Boston Red Sox
Andruw Monasterio earned some high praise from Alex Cora earlier in spring training as well.
Andruw Monasterio hit a homer in the Red Sox’ Grapefruit League opener. Barry Chin/Globe Staff
February 22, 2026 | 10:41 AM
2 minutes to read
When the Red Sox made a trade with the Brewers at the onset of spring training, many focused on the fact that they landed their full-time third baseman for the 2026 season in Caleb Durbin. But they also might have acquired another hitter who’ll play a key role for the team in 2026.
Andruw Monasterio has impressed Red Sox manager Alex Cora in the opening weeks of camp, and he showed why on Saturday. In the Red Sox’ Grapefruit League opener, the 28-year-old right-handed hitter took Twins right-handed pitcher Justin Topa deep for a solo home run. The homer was a 368-foot shot to left field off Topa’s sinker, which would’ve been a home run at 28 of the 30 MLB ballparks.
Monasterio’s home run came a couple of days after Cora mentioned him as one of the players who had stood out to him in spring training, with the Red Sox manager calling him a “great athlete.”
“You see him from afar or whatever, but then you see him here, it’s like, ‘Oh, shoot,’” Cora told reporters on Thursday. “He can move. He’s versatile. He can hit lefties. Now we have to work with him because I think it’s a different mindset offensively, what they do over there to what we do here. I truly believe that there’s more from the three guys [acquired in the trade].”
Monasterio had shown some potential during his time in Milwaukee. He had the best season of his three-year career in 2025, hitting .250 with a .755 OPS, four homers, 16 RBIs, and nine doubles in 68 games. While he played league-average defense, Monasterio also split time at all four infield positions.
That infield versatility is just part of the reason why Monasterio might have the inside track to be the Red Sox’ primary platoon infielder for 2026. Romy Gonzalez, who served that role for Boston in 2025, is sidelined due to a shoulder injury and there’s no timetable for his return.
Last season, Gonzalez’s ability to hit off lefties was a huge boon for the Red Sox. He hit .331 with a .978 OPS against left-handed pitchers, adding seven homers and 10 doubles in 143 plate appearances against southpaws.
Monasterio hasn’t been as strong a hitter as Gonzalez against lefties in his career, but he showed some improvement in 2025. While he’s hit .255 with a .727 OPS against lefties in his career, he had a .273 batting average and .837 OPS against lefties last season.
Those are certainly respectable numbers at the plate, and they’re better than some of the competition that Monasterio might have if Gonzalez is out. Veteran Isiah Kiner-Falefa had a .227 batting average against lefties last season, and Nate Eaton has a sub-.700 OPS against lefties in his young career. Kristian Campbell could theoretically join the competition, but the Red Sox are looking to have him play in the outfield.
On top of that, Cora told reporters on Friday that Marcelo Mayer hasn’t won a starting job yet. So, Monasterio could potentially usurp him at second base.
For now, though, Monasterio seems to be in a good spot to at least serve as the Red Sox’ primary infielder off the bench to open the season. He played third base in Saturday’s spring training opener, but with his versatility, it doesn’t seem like it’d be much of a surprise if we saw Monasterio across the infield in 2026.
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