The Red Sox have spent years trying to solve second base, and Anthony Seigler is suddenly making that search look a lot less urgent.
Boston hasn’t had a true fixture there since Dustin Pedroia anchored the spot from 2007 to 2017. Since then, the club has cycled through options without finding one that stuck. Now, 13 games into his run with the big-league club, Seigler is giving the Red Sox something they’ve been missing: real stability.
The 27-year-old arrived with a complicated baseball path behind him. He was once a first-round pick by the Yankees, never fully clicked in their system, then signed with the Brewers as a minor league free agent before being moved this offseason with Caleb Durbin in the deal that brought back a package of players led by south paw Kyle Harrison. Harrison has been excellent for Milwaukee this year, but Seigler’s early work in Boston is starting to look like a meaningful return in its own right.
In those 13 games, Seigler has hit .350 with five XBH and a .409 OBP. He’s also been sharp defensively, committing just one error in 48 total chances. For a Red Sox team that has been hunting for answers at second, that kind of production stands out fast.
The need has been obvious. Marcelo Mayer, the former fourth overall pick, has struggled at the major league level, and Boston still hasn’t found a long-term fix. Over the last two seasons, Mayer has appeared in 114 games and carries a career .223 batting average.
That uncertainty has played out against the backdrop of a rough year for the club. The Red Sox are 37-48, sitting at the bottom of the American League East after last season’s wild-card berth. Even so, there have been pockets of competence in a season full of injuries and inconsistency, with role players stepping in and delivering.
Seigler was not supposed to be part of the long-term picture when the year began. He came in as an overlooked offseason pickup, but his recent stretch has changed the conversation. He’s given Boston a lift at the plate and made the most of every chance he’s gotten, enough to make it hard for Craig Breslow to keep looking for outside help at second base.
Whether Seigler keeps rolling and locks down the job or settles into a useful bench role, he has already shown he belongs in the majors. And with the trade deadline nearing, Boston may have found one less problem to chase. The Red Sox are only 4.5 games out of a playoff spot, so if Seigler keeps hitting, this quiet little development could end up mattering a lot more than anyone expected.
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