Once Alex Bregman went down with a quad injury, it did not take long for the Red Sox to feel the ripple effects. The team, already juggling lineup dilemmas, suddenly had a fresh crisis on their hands. The manager Alex Cora is now worming to pick up the pieces. With big stars sidelined, he is being forced into a high-stakes reshuffle. One that engages a gamble with a $60M player that may make or break the season for the Red Sox.
Well, we are talking about Kristian Campbell. However, before that, the focus will need to be placed on Cora’s decision to keep Rafael Devers locked into the designated hitter place, despite enhancing chaos at third base, which has become the spot for attention.
“Third base — he is not going to play third base,” Cora told the reporters, while talking about Devers. It is a vital stand, considering Devers $331 million contract and the aspect that his bat remains a reliable weapon of the team.
However, there is an issue: Triston Casas is done for the year. The team does not have a comfortable replacement at first. Kristian Campbell, a second baseman with minimal big-league experience, is now being asked to fill the gap. Cora teased the possibility, saying, “There is a chance Kristian is going to play first base this weekend in Atlanta.” Is he asking more than the capability from the rookie with the Red Sox’s offense having gone ice cold?
Alex Cora on Rafael Devers and Kristian Campbell
“[Devers] is not going to play third base… There’s a chance [Campbell] will play [first base] in Atlanta.” pic.twitter.com/SLmwTHpMGd
— NESN (@NESN) May 28, 2025
Why not move Devers to third and transform aspects around from there? Cora highlighted that those interactions have happened, however, Devers has seemingly drawn a line in the dirt. “There’s conversations. I don’t have to go into the specifics of it. But the third base part of it, it’s a no,” he concluded.
Now, the chaos has forced experimentation. Campbell could be learning on the fly. Marcelo Mayer could go with the third. Then second base? That could go to David Hamilton or Ceddanne Rafaela, who has never been more than a short-period outcome there.
If the Red Sox can not identify stability from within, the answer lies outside and there is one star that is beginning to make way too much sense.
Cardinals-Red Sox Nolan Arenado trade may finally make sense
With Alex Bregman on the shelf and Devers firmly planted at DH, the Red Sox’s infield picture is more scrambled than a Fenway pregame ritual. In the Cardinals, a blockbuster scope is quietly heating up. Nolan Arenado, long identified as unmovable because of his massive contract and no-trade clause, now has the Red Sox on his short list of approved destinations. That is no small detail, specifically for a team desperate for defense and stability.
The timing could not be more intriguing. Arenado is reportedly willing to switch places for the right fit. Then, we need to be honest—Trevor Story has been a guard offensively and there is already chatter related to Marcelo Mayer stepping in. Adding Nolan Arenado, a Gold Glove star, could transform the infield landscape and enable the team to get creative with Bregman’s return, which could be sliding him between third and second.
However, there is more to this than just filling gaps. Arenado’s availability would instantly upgrade the Red Sox’s defensive DNA, enhance the infield IQ and add a steady star to a young core. With the Cardinals thriving and the stars still producing, the deal is not a fire sale—it is an analyzed swap and for Cora, it may be the only path that makes sense.
If the team thinks to salvage a season teetering on the edge, standing still is not an option. Internal outcomes are proving shaky. A vital move like adding Nolan Arenado could be the jolt the team needs. Whether Chaim Bloom and Cora pull the trigger or not, one aspect is clear: the Red Sox can not afford to keep patching gaps with duct tape.
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