The Boston Red Sox have seen enough of Kiké Hernández at shortstop.
Prior to Tuesday's game against the Colorado Rockies, manager Alex Cora announced the club is moving Hernández off the starting shortstop role. The utility man will spend most of his time in center field and at second base going forward.
“You get X amount of opportunities to play the position,” Cora told reporters. “You have to make adjustments. Is it late? I don’t know. Maybe, maybe not. We’ve just got to move on.
“I told him this is where we’re at right now and he understands. He played 63 or 64 games and played the majority of the games there. But this is where we are. But at the same time, the game will dictate what we do. Don’t be surprised if he’s there in the ninth inning playing short.”
Pablo Reyes, at least for now, will serve as the primary shortstop. In addition, veteran Justin Turner will get more time at first base over rookie Triston Casas.
Hernández currently leads the league with 14 errors, including 13 throwing errors. The latest allowed the Rockies to score their first run in the fourth inning of Monday's 4-3 loss. Casas' fielding error in the 10th inning resulted in what turned out to be the game-winning run for Colorado.
Hernández had only made 64 career starts at shortstop before the 2023 season.
