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Boston Red Sox third baseman Caleb Durbin. Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

Red Sox's Alex Cora all but declares Caleb Durbin as Opening Day third baseman

By Daniel Morrison | Last updated Mar 10, 2026 12:39 PM ET

It's been an offseason of questions in the infield for the Boston Red Sox. In particular, the third base spot has become a hot-button issue with the departure of Alex Bregman just months after the Rafael Devers trade. Now, it appears, the Red Sox have their Opening Day third baseman.

According to a report from MassLive's Sean McAdam, manager Alex Cora all but made it official: Caleb Durbin is going to be manning the hot corner.

Durbin came to the Red Sox in a trade with the Milwaukee Brewers this past offseason. The 26-year-old broke into the majors in 2025, having a strong rookie season in which he finished third in Rookie of the Year voting. That came on the back of a .256 batting average, .334 OBP, and .721 OPS. He had 11 home runs, 53 RBI and 18 stolen bases. Then, on the defensive end, he had a .978 fielding percentage.

Going into Spring Training, there had been some questions about what position the Red Sox would play Durbin. Second base was also an option. Meanwhile, up-and-comer Marcelo Mayer was battling for the third base job, which he played at times when healthy a season ago.

Only one spot is left in Red Sox infield

The Red Sox infield is pretty well put together now. Veteran Willson Contreras is in his first season in Boston and will be the team's first baseman. There is also some hope that Triston Casas will return from injury and play there. Clubhouse leader Trevor Story returns to play shortstop. Now, Durbin appears to be taking over at third.

Only second base is left to compete for on the Opening Day lineup for the Red Sox. All of a sudden, the game of musical chairs is getting a little tight.

Mayer is still competing for that spot. He offers versatility defensively and can play second base, too. A lefty, he has struggled against left-handed pitching, though, and Cora has made it clear that there's no promise he starts with the MLB roster.

This offseason, the team also signed Isiah Kiner-Falefa. Primarily a shortstop and third baseman in his career, he has played second base at times.

After that, there are a lot of options and plenty of question marks. Romy Gonzalez was key to the team last season, but a shoulder issue could sideline him indefinitely. Kristian Campbell is a promising prospect who started at second base on Opening Day a season ago, but his defense was atrocious, and he finished the year in Triple-A. Other players like Nick Sogard, Mickey Gasper and Tsung-Che Cheng lack experience at the MLB level. Sogard's 61 career games are the most of the group.

What's most likely going to happen is a platoon system at second base with Kiner-Falefa and Mayer. The right-handed Kiner-Falefa will take on lefty pitching, while Mayer will take on the righties. That is, until the team trusts Mayer to be a full-time starter.

In all of this, another concern hanging over the infield is Story. 2025 was his first completely healthy season in Boston, and by the end of the season, his arm wasn't strong enough for shortstop. Baseball Savant had him at just the 36th percentile for arm strength in 2025.

As time goes on, Story may need to move to second base for defensive purposes. At that point, the Kiner-Falefa and Mayer platoon would need to move to shortstop.

Daniel Morrison

Dan Morrison is a writer originally from Massachusetts, now residing in Florida. He spent four years at On3, working on the National News Desk there. Prior to that, he’s also contributed at Underdog Dynasty.

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