Pablo Sandoval loses Red Sox’s third baseman job to Travis Shaw
Pablo Sandoval’s weight and fitness level dominated conversation the first week or so of Boston Red Sox’s spring training.
The Sandoval storyline for the final week of camp is how much playing time he can expect this season in a backup role.
Red Sox manager John Farrell announced Thursday morning that Travis Shaw, not Sandoval, will be the team’s starting third baseman on opening day. Farrell cited defense as the overriding factor for the decision, though Shaw has also been more reliable than Sandoval with the bat recently, too.
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This is just the latest disappointment since Sandoval signed a five-year, $95 million contract with Boston last offseason. Between his conditioning, defensive issues and his poor production at the plate, hitting .245/.292/.366 with 10 home runs over 126 games last year, there haven’t been many positives during Sandoval’s tenure so far with the Red Sox. And don’t forget the benching after it was found out he was on his phone using Instagram during a game.
While the Sandoval drama was going on, Shaw took the opportunity to show what he could do. He hit 270/.327/.487 with 13 home runs in 65 games last year and the 25-year-old continued to stand out in spring training, hitting .333/.377/.509 on his way to earning the everyday third baseman’s job.
Sandoval, to his credit, took the news in stride, acknowledging he anticipated the Red Sox would reach this conclusion and knows he needs to be better to get back into the lineup.
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Boston starts the regular season Monday on the road in Cleveland and Sandoval won’t be among the starters taking the field. It’ll be worth watching how the Red Sox plan to use him in the early going and where he fits in their short and long term future.
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Israel Fehr is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter. Follow @israelfehr
