Durbin earns everyday role as focus shifts to second base competition.
The picture on the left side of the infield is starting to come into focus for the Boston Red Sox.
After a spring that featured some positional flexibility and a bit of day-to-day uncertainty, Caleb Durbin now knows exactly where he’ll be when the games start to matter.
Third base is his.
Durbin told reporters Wednesday that manager Alex Cora informed him he’ll stick at the hot corner moving forward, effectively locking him in as Boston’s Opening Day third baseman.
For a player who spent the early part of camp bouncing between second and third - often checking the lineup card each day to see where he’d land - the clarity is a welcome shift.
“I’m going to stick at third from now on,” Durbin told reporters. “Up until that, I guess it was pretty much just looking at the board and wherever I was that day. But [Cora] said I’m going to stay put at third for now.”
The decision fills one of the more notable openings in Boston’s lineup following Alex Bregman’s departure in free agency. Durbin, acquired from the Milwaukee Brewers earlier this offseason, steps into that role with both recent experience and a skill set that fits what the Red Sox are trying to build.
Last season in Milwaukee, the 25-year-old made the transition to third base at the big-league level and held his own defensively, posting positive metrics at the position. That came after spending much of his minor league career at second base, making his spring usage in Boston less about uncertainty and more about flexibility.
Now, it’s about consistency.
Durbin has done his part to earn the opportunity.
He’s been one of Boston’s more productive hitters this spring, flashing both contact ability and aggressiveness on the bases while continuing to show comfort at third. His offensive profile, particularly his tendency to pull the ball in the air, could play well at Fenway Park - where the Green Monster often rewards that approach.
“I love third base. I’m excited,” Durbin told reporters. “I’m ready wherever the team needs me. But they feel good with me at third. I obviously feel good at third.”
With third base settled, attention naturally shifts to the other side of the infield.
Second base remains open, with Marcelo Mayer emerging as the leading candidate, though Cora has maintained throughout camp that the job still needs to be earned.
Andruw Monasterio has also made a case with a strong spring, keeping the competition alive as Opening Day approaches.
But for now, one piece is locked in.
And for the Red Sox, that’s one less question to answer.
Caleb Durbin of the Boston Red Sox throws an out during spring training game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at JetBlue Park in Fort Myers on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026. (Andrew West/The News-Press & Naples Daily News/USA Today Network/Imagn Images)JOIN THE CONVERSATION:
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Tom Carroll is a contributor for Roundtable, with boots-on-the-ground coverage of all things Boston sports. He's a senior digital content producer for WEEI.com, and a native of Lincoln, RI.