Alex Cora: Chances of Mookie playing 2nd base in L.A. 'very slim'

Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora will have to do some tinkering with his defensive alignment once the World Series shifts to Los Angeles, where he won't have the luxury of trotting out a designated hitter.

Shifting Mookie Betts to the infield may not be a part of that plan.

Although Cora had previously suggested that Boston's outfield/DH logjam might be solved by moving the All-Star right fielder to second base at Dodger Stadium, the skipper poured a little bit of cold water on the possibility ahead of Tuesday's opening game.

"Very slim (chance), yeah. But he's prepared (to)," Cora said, according to MassLive's Christopher Smith. "He's the best defensive right fielder in the big leagues. He's not going to be the best defensive second baseman in the big leagues."

Betts was drafted by the Red Sox as a second baseman and played the position regularly in the minors before morphing into a Gold Glove outfielder upon reaching the majors in 2014. He's made just 15 big-league appearances at the keystone, all but one of which came during his rookie season; this year, Betts logged all of six innings at second during a game in August.

Still, the 26-year-old has been taking ground balls at his old position just in case he's asked to make the switch.

Once they lose the DH in Game 3, the Red Sox will have to move some pieces around to keep all four of their outfielders in Betts, J.D. Martinez, Jackie Bradley Jr., and Andrew Benintendi in the lineup. If Betts plays second, Martinez - normally their DH - would likely shift into a corner outfield spot defensively, while regular second basemen Ian Kinsler and Brock Holt would both sit.

Cora insisted the final decision of where Betts plays and who draws out in L.A. will be based on matchups.

"Who's swinging the bat, who's not, or how we feel about that matchup," he said.