Nick Sogard has settled into his role with the Red Sox

Boston Globe

12-05-2025

He was traded to the Red Sox before the 2021 season and they developed him as a utility player, introducing him to third base then eventually all three outfield positions and first base last season.
'To be completely honest I didn't love it,' Sogard said Monday before the Sox played the Tigers. 'But as I grew to understand, there's a lot of value in players like
Kiké Hernández
or
Brock Holt
. He was somebody I Iooked up to.
'I've come to accept it. I've actually grown to like it a lot. It keeps it fresh.'
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Sogard joined the Red Sox on Saturday having played only 45 innings over six games at first base in the minors. But he started two games at Kansas City and emerged unscathed.
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He even turned a double play to end the fifth inning in what was a 1-1 game on Sunday. Sox went on to a 3-1 victory.
'It's fairly new to me but I feel comfortable with a glove on,' Sogard said. 'But there are definitely some little intricacies here and there.'
The Sox kept Sogard on the spring training roster right up until the day before the season started because they wanted him to get work at first base.
He played 31 innings there and that's coming in handy now.
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'The footwork is better and I feel like it's pretty solid,' Sogard said. 'It's the kind of thing that will only come over time as it gets more instinctual and I see different kind of plays.'
For now, the Sox are comfortable using Sogard and
Abraham Toro
in a platoon.
'[Sogard] is going great,' manager
Alex Cora
said. 'Good decisions. He's a good player. He's a utility player on a championship-caliber club. The only thing he doesn't have is [major league] time.
'He puts good at-bats, we're happy with that. The moment is not too big for him.'
Award winners
In an amusing sidenote to all the drama of late,
Rafael Devers
was named the American League Player of the Week for the third time in his career.
Devers was 10 for 21 (.476) with two home runs, eight RBIs, five walks, three runs, and a stolen base. He had a 1.387 OPS.
Devers had four hits and three RBIs against Kansas City on Saturday. It was the 10th time in his career he had at least four hits and drove in at least three runs since making his debut in 2017.
Only
Mookie Betts
, with 13, has more such games in that span.
Freddie Freeman of the Dodgers was the National League Player of the Week. He was 14 of 28 with seven extra-base hits and 12 RBIs.
Ceddanne Rafaela
won the Play of the Week award for his catch against Texas on Thursday when he went into the center-field triangle at Fenway Park to steal an extra-base hit away from J
osh Jung
of the Rangers.
Through Sunday, Rafaela had eight Defensive Runs Saved in center field, tied with
Pete Crow-Armstrong
of the Cubs for the most in the majors.
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Buehler progressing
Walker Buehler
, who is on the injured list with shoulder bursitis, has bullpen sessions scheduled for Tuesday and Thursday that would line him up to face the Mets during the series that starts next Monday …
Brayan Bello
, who faces the Tigers on Tuesday, will be pitching at Comerica Park for the first time. He's faced them twice at Fenway and allowed eight earned runs over 11 innings … Cora met his brother
Joey
for breakfast on Monday. The elder Cora is Detroit's third base coach. He played in the majors from 1987-98 and has coached since 2004 … Monday also is the anniversary of Cora's 18-pitch at-bat against
Matt Clement
in 2004 when he was playing for the Dodgers. It ended with a home run to the delight of the late
Vin Scully
. 'What a moment,' he said. Cora joked that what he remembers is fouling off too many pitches that were right down the middle.
Peter Abraham can be reached at