FORT MYERS, Fla. — With 13 Red Sox players set to leave big league camp to join their respective national teams ahead of the World Baseball Classic, Alex Cora is suddenly going to have a lot of spots to fill.
But while his usual starters are away representing their country, the Red Sox manager plans to take a closer look at some of the organization’s other top talents.
Cora announced Sunday that Franklin Arias, a 20-year-old infielder and the Red Sox’s top hitting prospect, will travel with the big league club to Dunedin for Monday’s game against the Toronto Blue Jays and will start at shortstop. Cora said Arias will likely get an extended look this week and that other top prospects will be brought in as well.
“We’ll probably see him a lot this week, it will be good for me to see him play and him to be around big leaguers and playing against big leaguers,” Cora said. “We’ll pick and choose what we want to do but there’s going to be certain guys that will come and they will start, they’re not going to be backups. We’ll need a lot of them.”
Arias currently ranks as Baseball America’s No. 49 prospect and as the No. 2 prospect in Boston’s system behind left-hander Payton Tolle. The infielder originally signed for $525,000 as an international free agent out of Venezuela in 2023 and has quickly risen through the ranks, reaching Double-A last season and finishing with a .278 batting average, eight home runs, 66 RBI, 12 stolen bases and a .723 OPS over 116 games split across three different levels.
Cora did not specify any others who might earn a big league start, but last week he did suggest outfielder Justin Gonzales might warrant a closer look. The 19-year-old slugger was a late-game substitution in Thursday’s game against the Rays and scorched a 110 mph lineout in his lone at bat, and with nearly the entire big league outfield group away for the WBC the organization’s No. 7 ranked prospect would seem a logical candidate to play.
Mayer a ‘full go’
Caleb Durbin and Marcelo Mayer were both in the Red Sox starting lineup for the first time this spring on Sunday, with Durbin getting the start at second and Mayer at third.
Cora said from here on out Mayer is “full go” after being brought along slowly at the start of camp following his wrist surgery last summer.
The Red Sox still haven’t made a decision on what position Durbin and Mayer will focus on once the season gets underway, and while Cora has frequently said he hopes to make a call “sooner rather than later,” he’s recently indicated that may still be at least another week or two away.
So how will he decide where to play the two young infielders in the meantime?
“Flip a coin,” Cora joked. “No we’ll try to mix it, at one point we have to make a decision for the benefit of the infield, I think it’s important to make sure Caleb is in a good place. He can play second, he can play third, but getting his reps where he’s going to play is very important.”
Extra innings
Cora did not provide an update on second baseman Brendan Rodgers (right shoulder) but said his doctor will be flying in on Monday to speak to him about the next steps. … Alec Gamboa (left elbow) and Hobie Harris (right forearm tightness) remain shut down, Gamboa for another two days and Harris indefinitely. … Mikey Romero (back tightness) swung the bat Sunday and could return to full participation on Monday. … Cora announced that right-hander Tayron Guerrero, a non-roster invitee in Red Sox camp, has pulled out of the World Baseball Classic and won’t pitch for Team Colombia. … Team Puerto Rico will convene in Fort Myers this week and is scheduled to practice at the Fenway South complex on Monday ahead of Tuesday night’s exhibition against the Red Sox.
