Boston Red Sox
Manager Alex Cora reiterated that he’s been “through this dance” last year, in regard to determining who will play third base.
Marcelo Mayer (pictured) worked out at second base while Caleb Durbin worked out at third base Friday. Barry Chin/Globe Staff
For the second year in a row, the Red Sox will “dance” a familiar dance in regard to third base as preparation for the 2026 season begins.
With spring training officially underway in Fort Myers, Fla., Boston is once again unsure who will field the hot corner.
New Red Sox infielder Caleb Durbin (via a recent trade with the Milwaukee Brewers) and second-year INF Marcelo Mayer are the team’s top candidates to start the position with spring training games just one week away.
Last spring training, the last-second signing of Alex Bregman threw a wrench in Rafael Devers’s 3B job security and started a massive domino effect that ended in June with trading Devers to the San Francisco Giants.
This season’s third base discussion will likely feature far less drama, but the mystery remains.
“We went through this dance last year. I know how to dance it. Just be patient,” Boston manager Cora told a reporter when asked where Durbin and Mayer will play throughout the spring.
During practice Friday, Durbin was seen taking ground balls at third base while Mayer was working at second base. It appears that the two will alternate between the positions during drills in the coming days.
Naturally, second base also remains up in the air. It seems like Willson Contreras will have first base and veteran shortstop Trevor Story will keep his position, but Story’s double-play partner is to be determined.
Cora spoke about the infield decision-making that will take place in the near future, as the team would like to solidify its starting infield “sooner rather than later.”
“They’ll work. I think third base comes easy for both of them. Second base is – they still have to work,” Cora told reporters. “Something I told Marcelo: try to spend as much time with [infield coach Jose] Flo[res], turn double plays, starting the play and all that, because the third base part of it is very similar to shortstop.”
Mayer came up in the Red Sox’ minor league system as a shortstop, but wound up primarily playing third base (39 games total) in his 44-game rookie stint in 2025. He played second base on eight occasions and shortstop twice.
Durbin, a Rookie of the Year finalist last year, also primarily played 3B for the Brewers (131 games total). He played 2B 10 times and SS three times.
Cora said Durbin was able to turn double plays at 2B in the few instances he fielded them there last season, which is an important factor in deciding who ultimately gets the 2B nod. Boston led MLB in errors in 2025 (116) and committed the second-most errors in the league in 2024 (115) and 2023 (102). Getting those numbers down in 2026 is surely one of the Red Sox’ priorities entering this year.
“We’ll see how it plays out, but I think both of them, they’re good defensively and wherever they end up, they’re gonna be solid,” Cora said. “But, we’re not gonna be moving people around, from my end.”
Aside from Durbin and Mayer, Boston now has a plethora of infield options. Romy Gonzalez, Nick Sogard, and recently signed Isiah Kiner-Falefa will also likely get playing time at 2B and 3B at times, depending on matchups, injuries, etc. It’s evident that the organization has focused on making its roster versatile this offseason. A platoon situation at 2B, 3B, or both could also be on the table once the regular season begins.
When it comes to who will play the most time at each position, Cora reiterated that he would like to make a decision soon.
“Hopefully sooner rather than later. I think taking care of the shortstop with wherever he’s gonna play most, that’s important. That’s huge,” he said. “We’ll keep talking about it. We’ll talk to [chief baseball officer Craig] Bres[low] and how we see it upstairs and how I feel about it. Hopefully we can make a decision sooner rather than later.”
Kaley Brown
Kaley Brown is a sports producer for Boston.com, where she covers the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox.
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