Position Player candidates
Playing time has been sporadic for Josh Rutledge over the last six weeks but the utility infielder found his way into the starting lineup in four of the last five games. Rutledge went 5-for-13 (.385) last week with a double, triple and two RBI. He also swiped his first bag of the season.
The weekend series against the Tigers saw the return of Dustin Pedroia from a shot stint on the disabled list. After going without a hit in his first game back, the veteran second baseman followed with a pair of multi-hit games. Pedroia finished his abbreviated week going 4-for-11 (.364) with two doubles and two RBI.
Jackie Bradley continues to swing the bat well, hitting .286 with an .899 OPS last week. His two-run homer capped an 8th inning rally as the Red Sox stormed back to beat the Tigers Friday night. The next day he helped Chris Sale out of a jam with a spectacular diving catch to keep Detroit off the scoreboard.
Rookie first baseman Sam Travis went 1-for-3 in his only game of the week before being optioned back to Triple-A Pawtucket. Clearly not enough production to Strut over, I just wanted to point out that the Red Sox demoted a guy hitting .471 while Pablo Sandoval remains on the roster to continue his battle to stay above the Mendoza line.