Here are a few things to know about the Red Sox’ new infielder.
Monasterio is mostly known for his glove
Much of Monasterio’s value for Boston will likely play out in the field, where the Venezuelan has been a versatile, reliable utility infielder at a variety of positions.
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In 68 games for the Brewers last season, Monasterio played primarily at shortstop (on 37 occasions) but also took reps at each of the other infield positions as well as a couple of brief stints in left field.
“We think that Andruw is an above-average defender at multiple positions,” chief baseball officer Craig Breslow said. “He’s played second base, he’s played third base, he’s played shortstop. … Giving us another option who can play the infield and be in a lineup against left-handed pitching is something that is important for us and he’s kind of served that role very, very well in a couple of seasons with the Brewers.”
Monasterio has accumulated 6 defensive runs saved, according to FanGraphs, over three seasons at second base. The results are less promising at shortstop, where he finished with negative-1 defensive run saved in both 2023 and 2025.
He’ll likely be a platoon bat (and has shown promise against lefties)
While Monasterio’s overall offensive profile has been fairly limited — a .250/.321/.351 slash line isn’t exactly going to turn any heads — his potential as a platoon bat against lefthanders could be enough to keep him in the majors full-time.
The 28-year-old is coming off what is comfortably the most productive offensive season of his career, with a .755 OPS (and 109 OPS+) in 135 plate appearances.
In 50 plate appearances against lefthanders, Monasterio slashed .273/.360/.477 for an .837 OPS.
That alone probably won’t be enough to displace Romy Gonzalez (.978 OPS against lefties last year) in the pecking order of righthanded platoon infielders, but Monasterio’s added value with his glove plus a serviceable bat could be enough to keep him around.
It’s also a significant upgrade on Hamilton, who was consistently one of Boston’s worst hitters with a .590 OPS in 2025.
His contract comes with four years of team control
If the Red Sox do like what they see in Monasterio, keeping him around will be relatively easy. With just over two years of service time under his belt, Monasterio will become arbitration eligible for the first time next year and won’t hit free agency until 2030.
Still in his pre-arbitration years, Monasterio made just $760,000 last season and will likely be in line for similar compensation in 2026.
He would be the 45th (or 46th) Venezuelan to play for the Red Sox
Hailing from Caracas, Monasterio would be the 45th or 46th player from Venezuela to play for the Red Sox.
That depends on whether he hits the field before Willson Contreras, Monasterio’s countryman whom Boston acquired earlier in the offseason.
Monasterio’s acquisition makes him the fourth Venezuelan member on this year’s team, alongside Contreras, Wilyer Abreu, and Carlos Narvaez.
The first Venezuelan to play for the Red Sox was Hall of Famer Luis Aparicio, who played the final three seasons of his career in Boston, earning his last two All-Star nods.
Amin Touri can be reached at amin.touri@globe.com.