Red Sox Leave Major Question Unanswered After Caleb Durbin Trade

We'll figure it out, but it's strange not knowing

Aug 24, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Brewers third baseman Caleb Durbin (21) high fives teammates in the dugout after scoring a run during the third inning against the San Francisco Giants at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images | Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

Caleb Durbin is officially a member of the Boston Red Sox, but don't go writing his name in permanent ink onto the lineup card just yet.

Clearly, the Red Sox liked Durbin as the finishing piece of their infield, as they gave up a three-player haul to bring in the 25-year-old, who finished third in the National League Rookie of the Year race. Boston also landed backup infielders Andruw Monasterio and Anthony Seigler, plus a Competitive Balance Round B draft pick.

The #RedSox today acquired INFs Caleb Durbin and Andruw Monasterio, INF/C Anthony Seigler, and a selection in Competitive Balance Round B of the 2026 First-Year Player Draft from the Milwaukee Brewers, in exchange for LHPs Kyle Harrison and Shane Drohan and INF David Hamilton. pic.twitter.com/ler0mqp9ok

— Red Sox (@RedSox) February 9, 2026

While Durbin's arrival answers a lot of questions about the Red Sox's projected lineup, it leaves one major piece unresolved: What position will the newcomer play?

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Durbin could play any infield position but first base

Oct 11, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Brewers third baseman Caleb Durbin (21) throws out Chicago Cubs third baseman Matt Shaw (6) in the third inning during game five of the NLDS round for the 2025 MLB playoffs at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images | Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

After the deal was made official on Monday, chief baseball officer Craig Breslow spoke at length about what the Red Sox liked about Durbin, but wasn't willing to commit to a position just yet.

“I think at this point we’re just excited about getting a really good player into the organization and we’ll figure out where he fits best,” Breslow said, per Christopher Smith of MassLive. “Just doesn’t feel like it makes sense to commit to anything right now. He’s got experience at third base in the big leagues, some experience at second coming up. He’s played a little bit of shortstop. And I think that versatility is something that helps us out, but we’ll figure that out as we get into camp and get underway.”

Durbin played third base in 131 of his 144 games as a rookie, posting five defensive runs saved at the position. But he also played a lot of second base in the minors with the New York Yankees, and we know Boston loves Marcelo Mayer's defense at third.

Some of the things we do know: Trevor Story will be the shortstop if he's healthy, at least as long as his defense doesn't continue to fall apart the way it did last September. And Mayer is likely to start every day against righties, at whichever position Durbin doesn't fill.

Durbin should fit in well defensively, regardless of whether it's at second base or third. Now, the question is how he and the rest of the lineup can generate some power.

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