3 Red Sox offseason additions we should already be concerned about

3) Why Red Sox fans should be concerned about Adalberto Mondesi

The Red Sox picked up Adalberto Mondesi in a trade with the Kansas City Royals this offseason. A proven base thief who hasn’t hit all that well in the majors, the fleet-footed infielder is already only months away from free agency. He’ll hit the open market next offseason. Exactly when we’ll see him play for the Red Sox is a big unknown.

Mondesi is coming off of knee surgery. In any sport and at any position this is a huge deal. For a guy whose best attribute is his speed, the Red Sox are taking a big chance on him.

Mondesi hasn’t played in a big league game since April 26, 2022. Almost a full year has gone by since he went down with an injury that ended his season after 15 games and a .140/.204/.140 slash line.

Hitting isn’t something Mondesi has done particularly well at any level. Through 1366 plate appearances in the majors, he’s slashing just .244/.280/.408. He profiles as a nice bench piece to have for pinch running and maybe some defense. Beyond that, he hasn’t offered all that much.

Adding a speedster in a trade coming off of knee surgery comes with big risk. Mondesi does appear to be following the expected timeframe for a return. It should do little to ease any doubts we have about whether or not he can give the Red Sox any sort of production.