Hanley Ramirez to Move from Left Field to 1st Base for Red Sox

Boston Red Sox left fielder Hanley Ramirez has underwhelmed on defense all season long, and a positional change appears to be in the works as a result of some glaring deficiencies. 

Red Sox interim manager Torey Lovullo said on Sept. 1 that Ramirez will not play in the outfield for the rest of the season and he's "hopeful" Ramirez will make a start at first before the end of the season, per Alex Speier of the Boston Globe.

Those comments differ from Lovullo's original remarks on Aug. 25, when he said it was a "possibility" Ramirez would feature at first before the end of the campaign, via the Boston Globe's Pete Abraham, 

"He’ll play in a game if he’s ready," Lovullo said at the time, according to MLB.com's Ian Browne. "We’re not going to rush this. He’s going to continue to play left field for us."

However, Ramirez sounded more definitive regarding a move to first base, according to the Boston Herald's Michael Silverman: 

MassLive.com's Jen McCaffrey passed along a glimpse of Ramirez taking reps at first base prior to the Aug. 25 game against the Chicago White Sox:

Should Ramirez move to first base, Rusney Castillo is a prime candidate to take over as the team's everyday left fielder. However, Jackie Bradley Jr. and the recently traded Alejandro De Aza were filling in at the position in Ramirez's absence.

"I wouldn’t be surprised if he played there at some point before the season is over," Lovullo said of Castillo, per the Boston Herald's Scott Lauber. "Stay tuned."

According to Baseball-Reference.com, Ramirez is in the midst of his worst defensive season since entering the league in 2005. Entering Aug. 25, the 31-year-old has accrued minus-2.5 defensive wins above replacement. If he sustains that pace, it would mark the second time Ramirez has posted a dWAR lower than minus-two. The other came in 2007.  

While Ramirez made his name as a shortstop with the Florida—turned Miami—Marlins, he's appeared in 91 games in left field and just one at third base this season for the Red Sox. 

And while he's disappointed in left, the Boston Globe's Nick Cafardo cautioned that a move to first base could hurt Ramirez's stock even more. 

"The problem is, he doesn’t work hard on his defense, according to team sources," Cafardo wrote. "The one time he did work was in spring training, when he was out before and after practice and games."

But considering Ramirez is in just the first year of a four-year deal that will pay out $88 million guaranteed, per Spotrac, Boston may have no choice but to try to slide Ramirez into the infield as a way to save his value.

With a .249 batting average further hurting Ramirez's cause, the Red Sox need to hold out hope that a positional overhaul will offer the three-time All-Star a clean slate in the years ahead.