BOSTON — Red Sox baseball major Chaim Bloom continued his quest to make his team a stronger quarterback by acquiring a talented but often injury-plagued player. Adalberto Mondisi in a deal with the Royals on Tuesday.
In contrast, the Red Sox sent lefty reliever Josh Taylor—also a player with a history of injury—to Kansas City. The Red Sox will also get a player named or cash considerations as part of the exchange.
At Mondisi, the Red Sox got a player who led the Majors in triples (10) in 2019 and stolen bases (24) in 20 but hasn’t been on the field much over the past two seasons. With rule changes coming into play this season Stolen bases should increaseA player like Mondisi would be more valuable if he could stay healthy.
“In terms of talent, his athleticism, he was really the highest of anyone who plays big-league baseball,” Bloom said. “Obviously he’s had a tough time over the years with injuries.”
Mondesi tore his left ACL on April 26, 2022, which ended his season. Bloom said Mondesi will fly from the Dominican Republic to Fort Myers, Florida, later this week to continue his rehabilitation under the supervision of medical staff in Boston.
“We expect it may be a little bit late to start the season, but Opening Day is still a possibility. With an athlete like that, I wouldn’t rule it out,” Bloom said.
That’s still the plan, Bloom said, especially as Mondesi is battling his recent injury.
“We really liked the upside to this opportunity, and we thought it made sense,” said Bloom. “Whether he’s on time or not, we expect him to contribute for the better part of the year. But in terms of how we view our short position, it doesn’t change anything about where we’re headed and the opportunity ahead of Kiké.
“When Adalberto comes back, we know that given his track record — I don’t think we want to put too much on him — he’ll be part of the mix. We’ll bring him along the right way. We’ll take care of him, and being part of the mix will make it easier to take care of everybody.”
Christian Arroyo will also be a key part of Boston’s quarterback mix, and Bloom didn’t rule out the Red Sox adding more depth before spring training.
In his career, Mondesi has started 241 games at shortstop, 64 at second and 20 at third base. Although Hernandez has only made 64 starts in a short time compared to 187 in the second, Bloom recently said the veteran is a plus-sized defender wherever he plays. Cora was interested in how Hernandez’s first step speed affected the short time.
For the past two seasons, Hernandez has been Boston’s starting quarterback. But after the departure of Xander Bogaerts via free agency and Trevor Storey undergoing right elbow surgery that will keep him out indefinitely, the Sox considered bringing Hernandez back to the field.
Meditation turned into reality after socks He signed free agent Adam Duvall to play center field in a one-year, $7 million deal that was made official on Tuesday. Hernandez said a few days ago that he prefers playing on the field, because he enjoys playing the game at a faster pace.
Adalberto, the son of former MLB outfielder Raul Mondesi, has struggled with injuries throughout his career, playing in just 358 games while appearing in parts of seven seasons, all with the Royals. He will be eligible to become a free agent after the 2023 season.
Best known for his MLB debut for Kansas City in the 2015 World Series, Mondisi posted a 244/.280/.408 slant with 38 homers and 133 stolen bases in the major leagues.
“Just in terms of looking at what he can do, he’s a great defender, he can run, he’s got the power,” Bloom said. “Obviously, the inconsistency in the opportunities he was given may have played into why he couldn’t make use of those tools consistently. But it’s all there.
“He will show you everything you want to see from a major league player, and he really is one of the best athletes to have played at the big league level in recent years. So we are excited to have him in the organization, excited to finish this rehabilitation process, and get him along the right path.” And he has a good edge to really impress us.”
Thomas Harrigan contributed to this story.
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