Making Sense Of the Outfield

One thing is for certain; Manny is the starting left fielder. After that things start to get a little muddy. Fans and Sox management want Jacoby in center but they still have Coco to contend with. For now it looks like Coco and Ellsbury will platoon in center so Boston can showcase Crisp's abilities and prove the injury is behind him. Teams like Chicago and Oakland are still interested in trading for Coco but a trade does not appear imminent. The Red Sox will try to get Ellsbury into more games when Coco starts by having him pinch run or as a late inning defensive replacement for Manny. J.D. Drew now has the mysterious back spasms that seem to be attacking Red Sox players this year, the injury is minor but it has already caused him to miss two games and the long flight back from Japan will not be much help. Drew believes he will be back by April 1st. Brandon Moss had a great spring in the outfield for Boston and was the opening day hero but there is no room for him on the roster so he was sent down to Pawtucket today. Bobby Kielty is on a non guaranteed contract but has won a spot on the team as the 5th outfielder. Kielty had a leg injury late during spring training and was not 100% in Tokyo, that is why you saw Moss in right. It will be a few months before Jacoby is the everyday center fielder and may be just as long before we see Moss back in Boston.