The Red Sox appear to be sticking with an internal option to replace Xander Bogaerts at shortstop to begin the 2023 season.
Ahead of Red Sox Winter Weekend, manager Alex Cora and chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom indicated that Kiké Hernández will play shortstop.
“He’s excited about it,” Cora told reporters. “I do believe he can do it. His arm plays. His first step is amazing. His instincts are great. He’s very excited about it.”
Bloom said that the Red Sox “have a lot of confidence” in Hernández’s ability to play shortstop.
“We have [had confidence] this whole way,” Bloom said.