Red Sox star ‘turning heads’ is 5-foot-6 replacement for Alex Bregman originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Boston Red Sox have been one of the more active teams this offseason, and while the regular season is just around the corner, the work that Boston did to revamp the roster is impressive.

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After losing Alex Bregman, the team needed to find a replacement, and they couldn’t skimp on spending on such a player. They landed on a trade with the Milwaukee Brewers for a 5-foot-6 infielder coming off a strong rookie year.

That player, Caleb Durbin, is, according to Jim Bowden of The Athletic, the Red Sox’s star player turning heads at spring training this year. Durbin is replacing Bregman, and there’s plenty of optimism for the 26-year-old this year.

Caleb Durbin ‘turning heads’ at Red Sox spring training

“Durbin has all the intangibles you look for in winning players, including a high baseball IQ,” Bowden writes.

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Durbin is undertaking a huge task, replacing Bregman at third base for the Red Sox. Alex Cora named him the official starting third baseman, and it’s a well-deserved honor.

Not only did the Red Sox spend a good amount to acquire him from the Brewers, but Durbin has shown up in spring training.

While he doesn’t have a home run yet, through 33 at-bats this spring, the Red Sox’s replacement for Bregman has a .394 batting average with a 1.106 OPS.

Combined with strong defense, Durbin is impressing in Red Sox camp this year. Craig Breslow thinks highly of Durbin, and for a few good reasons.

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More: Alex Cora announces Caleb Durbin is Red Sox starting third baseman

“Durbin has integrated seamlessly and shown very strong bat-to-ball skills, good baserunning, and strong defense at both third and second,” Breslow said.

While replacing someone of the caliber of Bregman is going to be near impossible, Durbin’s spring gives the Red Sox confidence that they can get decent enough production from their new third baseman.

Last year, Durbin had a .256 batting average with a .721 OPS with solid defense as a rookie for the Brewers.

Now in Boston, in a very tough spot replacing one of the best infielders of the last decade, Durbin has gotten off to a strong start that’s turned heads in Red Sox camp.

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