The Boston Red Sox are adding a new face to the team in the form of veteran infielder and utilityman Isiah Kiner-Falefa, Jeff Passan of ESPN reported on Wednesday.
“Infielder Isiah Kiner-Falefa and the Boston Red Sox are in agreement on a one-year contract, sources tell ESPN,” Passan wrote in a social media post on X, formerly Twitter.
This means that Kiner-Falefa is staying in the American League East Division, having last suited up for the Toronto Blue Jays. He also had a previous stint with the New York Yankees.
Kiner-Falefa started the 2024 MLB season with the Blue Jays before the team sent him to the Pittsburgh Pirates. Toronto later got him back when the Blue Jays claimed him off waivers last summer.
In 138 games and 459 plate appearances in the 2025 campaign, Kiner-Falefa hit 262/.297/.334 with two home runs, 40 RBIs and 15 stolen bases. He appeared in 15 games and made 40 plate appearances during the Blue Jays' 2025 run in the MLB playoffs, hitting just .162 with a pair of doubles and two RBIs.
While not a big name, Kiner-Falefa can be a very useful and versatile asset for the Red Sox, especially on defense. A former Gold Glove winner during his time with the Texas Rangers in 2020, the 30-year-old Kiner-Falefa carries a strong fielding profile as a second baseman. In his career, he has posted a plus-12 defensive runs saved while playing that position.
The Red Sox finished third in the American League Division standings in 2025 with 89 wins and made the MLB playoffs, where they lost to the Yankees in the wild card round.
