The Boston Red Sox didn’t trade for Curtis Mead just to stash him on the bench. They want his bat in the lineup, and interim manager Chad Tracy has already mapped out where that bat will start.
Mead will play second base. At least for now. Tracy made that much clear after the club acquired the right-handed hitter from the Washington Nationals, and he’s not planning to move Caleb Durbin off third base to make room.
“The cool thing was talking to all players involved, including Curtis, last night, that the general response was ‘(I’ll) play wherever you need me to,’” Tracy told Gabrielle Starr of the Boston Herald. “So we got a good right-handed bat that looks like he’s capable playing second. We’ll start with that and keep eyes on it.”
Tracy didn’t rule out future shuffling. Both guys have history moving around the infield. Durbin has logged time at second and shortstop in previous seasons. Mead has played every infield spot besides shortstop in 2026 alone. So if the Red Sox need to mix things up later, they have options.
But right now, Durbin is earning his place at the hot corner. He’s been hot at the plate and has played exclusively third base this season. You don’t pull a guy off a position he’s locked down just because a new player showed up. The season is long, and Tracy knows things will change. For now though, the plan is simple: Mead at second, Durbin at third.
The Red Sox are clearly motivated to get Mead’s production into the lineup. Through 87 games this season, he’s hitting .254 with 17 home runs, 48 RBIs and six stolen bases. Among Boston hitters, he already ranks second in homers and fourth in RBIs. That kind of pop is hard to keep on the bench.
Boston comes into this stretch riding a record-setting 15-game winning streak. They’re pushing for a playoff spot, and Tracy sees the Durbin-Mead alignment as part of that push. Both guys can play. Both guys can hit. The Red Sox just have to figure out where to put them all.
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