The outfiedler has a 1.102 OPS — the highest on the team. For that matter, it’s the highest of any full-time big league outfielder in the past month.
This doesn’t come as news to most Sox fans. They’ve been excited about Reddick since he was recalled from Pawtucket on June 18. Tired of watching J.D. Drew and his rapidly declining numbers, fans have been looking for Reddick to play every day.
He has, spending most of his time in left field. That spot was vacant because of the month-long hamstring injury suffered by Carl Crawford. Crawford returned Monday, but with David Ortiz serving a three-game suspension, he and Jacoby Ellsbury spent time as DH, leaving an outfield spot open for Reddick.
That spot was gone Wednesday. Adrian Gonzalez was the DH, meaning Crawford was back in left and Ellsbury in center. There was only one place left to play Reddick — right field, meaning Terry Francona would have to sit Drew. Which is exactly what the manager did.
For most fans, it was an obvious choice. After all, how do you sit a guy hitting .378?
We learned long ago that such moves are not obvious when it comes to Francona. He has stood by many struggling veterans in the past.
Last year, it was Ortiz.
In 2007, it was Dustin Pedroia.
In 2004, it was Kevin Millar.
So it wasn’t out of the question to imagine Francona keeping Drew in right despite his .223 batting average or his .630 OPS. Or his four homers. Or his 22 RBIs. We’ve seen Francona’s patience rewarded, as veterans have increased their offense after getting the confidence of their manager.
Yet it is now obvious that Francona has seen exactly what we’ve seen. We see a right fielder who has shown no signs of turning his season around. A player nearing the end of his five-year, $70 million contract who seems to have retirement in mind. A guy who’s gone a full calendar year without any kind of real production.
He’s also seen a 24-year-old come up and get it done at the plate. In all three games in Baltimore, Reddick hit fifth in baseball’s hottest offense. He has played all three outfield divisions, reaching base in 21 of the 28 games he has appeared in for the Sox.
The guy’s got to play, simple as that.
What’s not quite so simple is what the Sox decide to do from here. Is he the right fielder for the rest of the season, or do they go get right-field help before the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline? It would be much easier if Reddick hit right-handed, since he could platoon with Drew when needed.
For now, Reddick is going to get a chance to log significant time in right field. Chances are, there will be more options there in August. But, thanks to the job Reddick has done at the plate, any outfield help the Sox acquire next week is more likely to be a complementary piece rather than a blockbuster deal.
