Red Sox Announce Decision on 4-Year Veteran Shortstop Before Marlins Game

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The Red Sox announced a decision involving a four-year veteran shortstop ahead of their game against the Miami Marlins.

The Boston Red Sox finished off a three-game sweep of the San Francisco Giants on Sunday, coming back from a 3-0 deficit to win 5-4 behind seven strong innings from rookie starter Jake Bennett.

The sweep kept the Red Sox in the thick of the American League race for the top Wild Card spot, three games behind the New York Yankees with 30 left to play.

Before the Red Sox opened a new three-game set against the Miami Marlins Monday, they announced a new decision with their four-year veteran shortstop, Andrew Monasterio.

Monasterio is out of Monday’s lineup, with Nick Sogard sliding over to shortstop and Anthony Seigler starting at second base. Ranger Suarez takes the mound for Boston against Marlins ace Sandy Alcantara at loanDepot park.

Monasterio’s Benching Follows a Red-Hot July

Monasterio had started at shortstop in each of Boston’s previous 11 games before Monday’s day off. It’s a scheduled breather from interim manager Chad Tracy, not a response to injury or anything else.

The day off arrives amid a cooldown at the plate. <a href="Monasterio hit .338 with a .631 slugging percentage and stellar 1.044 OPS in July his best month of the season by a wide margin. He’s since dipped to .243 with a .311 slugging percentage and .617 OPS in August.

His full-season line sits at .254 with six home runs, 38 RBI and a .727 OPS through 90 games. The splits tell a tale of two halves. Monasterio hit just .229 before the All-Star break, then climbed to .288 afterward.

Since taking over as Boston’s everyday shortstop on July 22, Monasterio has slashed .298/.358/.404 across 27 games, according to The Boston Globe.

Trevor Story’s Return Could Squeeze Monasterio’s Playing Time

Story, out since mid-May with a sports hernia, could be activated during this Marlins series, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports. Story went 4-for-21 over six rehab games with Triple-A Worcester and closed the assignment by playing two straight days in the field.

Tracy has said the goal is for Story to reclaim shortstop on an everyday basis, with rest days mixed in early. That would push Monasterio back toward the utility role he handled before a rash of infield injuries opened the door for him in May, when Story first landed on the injured list.

Isiah Kiner-Falefa, also working back from a forearm issue, is on a similar rehab track, adding another body to an infield mix Tracy has called a meritocracy down the stretch. Boston enters Monday at 71-59, six games behind the division-leading Tampa Bay Rays.

Monasterio sounds at peace with whatever comes next.

“I know what my role is,” he said, as quoted by The Boston Globe. “At the beginning of the season, I played DH, first base, second base — I don’t have any issues with that. I know what my role is.”

Tracy, for his part, isn’t ready to bench the 29-year-old outright. “He’ll still play,” the interim manager said, as quoted by the same outlet. “Mona has played exceptionally well for two months.”

Boston acquired Monasterio, Caleb Durbin and Anthony Seigler from the Milwaukee Brewers in February, sending left-handers Kyle Harrison and Shane Drohan and infielder David Hamilton to Milwaukee in return, according to MLB.com’s official announcement of the trade. The Venezuela native, originally signed by the Chicago Cubs as an international free agent in 2014, made his major league debut with the Brewers in 2023 before Boston flipped him into an everyday role this summer.

GettyAnthony Seigler #48 of the Boston Red Sox.