The Boston Red Sox intended on giving newcomer Caleb Durbin some repetitions at second base on Friday.
His tooth had other plans.
Durbin missed the morning workouts after undergoing a root canal, according to The Boston Globe's Tim Healey.
“It was kinda kicking my butt the last couple of day,” Durbin said, per Healey.
Durbin, who was acquired via trade with the Milwaukee Brewers on Feb. 9, said the pain made it difficult to sleep over the last several days, leading to the minimally invasive surgery that should have him ready to go on Saturday -- perhaps in the club's Grapefruit League opener against the Minnesota Twins.
Durbin finished third for National League Rookie of the Year in 2025, slashing .256/.334/.387 with 11 home runs and 25 doubles while splitting time at third base, second base and shortstop. The Red Sox expect him to compete for an everyday role at either second or third base, where his versatility could help the club stay fluid with its lineup construction.
"I think he showed last year that he can be a very good, everyday player in the big leagues," Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow. “He does a lot of things really, really well. When you think about some of the deficiencies that our team had last year in terms of putting the ball in play, not expanding the strike zone, catching up to fastballs -- those are all things that he excels at, and we think that he's a really good defender as well."
The Red Sox will hope he only continues to get better moving forward, because they need it.