Romy Gonzalez was a big part of the Red Sox’s team last year. He split time around the infield, particularly at first and second, competing with guys such as David Hamilton and Kristian Campbell. In 96 games, he proved to be the best among the utility players. This includes a .305 batting average, a .343 on-base percentage, and 53 RBIs, which beat both Campbell and Hamilton combined.
Gonzalez went down with a left shoulder injury at the end of last season. Unfortunately, news has broken out at Spring Training that Gonzalez might miss Opening Day while still recovering. Nothing is confirmed yet, but he is trending towards unlikely. In terms of alignment, this isn’t too much of an issue. The Red Sox have plenty of infielders who can play second, such as Campbell and Marcelo Mayer. Alex Cora could also lean towards one of the newer acquisitions in Caleb Durbin, Isiah Kiner-Falefa, or Andruw Monasterio.
Gonzalez’s Impact
However, the thing about Gonzalez wasn’t that he just filled a spot in the infield. Cora specifically looked to him when creating a lineup to go up against a left-handed pitcher, and rightfully so. Among all Red Sox hitters, he had the third-highest batting average against lefties, at .331. It should be noted that Triston Casas (.455 with 11 At-Bats against lefties) and Nick Sogard (.371 with 35 ABs) both had under 100 at-bats total this season. Therefore, Gonzalez has the highest among players with significant playing time.
A big impact guy like that is hard to replace. Should he be ruled out for the start of the season, Boston has a big hole to fill. Here are the possible replacements for the time being:
Possible Replacements
Jarren Duran
Now this is a complicated one, because Jarren Duran has always been seen as the odd one out in terms of the outfield. However, assuming the injury to Gonzalez is short-term, sliding in Duran could take two forms. One is moving Ceddanne Rafaela up to second on the days Duran takes the field, or he could DH. The main issue about Duran is his .211 average vs lefties in 2025. However, one could say his 2025 season as a whole was a down year compared to his 2024 season.
The outfielder finished eighth in the American League MVP race. In 2024, he wasn’t elite against left-handed pitching, but he batted .255 with an OPS of .655 against them. If it’s for a short-term situation, Duran could fit in just fine. He’s going to be swapping back and forth between the outfield and DH anyway, so he’ll still fit in.
Kristian Campbell
Campbell was a top prospect for the Red Sox coming into last year. He snuck his way into the “Core 4” that the Red Sox had, along with Anthony, Mayer, and former prospect Kyle Teel. The 2024 Minor League Player of the Year had a hot start to his major league debut, winning AL Rookie of the Month in April 2025. However, after that, he started to slide and would eventually be sent back down to Worcester for the rest of the year. The major issue with him was his bat. He batted .228 versus righties this past year, but against lefties, he was even worse. His .207 average ranked fifth-worst on the team.
His fielding wasn’t great either. In only 59 games at second, he had a fielding percentage of .968 with seven errors. The focus should be on hitting against lefties, but as a second baseman, fielding is a big part, too, when considering options. The fact that this was announced before Spring Training and not before Opening Day is good, as they can test out options. Campbell will be one, but he’s got a lot to prove to be able to earn this spot.
Marcelo Mayer
The Mayer situation is interesting because he could either start at second and be used against lefties, or he could just slide into the lineup for those occasions for now. The matter of fact is, Gonzalez wasn’t going to be the starter at second; he’s part of a strategy. So while the second is between a few guys, the decision as of now is mainly between Mayer and Durbin. Mayer also struggled quite a bit at the plate, hitting .228 on the season. Against southpaws, he hit an abysmal .154.
Like Campbell, he was a top prospect last year for Boston. The difference with Mayer, however, is that his natural position is shortstop. With Trevor Story holding down that position, Mayer has had to adjust. Even then, he split time with guys such as Alex Bregman and Abraham Toro at third, both of whom have left.
However, with two infield positions open, there’s a good chance that Mayer’s playing time increases, meaning he’s got to improve. In 49 games last year, he only had two errors, which is good considering Cora tried him out at three positions. One of those happened to be second base. In 57 innings, he had 29 chances and zero errors. Small sample size, but if his bat can improve these next few weeks, Mayer could be a stable spot at second base.
Caleb Durbin/Isiah Kiner-Falefa
The Red Sox were busy over the past month acquiring infield depth. They traded with Milwaukee to acquire Durbin and signed Kiner-Falefa to a 1 year deal. These new additions do provide value to the infield, but in different ways. Kiner-Falefa is more of a defensive player, while Durbin was better at the plate.
Durbin played in 136 games last year, batting .256 with a .334 on-base percentage. In those games, he went 31/120 against lefties, or .258 at the plate. This average is marginally better than his .255 against righties. He’s got a very small sample size at second base when fielding, with one error in 19 chances. If anything, he would be a key piece against lefties, but more at third base than second.
Kiner-Falefa, just like Durbin, was decent overall from the plate. Unlike Durbin, however, his splits against lefties were subpar. In 119 at-bats, he batted .227 and had an OPS of .536 against them. However, he’s not entirely known for his offensive output. His glove is the key reason. He had six errors out of 425 chances. That’s a fielding percentage of .979.
Although both he and Durbin played mostly at third base last year, one of them would have to play at second should they both be in the lineup. Considering Kiner-Falefa has more experience at second, as well as a .987 career fielding percentage there, he would probably be the better choice between the two at second. That doesn’t mean they can’t be in the same lineup, however. Just position-wise, IKF is the better choice.
Andruw Monasterio
Monasterio was also acquired in the Durbin trade on February 9th. He’s more likely to be in Worcester to start the season, but Spring Training is always a chance for Cora to see what he has for options. The 28-year-old hit .270 this season, .273 against lefties. This is also slightly better than his average against righties. His on-base percentage is massively better against left-handers, however, .360 compared to .294. His fielding was perfect from second, allowing zero errors in 68 innings. Monasterio has only been in the MLB since 2023, but this past season seemed to be his best offensively. He’s worth a shot to see his place in this organization. Cora has actually praised him as a possible replacement, so it’s a good sign for the newest member of the Red Sox.
Verdict
Honestly, it’s too early to tell who will be solid at second this season. And that’s not even counting Sogard or Nate Eaton, who were very good utility players last year. But there are only so many spots on the 25 and 40-man rosters. Durbin seems like a shoo-in, but not at second base. Duran could be an option against lefties if he returns to his MVP candidate form. Mayer and Campbell may need more time (especially if Mayer’s playing a completely new position full-time).
All things lead to Monasterio claiming that spot. Cora likes him, and his batting average versus lefties crushes the team’s average from last year. Among all batters, the team average was around .258. His average, to reiterate, was .273. That’s higher than his regular average. Kiner-Falefa may have the better glove due to experience, but Monasterio is the clear pick on the offensive side here.
Main Photo Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images
