Mike Cameron Won’t be Roaming the Outfield During the Dog Days of Summer
By Editorial Staff
Mike Cameron never lived up to the billing the Sox were hoping to get when they signed him to a two year deal last year. Last year was a bust when the aging center fielder only played in 48 games as his season ended on July 30th with a hernia injury.
This year fared no better, with the signing of Carl Crawford and the return of Jacoby Ellsbury, there was limited opportunity for Cameron to fit in. He usually replaced the left handed hitting J.D. Drew when the Sox were facing a left handed pitcher. Cameron played 33 games this year with a .249 batting average, 3 home runs and 9 RBI’s.
His demise came sooner than expected when the Sox were forced to call up infielder Yamico Navarro due to an ankle injury to Kevin Youkilis. It was apparent that Cameron would be the odd man out. The Sox outfield is stacked with left handed hitters leaving Darnell McDonald as the lone right hander. Not the best situation to be in , but I believe the Sox are much better with Darnell McDonald and Josh Reddick coming off the bench instead of Cameron.
The Sox now have 10 days to trade, release or reassign him to a minor league affiliate. It is highly unlikely that at the age of 38 that Cameron would accept a minor league offer. Cameron is still in great shape and maybe another team is willing to take a chance on him. This was a good move at the right time for the Sox, especially with their recent offensive struggles. One has to wonder what the Sox were thinking when they signed him to a two year deal last year. He was obviously past his prime. He was the replacement for Jason Bay? I don’t think so.
I applaud the Red Sox brass on this one. If only they could do the same with J.D. Drew. The release of Cameron will give Josh Reddick more opportunity to show that he is ready to battle Ryan Kalish for the everyday right field position.
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