When it comes to the outfield, the Red Sox might be second to none. With names like Jarren Duran, Roman Anthony, Wilyer Abreu, and Ceddanne Rafaela, the Red Sox outfield is as crowded as it could get. However, when it comes to the infield, the equation changes entirely. Lack of strategic options and a -21 OAA by the infield last year was worse than 26 teams in the league. Alex Cora and the Red Sox have faced their fair share of criticism for their errors.

However, the manager with the team’s spring performance has been able to silence the critics for the time being, and in the meantime has also issued an ultimatum for his clubhouse.

“Whoever thinks that I go home and I’m happy because we led the league in errors is freaking wrong,” Cora said before Boston’s regular-season opener against the Reds. “I hate errors… It starts today. We can talk all about the defense, and we switch the program, and we use machines, and we hit fungos and all that stuff. It starts today. We have to be better defensively.”

While Cora’s statement sounds like an ultimatum to the Red Sox clubhouse, the defense stats surely deserve the same. Last year, Boston made 116 errors that were the most in MLB. What’s worse? This unwanted record has been a staple for the Red Sox since 2021. They have a total of 526 errors since 2021, which is also topping the chart. Early last season, they led the league with 19 errors in just 16 games, resulting in 14 unearned runs!

So, with such struggles, it is expected that the team manager would seek to improve things by now.

However, the Red Sox defense is worse under Cora, who was known for his elite defense during his playing days. “I played 13 years in the big leagues because I was able to play defense,” Cora said. “Because I didn’t hit, didn’t run. I wasn’t a good offensive player. I was a good defensive player. And as a manager, the last four years, leading the league in errors kills me.”

For the unversed, Alex Cora was rated by Baseball America as the best collegiate defensive player in the country while at the University of Miami. His career .976 career fielding percentage in MLB sounds so contradictory when his roster tops the errors chart now.

So, now that Cora offered the ultimatum, fans could expect a turnaround in the Red Sox’s infield defense. Cora also had a few words to fend off the criticisms, and what his team did in spring should be enough to reassure the fans.

“We’re going to try to stay as consistent as possible — Caleb at third, Trevor at short, Marcelo at second most of the time, and Willson at first,” Cora said. “And hopefully defense is more consistent that way.”

This spring, the Red Sox’s infield looked different. Adding Willson Contreras in the offseason was a masterstroke as he ranked in the 90th percentile in OAA last year. So, first base is secured. Then Caleb Durbin is coming off a season with five DRS at third base for the Brewers in 2025.

But would these changes be enough to survive till the postseason?

The Red Sox infield looks promising in 2026

Apart from Contreras and Durbin, the spring season showed an entirely new look for the Red Sox infield in 2026. And the new look starts with their second base. While Durbin is projected as the starting third baseman, Marcelo Mayer will be the second baseman.

Manager Alex Cora recently confirmed Durbin will be the everyday guy at the hot corner to fill the void left by Alex Bregman’s departure. Surprisingly, the Red Sox tried both Mayer and Durbin at second base in spring. Durbin reportedly has just three starts till now in the second in MLB and 119 starts at the hot corner. However, in the minors, he had about 150 starts at the second.

Cora also confirmed that Mayer will form a double-play tandem with Trevor Story. As of now, Mayer has just 6 starts at the hot corner, that too in the minors. But he played at the third last year, replacing the injured Bregman. On the other hand, he had more than 200 starts at shortstop in the minors. So, the Red Sox could expect a smooth transition of Mayer to the second.

Then comes Trevor Story, who would continue to be the Red Sox’s shortstop. Yes, this should sound like a concern, considering he was rated -9 OAA last season. Story also tied the Yankees’ Anthony Volpe for third-most errors among MLB shortstops at 19 in 2025. His backhand is an issue, but the guy is working to overcome it.

“We looked at the numbers on the backhand,” Story said. “I could be a little better there. So, yeah, it’s really about that pre-pitch setup and giving me a foot, two feet. More of an angle to get there and use my arm strength to make the throw. It’s just about the little things,” Story said about his preparation for 2026. He is aiming to better utilize his 36th-percentile arm strength (82.3 mph) on throws to first base.

So, this season, the Red Sox’s infield looks promising, and with Cora’s pep-talk, they should get over their last season’s struggles.