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<\/p>\nJust over one week on the job, interim manager Chad Tracy has started to make his imprint on the Boston Red Sox. Not with wholesale changes, but subtle moves.<\/p>\n
Even with a roster full of players he\u2019d managed previously at Triple-A Worcester over the past five years, Tracy knows there\u2019s a delicate balance.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a good bit of observation early on for a couple of reasons,\u201d Tracy said. \u201cOne, because it\u2019s the smart thing to do, and two, if you just come in and start making changes, you make the group feel like you haven\u2019t even been here, how do you know what\u2019s going on? But I\u2019m also aware that I do know the guys. And if I see something approach-wise, I talk to them a little bit about what I feel will help us get on track.\u201d<\/p>\n
The change of leadership in the dugout may have been swift, with chief baseball officer Craig Breslow firing Alex Cora and several coaches, but change on the field takes more nuance. Here\u2019s a look at what we\u2019ve learned over the first week and a half of Tracy\u2019s tenure.<\/p>\n
Infield defense<\/p>\n
A league source said that Breslow and Cora disagreed in spring training about where to play Caleb Durbin and Marcelo Mayer. Breslow wanted Mayer at third with Durbin at second, but Tracy said there\u2019s no plan to make that switch at this point.<\/p>\n
\u201cI like where they\u2019re at,\u201d said Tracy, who complimented what\u2019s been a solid defense the past several weeks. \u201cEspecially right now, both of them are playing really well and Durbin has been exceptional at third base, his defense. So I like where it\u2019s at and switching things like that in the middle of a season, especially at this level, is hard to do.\u201d<\/p>\n
Durbin, who is tied for the league lead at third base with 6 Defensive Runs Saved, has appreciated the consistency in pregame work, especially as he struggles at the plate. He could be optioned to Triple-A Worcester at some point to figure out his offense, but the defensive stability he\u2019s provided at third has helped at least one aspect of the team operate smoothly.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom my experience in Milwaukee last year, that was a really good infield defense and the work we do here is very similar,\u201d said Durbin, who noted that reps before the game have been especially important to get in a rhythm.<\/p>\n
\u201cOnce the game starts, building that relationship with Flo, he\u2019s kind of positioning us every pitch, that\u2019s been really good,\u201d Durbin added, in reference to Jos\u00e9 David Flores, who previously managed the infield group and has maintained those duties as the interim bench coach.<\/p>\n
Second-base reps for Ceddanne Rafaela?<\/p>\n
While Mayer has a hold on second for now, Tracy was asked about his thoughts on occasional playing time for Rafaela at second. The Red Sox prefer Rafaela in center, but Tracy didn\u2019t rule out using him at second if needed. Cora had held a similar stance, though the Red Sox haven\u2019t played Rafaela at second yet this season, despite 19 games there last season.<\/p>\n
\u201cMe and Flo have continued to talk about the possibilities of getting him enough ground balls to where, if we needed to do something, he needs to pop into the infield, he\u2019s very capable,\u201d Tracy said.<\/p>\n
In-game managing tactics<\/p>\n
Flores, who was his bench coach in Worcester for three years, has been key for Tracy in the dugout. Though Tracy has managed close to 1,000 minor-league games, the speed of the major-league game is noticeable, with instant replay and more frequent mid-inning pitching changes among myriad other changes.<\/p>\n
On Saturday night, Tracy emptied his bench in a series of double switches to try to win a game against the Houston Astros, and Flores was helpful.<\/p>\n
Tracy had Andruw Monasterio pinch-hit for Mayer with a lefty reliever entering the game. Houston countered by bringing in a righty, but Tracy followed by replacing Monasterio with Masataka Yoshida, who drew a walk to load the bases. Then, Tracy sent in Isiah Kiner-Falefa to pinch-run for Yoshida. Rafaela struck out to end the threat, but it was a complex set of moves hinting at some aggressive managing.<\/p>\n
\u201cEspecially the way (the game) had gone up to there, you look at that and go, \u2018This could be it,\u2019\u201d Tracy said of using the whole roster. \u201cSo you take your shot there to try to get back in the game.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t do much of that in Worcester,\u201d he said. \u201cIt was great. Flo was right there with me, we were talking through it.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n Masataka Yoshida has started in 15 of Boston\u2019s 35 games this season. (Maddie Meyer \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n
How to use Yoshida<\/p>\n
As for Yoshida, he\u2019s started just one of eight games since Tracy took over. Rather than trying to weave Yoshida into the starting lineup more consistently as Cora had, Tracy was more definitive about using Yoshida as a weapon off the bench.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not an easy situation, he\u2019s a good hitter,\u201d Tracy said. \u201cBut we\u2019re in the same spot we were. He can hit. But then you look at the other four guys too, the speed and the versatility and what they bring to the table, and they\u2019ve got to play. I do think that one thing is clear. You\u2019re not gonna always use him, but when Masa is sitting there on the bench and available, if there\u2019s a lane with a righty (reliever) where they can\u2019t make a move, that\u2019s a good thing for us.\u201d<\/p>\n
Yoshida went into Monday hitting .280 in 61 plate appearances, but is 2-for-5 with two walks as a pinch-hitter.<\/p>\n
Jarren Duran at leadoff, Roman Anthony hitting third<\/p>\n
Jarren Duran began hitting leadoff again two days before Cora was fired, but Tracy has stuck with him in the top spot. Aside from one off day, he\u2019s led off every game he\u2019s started since Tracy took over.<\/p>\n
One change, though, has been sliding Roman Anthony into the three-hole with Willson Contreras hitting second and Wilyer Abreu fourth. Despite just seven runs in their series against Houston over the weekend, Tracy was encouraged by the lineup\u2019s movement, feeling it\u2019s a matter of time before it coalesces.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel it, the guys feel it, the frustration, we all want one of those to come with bases loaded,\u201d he said. \u201cOf course we do, because that\u2019s runs. But the first step was let\u2019s get people on base a lot, and we did that, but we just need to get the hit. \u2026 We have people trending as far as the at-bat quality, that was a big message of mine. Talked to you guys about it, like I need multiple qualities (at-bats), two to three, out of everybody. And if we do that, we\u2019ll have traffic. We just got to execute.\u201d<\/p>\n
With Anthony in particular, Tracy doesn\u2019t want to move him further down the lineup for now. Anthony exited Monday\u2019s 5-4 win over the Tigers with right wrist discomfort in the second inning.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe thing I think I\u2019ve said about him before is when Roman is bad, he\u2019s still OK because he still finds his way to first,\u201d Tracy said, noting his 13 walks in 14 games. \u201cPlainly put, when Roman\u2019s really, really going well, he\u2019s not swinging out of the zone, he\u2019s driving the ball in the air, and he hits the ball in the air and drives it to the opposite gap, too.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tracy also said he\u2019s looking to give Mayer more at-bats against lefties to continue testing him in the right spots.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe looks confident,\u201d Tracy said. \u201cHe\u2019s swinging the bat well, he\u2019s taking good at-bats, he\u2019s mostly staying off stuff out of the zone, he\u2019s ready to hit fastballs when they\u2019re in the zone. It\u2019s been a little bit (for) the better part of a week now that the bats have really improved. So hopefully keep him moving in the right direction.\u201d<\/p>\n
Communication with Breslow<\/p>\n
One of the biggest keys to the job for Tracy will be how he works alongside Breslow. In the early going, as expected for a newly hired manager, Tracy suggested that the communication has been easy and that Breslow hasn\u2019t been heavy-handed while also seeking Tracy\u2019s feedback.<\/p>\n
\u201cI talk to him a couple of times a day,\u201d Tracy said. \u201cWe talk before the game. We talk after the game. But he\u2019s been amazing as far as, like, wanting to know what I think and has not, at this point, put me in any position saying you need to do this or you need to do that. Like, he knows I know the guys, too. So, collectively, me and Bails (pitching coach Andrew Bailey) about pitching, or me and Flo about some of the infielders or hitting, they want to hear my thoughts. But there\u2019s conversations daily. At the end of the day, I\u2019m armed with information. It\u2019s my decision to do what we want to do.\u201d<\/p>\n
Style among players<\/p>\n
More than half the roster has played for Tracy in Worcester, making the massive changes slightly easier on the clubhouse. Though wins haven\u2019t come easily, several players noted the transition to Tracy has been smooth.<\/p>\n
\u201cI mean, honestly, it feels like he\u2019s been here the whole time,\u201d said Mayer, who played for Tracy at the end of 2024 and beginning of 2025. \u201cI\u2019m sure it\u2019s been a lot for him and he\u2019s been super busy, but he\u2019s been super pro, and I think the players like him. I know the players that have played with him in Triple A love him. He\u2019s one of my favorite managers I\u2019ve ever had. And just playing for him in Triple A was super fun. It was a great experience. And for him to be in the big leagues now. Like, I couldn\u2019t be happier for him. I know he\u2019s more than capable for the job, and he\u2019s such a smart dude, such a smart baseball mind. And I think we\u2019re lucky to have him here.\u201d<\/p>\n
Zack Kelly, who\u2019s known Tracy since he was in the Los Angeles Angels\u2019 minor-league system where Tracy was a coach and manager, has seen the same level-headed coach he\u2019s known for years.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo me, it seems like he\u2019s been the same guy,\u201d Kelly said. \u201cI feel like he came in and kind of didn\u2019t try to do too much, but also at the same time made the message very clear, like, we\u2019re here to win. We\u2019re all in this together. The goal is the exact same. So, very seamless in my opinion.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Just over one week on the job, interim manager Chad Tracy has started to make his imprint on…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":649517,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[435],"tags":[3959,49,48,462,82],"class_list":["post-649516","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-mlb","tag-boston-red-sox","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-mlb","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/649516","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=649516"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/649516\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/649517"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=649516"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=649516"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=649516"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}