With Dustin Pedroia out for the season following surgery on his left wrist, the Red Sox will return Mookie Betts to his original position for the remainder of the 2014 season.
Betts was drafted in the fifth round of the 2011 draft as a shortstop, but switched over to second base to begin the 2013 season to allow the youngster to focus on his offense. That move certainly accomplished its purpose as Betts has been on a tear since making the move to the keystone, slashing .314/.417/.506 between Single-A Greenville and High-A Salem last season and .346/.431/.529 for Double-A Portland and Triple-A Pawtucket this season before his promotion to Boston.
He has been incredibly successful in his Minor League career and it will be intriguing to watch Betts, who has already impressed through his first 37 games for the Red Sox, return to his natural position. After all, depth never hurts and, with Pedroia out for the season and Brock Holt suffering from concussion symptoms, playing Betts at second base lets the Red Sox give one of their top prospects a chance instead of recently-acquired Jemile Weeks, who likely is not a significant part of the team’s future.
Perhaps most importantly, this move allows Jackie Bradley Jr. to play every day in center field. Bradley is one of the bigger question marks on the team entering the offseason as the Red Sox must determine if his excellent defense outweighs his abysmal offense and a few additional weeks could allow them a longer look at Bradley. And all things considered, getting Betts and Bradley into the lineup has to be one of the bigger goals for the Red Sox over the last few weeks of the season and this move will allow just that.