Red Sox bench
Franchy Cordero has been the most frequently used player on the bench, although he’s essentially locked in platoon with Dalbec at first base at this point. Cordero is finally starting to harness his impressive athleticism. He’s hitting at a respectable level and has three home runs with three stolen bases in 143 at-bats.
Christian Arroyo has been a liability at the plate, hitting .204 with a .612 OPS. He provides value with his versatility, having seen time at five different positions this season. That’s really the only reason he’s still on the roster, although his spot could be in jeopardy if Kike is relegated to a utility role when he returns.
Duran has been a sparkplug at the top of the lineup, hitting .327 with a .886 OPS and four stolen bases. His speed gives the Red Sox an element the team has lacked in recent years. Now that the team has returned from Toronto, it’s time to lock Duran into the leadoff role.
Refsnyder has earned a role to help bolster the bench as a spare outfielder. He’s hitting .341 with a 1.005 OPS and a pair of home runs in a very limited sample of 41 at-bats.
About a handful of other position players have spent time on the roster this season but the Red Sox cut bait quickly with those who weren’t useful or shipped them back to Triple-A following a brief cup of coffee in the big leagues.
The bench was a major weakness early in the season but the call-ups from Worcester have improved the team’s depth. Boston could still use some upgrades to fortify the bench, either by dipping into Triple-A again or on the trade market as the deadline approaches. Their first-half grade suffers since their most productive players arrived fairly recently but the Red Sox bench is in better shape than they were in earlier this year. Expect this grade to be higher when we review again at the end of the season.
Grade: C+