Who will Boston Red Sox start at second base in 2021? Christian Arroyo ‘has upside,’ but Alex Cora says ‘puzzle is not complete’ at position

Red Sox manager Alex Cora hasn’t yet had the chance to manage infielder Christian Arroyo, but he does have some familiarity with the second baseman.

Back in 2017, when Cora was the general manager of Team Puerto Rico for the World Baseball Classic, he recruited Arroyo to be part of the team. Arroyo, who grew up in the Tampa area, is of Puerto Rican descent but was unable to play in the tournament because he needed to be in spring training to compete for a spot on the Giants’ major-league roster.

Almost four years later, Arroyo is squarely in the mix to start at second base for the Red Sox in 2021 and Cora is back at the helm after a one-year hiatus. Though it’s possible the club will add a starting second baseman via free agency or trade,

“I do believe Christian played pretty solid toward the end of the season last year,” Cora said Thursday. “This is a kid who has a lot of upside. Everybody talked about him as a top prospect a few years ago and he had a chance to go out there and compete last year.

“I do believe that there’s upside there,” he added.

Last year, the Red Sox had five different players — Arroyo, Jonathan Arauz, Michael Chavis, Tzu-Wei Lin and Jose Peraza — make starts at second base. Arroyo, who was claimed off waivers from the Indians on Aug. 13, was the most effective of the quintet, hitting .240 with three homers and a .736 OPS while playing solid defense in 14 games.

With Lin (Twins) and Peraza (Mets) no longer with the organization and Arauz expected to continue his development in the minors, Arroyo and Chavis — who broke out as a rookie sensation in May 2019, while Cora was manager — are the two top internal candidates to play second. Prospect Jeter Downs could factor into the mix later in the year as well.

Plenty of veteran second base options are available on the open market, including Kolten Wong, Cesar Hernandez, Tommy La Stella and Korean infielder Ha-Seong Kim. The club could also sign a utility type who brings versatility such as former Dodger Kiké Hernandez.

Earlier this month, Red Sox general manager Brian O’Halloran said the club was “open-minded” to adding an external option at second base. Cora echoed that sentiment Thursday.

“This puzzle is not completed,” Cora said. “There’s a few pieces we’re missing and we’re looking for. The opportunity will be there.

Related links:

Boston Red Sox ‘open-minded’ to external options at second base; Dustin Pedroia’s roster spot will remain his decision

Boston Red Sox free agency: Christian Arroyo is starting second base candidate but external options include Kolten Wong, César Hernández

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