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Alex Cora maps out his plan for top of the Red Sox’ lineup this season
“We can let the big boys do their thing, be aggressive and solve the problem early on."
The Red Sox still have a little over two weeks until the 2025 regular season gets underway.
But even with Boston’s 40-man group still in flux due to both injuries and the play of players currently on the roster bubble, manager Alex Cora believes he already has the framework of how he wants to build out the top of his lineup.
Speaking to reporters in Fort Myers on Wednesday, Cora announced that the top of Boston’s lineup during most games will feature Jarren Duran batting leadoff, Rafael Devers in the No. 2 hole, Alex Bregman batting third, Triston Casas handling cleanup duties, and Trevor Story rounding out things in the fifth spot in the order.
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“Everybody’s going to talk about protecting Raffy and splitting up the lefties,” Cora said. “If I can say the top three right now, it most likely would go Jarren, Raffy, Alex, in that order.
Beyond Bregman’s presence as a veteran leader capable of providing pop at the plate, his profile as a right-handed batter also gives Cora the ability to split up two of the top thumpers in the lineup between Devers and Casas, creating more matchup woes for opposing teams.
“I think those two at-bats in a row, Alex and Casas, gives us a different dimension,” Cora said. “We can let the big boys do their thing, be aggressive and solve the problem early on. And then, all of a sudden, we can slow it down. That’s one thing we haven’t been able to do in a while.”
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Story taking the fifth spot in the batting order would again create some matchup headaches as another right-handed hitter.
The rest of Boston’s lineup remains undetermined, with some of it resting on the health of certain players — as well as whether or not a younger player can step into a featured role over the final weeks of spring training.
Connor Wong will occupy one of those final four spots in the lineup as the team’s starting catcher, while Wilyer Abreu — who has been sidelined for most of spring training due to a viral illness — is expected to earn a majority of reps in right field.
Ceddanne Rafaela is likely set to round out the lineup at the No. 9 spot as the starting center field, while Boston still has to determine whether or not Bregman is starting at second or third base. If Bregman is at second and Devers remains at his usual spot at third, the final spot lineup could go to Masataka Yoshida at DH.
But if Bregman starts at third and Devers is the DH, the Red Sox will likely opt for either David Hamilton or blue-chip prospect Kristian Campbell at second base.
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