After Triston Casas was diagnosed with a fractured rib, the Boston Red Sox's entire starting infield was ineligible to play. Casas, Vaughn Grissom, Trevor Story and Rafael Devers were all out of commission at once.
The Red Sox felt their absences on both sides of the ball. Something needs to be done about the instability of Boston's infield defense, and the Texas Rangers recently optioned a player who could serve as a solution to its first base issues.
Jared Walsh was kicked to the curb by the Rangers and he elected free agency rather than a stint in Texas' minor-league system. Walsh is a first baseman and occasional right fielder who has six years of MLB service time, and the Rangers designated him for assignment after their everyday first baseman Nathaniel Lowe returned to their lineup from an oblique injury.
Walsh spent the first five years of his career with the Los Angeles Angels, where he received American League Rookie of the Year votes in 2020 and an All-Star appearance in 2021. Walsh batted .277/.340/.509 in his All-Star year and hasn't approached that production level at the plate since.
Jared Walsh could help the Red Sox at first base while Triston Casas recovers from rib fracture
Jared Walsh Elects Free Agency https://t.co/tUxBi3Ng2v pic.twitter.com/ASJ0fHuyA2
— MLB Trade Rumors (@mlbtraderumors) April 25, 2024
The first baseman is a career .239/.301/.438 hitter and he hit one homer and a double in his 17 season games with the Rangers. Walsh's offensive abilities don't match up with Casas', but he's had better success at the plate than Bobby Dalbec or Pablo Reyes this year.
Dalbec has been playing better defense than Walsh, however. Dalbec has posted one outs above average this season, while Walsh has logged a negative one. Boston's defense has noticeably improved when Dalbec plays the field, but his offensive presence has been so poor that swapping him for a player with a better bat may be a better option for the Sox.
Boston's infield needs serious help. Grissom is set to return to the lineup soon and Devers will be healthy enough to go back to third base in a few games (he's DHing at the moment), but neither of the two players are defensive savants. The Red Sox need as many capable defenders as possible and more active bats to combat high strikeout numbers, and signing Walsh could be a good way to solve both of those issues.