Boston Red Sox outfielder Chris Young left Thursday’s game with a hamstring injury, further depleting the team’s depth in left field.
Another one bites the dust. Another left fielder that is. The Boston Red Sox have gone through a myriad of players at the position in 2016 and the revolving door continues to spin.
Brock Holt? Still out with a concussion. Blake Swihart? Severely sprained ankle from running into a wall. Rusney Castillo? Banished to Pawtucket and taken off the 40-man roster. That left the Red Sox extremely thin in left field, pushing Chris Young from his platoon role into full-time duty.
Young was handling the opportunity fairly well, hitting .281 with an .887 OPS in June and managing to not embarrass himself against right-handed pitching. At least until now.
The Red Sox were dealt another blow to their outfield depth on Thursday when Young clutched the back of his right hamstring rounding first base following a shot off the Green Monster. He barely made it back to the bag safely and had to be helped off the field. It’s too soon to tell how serious the injury is, but it certainly does not look good.
Young was aggressively rounding first when Cabrera fielded it cleanly. When he stopped abruptly, he grabbed for right hamstring.
— Tim Britton (@TimBritton) June 23, 2016
Another injury to a left fielder is not what the Red Sox needed right now, especially with the team sliding in the standings while the offense is scuffling.
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The recently called up Ryan LaMarre replaced Young as a pinch-runner and took over in left field. While he was having a solid season in Pawtucket, the 29-year old struck out in his only plate appearance with the Red Sox this season and was abysmal in his only other taste of the big leagues last year with the Cincinnati Reds (2-for-25, 9 strikeouts). Perhaps he’s come a long way in the past year, but he’s entirely unproven at this level and not who the Red Sox want to rely on for an everyday role for long.
Holt should return soon to reclaim the starting left field job he opened the season with. He seems to be getting closer, but it’s seemed like that for a while now. Long-term, Holt is best used as a super-utility player that can be moved around the diamond, so getting him back in the lineup still doesn’t solve the left field riddle for the Red Sox.
If Young ends up missing significant time with this injury, it may be time for Dave Dombrowski to pull the trigger on a deal for another outfielder. It doesn’t need to be a blockbuster for a high-profile slugger. We just need someone that can play a competent left field and provide an average to above-average bat.
Red Sox fans may be eager to see top outfield prospect Andrew Benintendi called up, but don’t expect Young’s injury to open the door for his immediate arrival. He’s doing well in the minors, but he’s not ready yet and there is no reason to rush him. Go out and get a veteran bat to hold down the fort until Benintendi has had the proper time to develop.
We’ll know more about the severity of Young’s injury after he is further evaluated, but in the meantime we are left to hold our collective breaths and hope for the best.