ith a five-game lead over the Texas Rangers in the race for one of the three American League Wild Card spots and only 21 games to play, the Boston Red Sox appear in a good position to qualify for the playoffs for the first time since 2021 and only the second since 2018.

But the season obviously is not over yet and the Red Sox have gone through a rocky, up-and-down campaign. Entering Friday’s opener of a three-game series in Arizona against the Diamondbacks, Boston stood 15 games over .500 with the fourth-best record in the AL (eighth-best in MLB).

On June 6 they were at a low point of five games under .500, and five games out of a playoff spot.

This is a team with some glaring flaws, and one of the most glaring holes in the lineup has been the right side of the infield. With Alex Bregman, when healthy, playing an Gold Glove-caliber third base and Trevor Story with a lock on the shortstop position, the left side has been taken care of.

The acquisition of Washington Nationals castoff Nathaniel Lowe appears to have settled the first base problem.

But what about second? That spot has seen a carousel of Romy Gonzalez, Kristian Campbell, David Hamilton, Ceddanne Rafaela, Marcelo Mayer and Nick Sogard. But no player has established a firm hold.

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In 2026 the situation could get even more worrisome, with Bregman expected to exercise the opt-out clause in his contract, and Story also holding an opt-out. But even re-signing both of those players does not solve the second base issue.

According to longtime MLB insider Jon Heyman of the New York Post, however, the Red Sox are the most likely landing spot for a 2025 All-Star second-bagger who will hit the free agent market after the season — 28-year-old Gleyber Torres of the Detroit Tigers.

Signed out of Venezuela at age 16 by the Chicago Cubs in 2013, Torres was already considered a top-three international signing and he lived up to his billing by quickly rising to become the Cubs’ No. 1 overall prospect by the time he was 19.

But in 2016, the Cubs parted ways with Torres, sending him to the New York Yankees in a trade for fireballing reliever Aroldis Chapman, who played a key role in getting the Cubs to the World Series that season — and winning it for the first (and so far, only) time since 1908.

But after seven years and two All-Star selections, the Yankees had seen enough of Torres and made no effort to re-sign him after last season. So he signed a one-year deal with Detroit for $15 million.

According to a report by the Detroit Free Press, Torres “bet on himself” and would enter free agency again this offseason, seeking a multi-year, $100 million contract this time.

Heyman believes the Red Sox could give it to him, after “a nice year out of pinstripes,” in which the infielder posted a solid .758 OPS with 14 home runs and a respectable 2.1 WAR for the playoff-bound Tigers.

The Red Sox have not exactly been known for doling out long-term, nine-figure contracts in recent years. They unloaded the biggest contract they had, Rafael Devers’ 11-year, $313.5 million deal, onto the San Francisco Giants when Boston traded Devers there on June 15.

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But Torres also brings durability, a factor the Red Sox must consider if they were counting on their former No. 1 prospect Mayer to man the position.

The 22-year-old rookie underwent season-ending wrist surgery in August — making this the third consecutive season he has been unable to finish due to physical problems.

But Torres has played 115 of the Tigers 141 games at second this year, after 153 for the Yankees in 2024. That reliability may lead the Red Sox to see him as a worthwhile investment as they hope to continue their upward trajectory back to championship contention in 2026.