Red Sox infielder Caleb Durbin had PIP joint reconstruction surgery on his left pinky last week, the team announced. It’s the same finger Durbin partially dislocated in June, though the injury never cost him any time and he still suited up for the Wild Card Series against the Yankees.
Boston had Durbin locked in as its regular third baseman after he arrived in a six-player trade in early February, and he gave the club exactly what it hoped for on defense. His glove was elite at the hot corner: +13 Defensive Runs Saved and +7 Outs Above Average, both tops among American League third basemen. At the plate, he was steady rather than flashy, finishing his first season in Boston with a .248/.332/.378 line, a 100 wRC+, 13 homers, 20 steals, and 3.1 wins above replacement in 586 plate appearances, per FanGraphs.
The finger issue first showed up on June 24 against the Rockies. Durbin slid head-first into first base on an infield grounder, jammed the pinky on the bag, and left in the third inning.
Even then, the move was precautionary, and the rest of his season backed that up. He never landed on the injured list, and from June 25 on, he hit .272/.377/.391 with a 119 wRC+ across 335 plate appearances.
The team apparently saw no need to rush anything. Durbin went through postseason appointments on the finger after Boston was eliminated on September 30, according to MassLive’s Chris Cotillo five days later. The Red Sox didn’t give a recovery timetable, but the expectation is that he’ll have a normal offseason and be ready for Spring Training.
Durbin also remains a long-term piece for Boston. He isn’t arbitration-eligible until 2028 and is under team control through 2031.
The Sox are positioned for next season with him and 2026 All-Star Willson Contreras on the infield corners, while mid-season pickup Curtis Mead looks like the early favorite at second base. Trevor Story Jarren Duran, and a rotation addition would still help if Sonny Gray leaves in free agency.
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