortex at shortstop. Newcomer David Hamilton simply wasn’t ready for prime time. Romy Gonzalez only lasted one game before getting injured. That left one option the organization didn’t universally love, which was to move electric center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela to their second-best position. The Red Sox are 9-6 since Rafaela moved to short, and even though he is a better outfielder than an infielder, he has stabilized a position of weakness.

• With Rafael Devers in and out of the lineup and Casas injured, the Red Sox needed offense. Enter Wilyer Abreu. Moving Rafaela to short opened up a spot in the outfield, with Jarren Duran moving to center and Tyler O’Neill moving from right to left. The Red Sox gave Abreu full-time at-bats, and since he became a regular, he is hitting .377 with a 1.065 OPS, as well as some tremendous catches in right field.

• Manager Alex Cora was defensive about suggestions that the team had benched fallen DH Masataka Yoshida, but it’s clear he wasn’t going to force him into the lineup just because he’s making $18 million a year. Yoshida is currently seeking a second opinion on his injured thumb, but even before that, the Red Sox made no effort to get him at bats, at one point giving journeyman Tyler Heineman the start at DH in a win over the Pirates. Don’t be surprised if Breslow finds a way to make Yoshida one-dimensional this winter.

• Knowing that Casas would be out for several months, the Red Sox gave Bobby Dalbec the starting job at first base, but didn’t give him much time. With Dalbec continuing to hit in nearly half of his appearances, Breslow struck a deal for Cubs first baseman Garrett Cooper and then signed Dominic Smith. The two veterans will have the chance to fill the position until Casas returns. Dalbec is back in the minors.

• Then there’s second base. The Red Sox mixed and matched as they awaited Vaughn Grissom’s return. Enmanuel Valdez got most of the reps, but was shaky defensively and hit just .156. Veteran utilityman Pablo Reyes hit just .183 and also struggled uncharacteristically in the field. Seeking a more stable defensive presence in reserve after activating Grissom, the Red Sox acquired versatile infielder Zack Short from the Mets. Valdez was sent to Worcester and Reyes was assigned a mission.

• We haven’t even mentioned rotation. With Nick Pivetta, Brayan Bello and Whitlock on the shelf, the Red Sox didn’t opt ​​for openers around Tanner Houck and Kutter Crawford. They called up Cooper Criswell and he responded by going 2-1 with a 1.74 ERA in four starts. Not bad for a $1 million signing. They also moved long man Josh Winckowski to the rotation, leaving him with just one spot per shift. They expect Pivetta and Bello to return soon, but it seems safe to say they will move outside the organization to help pitching if either of their injuries are more long-lasting.

Taken individually, none of these moves are particularly devastating. But collectively, they could be the difference between 19-16 and 16-19, which would make for two very different seasons.