3 ways the Boston Red Sox can replace the injured Adam Duvall
Adam Duvall started the 2023 season as arguably the hottest hitter on the planet. Entering Sunday's game with the Detroit Tigers, Duvall was batting .483 with a 1.683 OPS, four home runs, and 14 RBI in seven games, garnering the American League Player of the Week Award for the first week of the season.
The right-handed hitting Duvall also helped balance the left-handed hitting heavy Red Sox lineup while holding his own in centerfield. While nobody expected the streaky-hitting Duvall to keep this pace up for the entire season, Boston Red Sox fans could not help but dream about what Duvall could do over a full season.
On Sunday, these dreams quickly turned into a nightmare for Red Sox fans. As the Red Sox were completing their three-game sweep of the Detroit Tigers on Sunday afternoon, Duvall injured his left wrist while diving to catch a fly ball from Spencer Torkelson in the bottom of the ninth inning. His glove seemed to get caught on the ground hyperextending his wrist. Duvall immediately knew he had injured himself and was removed from the game.
Can we ever have a moment of joy. Just one.
— Tyler Milliken ⚾️ (@tylermilliken_) April 9, 2023
He had surgery on that same wrist last season. pic.twitter.com/4V4jhCb8VZ
Even more concerning is that this is the same wrist that required Duvall to undergo season-ending surgery last season. Manager Alex Cora could not assuage concerns when he told reporters after the game, “He’s getting X-rays right now, so we don’t know. We’ll know more tomorrow”.
Until further information is available Monday, Red Sox fans will be holding their collective breaths about how much time Duvall will miss. If he is to miss an extended amount of time, the Red Sox have several options to try and replace Duvall.
Option 1: Red Sox platoon Raimel Tapia and Rob Refsyder
The first option will be to have Raimel Tapia and Rob Refsnyder split time in center field. This seems like the most likely scenario the Red Sox will employ. Tapia has made the most of his limited opportunities this season. In six games, Tapia is batting .500 with a 1.571 OPS.
Though his numbers are not as impressive, Refsnyder has always fared better against lefthanded pitching which would make him an ideal platoon partner with Tapia allowing Cora to capitalize on certain matchups. As noted below, the Red Sox will see a lot of lefthanded starter pitchers in their upcoming schedule and Refsnyder's penchant for hitting lefthanded pitching would be an asset.
Cora mentioned this postgame and it's actually nuts:
— Red Sox Stats (@redsoxstats) April 8, 2023
Probables upcoming:
Joey Wentz (L) (today)
Matthew Boyd (L)
Josh Fleming (L)
Shane McClanahan (L)
Zach Eflin (R)
Jeffrey Springs (L)
Patrick Sandoval (L)
Tyler Anderson (L)
Reid Detmers (L)
José Suarez (L)
Option 2: Red Sox put Kiké Hernandez back in the outfield
Another option would be to move Kiké Hernández back to centerfield, where he provided stellar defense for the last two seasons. After the departure of Xander Bogaerts and the injury to Trevor Story, the Red Sox moved Hernández to shortstop this season.
Hernández has had some difficulty making this transition already making five errors in just eight games. Cora told Christopher Smith of Masslive.com that Hernández is "becoming very robotic out there".
Hernández's struggles are a small sample size, and there is a good chance that a player with his athletic ability can turn things around. However, the Red Sox could consider moving him back to centerfield to replace Duvall. Given that injured players like Trevor Story and Adalberto Mondesí are not close to returning, who would play shortstop if Hernández moves back to the outfield?
Bobby Dalbec will travel to Tampa this evening, per two industry sources. The Red Sox have not made any moves yet but he would be the one to replace Duvall if Duvall goes on the IL.
— Christopher Smith (@SmittyOnMLB) April 9, 2023
Christopher Smith of Masslive.com tweeted after Sunday's game, that Bobby Dalbec would be traveling to St. Petersburg, where the team starts their next series on Monday. In six games for the Triple-A Worcester Red Sox this season, Dalbec is batting .300 with a 1.000 OPS. In the field, Dalbec has shown versatility playing 2 games each at first base, second base, and shortstop. He also played several games at shortstop during spring training this year.
If Hernández returns to the outfield to replace Duvall, the Red Sox might consider Dalbec at shortstop. One thing for certain is that the 6-foot-4, 227-pound Dalbec will stand out at shortstop. What remains to be seen is whether he can consistently play the position as he has only played there in three major league games during his time with the Red Sox. His inexperience may make this a less palatable option as the Red Sox try to replace Duvall.
Option 3: Red Sox promote Jarren Duran
The last option would be promoting Jarren Duran to play center field. I previously wrote about Duran in spring training and how he arrived with tremendous excitement. Unfortunately, he lost some of this early momentum after he left to play for Mexico in the World Baseball Classic and he did not make the major league team to start the season.
In five games for the Worcester Red Sox, Duran has batted .278 with four extra-base hits and a 1.101 OPS. While Duran would be an intriguing option, he is a left-handed hitter in a Red Sox lineup that is already left-handed heavy. Additionally, he would be better served to get regular at-bats in Worcester rather than being a part-time platoon player at the major league level. As such, this is the least likely scenario the Red Sox would use.
In the coming days, Red Sox fans will learn the extent of Duvall's injury and what plan the team has to replace him. For the near future, the Red Sox will likely platoon Tapia and Refsnyder in centerfield and Kiké Hernández will remain at shortstop. If this plan falters, look for the Red Sox to utilize Dalbec or Duran. Regardless, it will be impossible for any of these options to replace Duvall's substantial production early this season. As such, Red Sox fans will hold out hope that his injury is not significant.