Red Sox acquire shortstop Adalberto Mondesi from Royals
BOSTON -- The Red Sox have added a shortstop to their roster. Boston has acquired Adalberto Mondesi from the Kansas City Royals.
The Red Sox picked up Mondesi and a player to be named later in exchange for lefty reliever Josh Taylor, the team announced Tuesday afternoon. Taylor was a trusted member of the Boston bullpen in 2021, but missed all of 2022 due to back issues.
Mondesi, 27, has played just 50 games over the last two seasons due to injuries. He was limited to 15 games in 2022, with his season ending in late April after he tore his left ACL.
The son of former MLB All-Star Raul Mondesi, the younger Mondesi spent his first seven MLB seasons with the Royals, debuting in the World Series in 2015. He's been bouncing around between the Major Leagues and the minors since, with his best season coming in 2019. That year, Mondesi appeared in 102 games for Kansas City, slashing .263/.291/.494 with 20 doubles, 10 triples, and 43 stolen bases.
Mondesi is a speedster, stealing 133 bases while only being caught 26 times during his career. He led the Majors with 24 swipes during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season.
If Mondesi can stay healthy, he could get an extended look at shortstop for Boston. That would allow Kiké Hernandez to play second base and Christian Arroyo to stay as a utility man. But more realistically, Mondesi will likely serve as Hernandez's backup and a speedster on the base paths.
