The Boston Red Sox are off to an intriguing start to the 2025 season, but behind the scenes, a spring training disagreement between former manager Alex Cora and chief baseball officer Craig Breslow has come to light—and it centers on two key infielders.

According to Red Sox insider Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic, the tension arose over where to play rookie Marcelo Mayer and offseason acquisition Caleb Durbin. Cora had firmly installed the 23-year-old Mayer as the primary second baseman, with Durbin manning third base. Breslow, however, reportedly wanted the opposite alignment: Mayer at third and Durbin at second.

Now, with Cora out and interim manager Chad Tracy at the helm, the immediate future of the infield appears settled—for now. Tracy told McCaffrey he has no plans to shake things up. "I like where they’re at," Tracy said, praising the duo's defensive consistency. "Both of them are playing really well, and Durbin has been exceptional at third base. Switching things like that in the middle of a season, especially at this level, is hard to do."

Statistically, the decision seems justified. Durbin, 26, has struggled at the plate this spring but leads all of MLB with six defensive runs saved in just 33 games at third base. Meanwhile, Mayer has been steady at second, committing only two errors in 30 contests while posting a .256/.320/.356 slash line with one home run and eight RBIs across 101 plate appearances.

For Red Sox fans, the infield alignment may not be the flashiest storyline, but it’s a crucial one as the team looks to build chemistry and defensive reliability. Whether this alignment sticks through the summer remains to be seen, but for now, Tracy is betting on stability over change.