Jackie Bradley Jr. Showing Improvement, Maturity In Second Stint With Sox

One can’t say for sure whether or not bringing Jackie Bradley Jr. up to the majors to start the season was the right move. They did make a statement, saying that the best player will play regardless of contract situation or future issues. However, after an excellent spring, Bradley did nothing to live up to expectations. After a promising first few games, he went through a terrible streak and wound up going down to Triple-A Pawtucket with a .097 MLB average tacked to his name.

June 1, 2013; Bronx, NY, USA; Boston Red Sox left fielder Jackie Bradley Jr. (44) doubles against the New York Yankees during the ninth inning at Yankee Stadium. Boston won 11-1. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports

Bradley put that all behind him when he got to Pawtucket, as he got extremely hot, slashing to a .354/.457/.544 line reminiscent of his numbers last year in High-A Salem (.359/.480/.526). The Red Sox have just had far too many injuries to let a prospect like that languish in the minors, so they called him up despite his struggles his first time around. Things have changed tremendously since then, as Bradley has made the necessary adjustments to become an effective major league player. His defense has been stellar and with his first major league home run last night, his hitting hasn’t been too far behind.

Since going 3-31 (.097) in early April, Bradley has made tangible improvements here. In his second stint with the club, he is batting .294 with his home run last night. It seems that he has vanquished his struggles with the inner part of the plate as, in his last 10 games, he is hitting .300 on pitches middle-in (according to ESPN’s Hot Zones).

When Jacoby Ellsbury returns (which could be tonight), Bradley will be demoted from the starting lineup, as he has started in center field the last four games. He will likely reside on the bench until Shane Victorino returns from the DL. There hasn’t been a formal announcement of a rehab assignment for Victorino yet, so that could be a week or two. It’s always nice to have a hot hitter on one’s bench, and that’s exactly what the Red Sox will have until Victorino sends Bradley back to the minors.