The Boston Red Sox are about to get a pair of healthy middle infielders back, making for some tough decisions in the coming days.
Infielders Christian Arroyo, David Hamilton, Kiké Hernández and Pablo Reyes will soon be in competition for one spot on the Red Sox's roster after Reyes' and Yu Chang's injured-list stints are over later this week -- the latter confirmed to be taking the starting spot at shortstop following the All-Star Break and will be activated before Friday's game.
This leaves Hamilton, Arroyo, Reyes and Hernández fighting for a spot at second base. It's fair to assume that Hamilton will be the first man out, given that he is the only one in the mix who is able to be optioned down to Triple-A Worcester. He's also already been seen with bags packed and likely already is on his way back.
Alex Cora hasn't directly addressed the looming decision, but he made a comment leading to where his head is at.
“Offensively, (Hernández) is a lot better than this." MassLive's Chris Cotillo tweeted Thursday. "He hasn’t walked in a while, either. That’s a sign of making strides. Defensively, he’ll be the first one to say, he needs to be better. That’s the bottom line."
Cora clearly still believes in Hernández despite his struggles this season, and his comments appeared to be in the "we got to get him going" mold, not "it's time to move on."
That would leave Arroyo and Reyes with one spot. Neither have options, so someone is going to be designated for assignment. Arroyo has been the better player over his career and has tenure in Boston but Reyes has had the better season.
I'd lean toward Arroyo to win the job and Reyes to be designated for assignment -- likely with the opportunity to go to Triple-A Worcester if he clears waivers.
Still, it's possible that the Red Sox make a big surprise and cut a staple in the clubhouse.
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