Former Boston Red Sox platoon bat outfielder Rob Refsnyder is in a terrible place right now with the Seattle Mariners. The 35-year-old veteran has been in so many situations around MLB, having now played for seven different franchises, but Refsnyder may never have hit the depths of his current slump with the Mariners.
Although Refsnyder's season thus far with the Mariners has had a couple of shining moments — including a web gem catch and a game-winning homer — he has, on the whole, been atrocious at the plate, and no one can explain what's going on with such a professional hitter.
Refsnyder is 0-for-16 with nine strikeouts in his last seven games. He's also 2-for-31 with 16 strikeouts in his last 15 games. The man has just two hits in the entire month of May. Refsnyder's season numbers in 2026 are even more depressing. He's hitting .101 on the year (7-for-69) with two home runs.
Mariners outfielder Rob Refsnyder appears to have peaked in a Red Sox uniform
Rob Refsnyder had three cracks at the lefty starter and struck out all three times
— Mariner Muse (@MarinerMuse) May 23, 2026
This is a currently broken player who has completely failed to adapt to a new team
Any further time on this roster is an unequivocal, indefensible failure to prioritize winning by the Mariners
It looks like 2024 will end up going down as Refsnyder's career year. He appeared in 93 games for the Red Sox that season, hitting .283 with 11 homers and 40 RBI.
Even into last season, there were stretches where Refsnyder looked so locked in (especially against lefties) that it seemed he was guaranteed to make solid contact or draw a walk whenever he stepped into the batter's box. As mentioned above, Refsnyder is the epitome of a professional hitter. Or ... was.
The Red Sox lost Refsnyder to the Mariners in free agency this past winter. He signed a one-year, $6.25 million deal with Seattle on December 22.
You can look at his terrible season so far and take the stance that the Red Sox were lucky to avoid re-signing him, but that's purely a hypothetical. Who knows if Refsnyder would have descended to this dark stretch if he were still in Boston, where he was comfortable and familiar?
It's not like the Red Sox offense has been dominating this season. Generally speaking, Refsnyder would have been a good bat to retain. He also provides excellent leadership that would have been extremely valuable on a young roster with only a few vets leading the charge.
Then again, Boston's never-ending outfield logjam is probably what pushed Refsnyder out more than anything else. How exactly would Alex Cora/Chad Tracy have found time for Refsnyder, with Boston already burdened with splitting reps between five outfielders?
Whatever is going on with Refsnyder, hopefully it stops soon and he can turn things around. He was always beloved in Boston for being an awesome teammate and a clutch performer. He deserves better than an entire season of torture in Seattle.
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