The Boston Red Sox's playoff push has taken a turn in August, and they've lost eight of their last 12 games with some lackluster teams like the Orioles and Marlins in that mix. Their bats have slumped at the worst time, and one rough performance among them can't be ignored.
Abraham Toro started off hot for the Red Sox, but he's come back to earth in the last few months as one of the worst qualified hitters in the big leagues. Boston signed the infielder on a minor league deal before the start of the season as a depth piece, but he quickly became critically important after Triston Casas' season-ending injury.
The Red Sox called Toro up on May 4, and he appeared to be a revelation for over a month. He slashed .308/.342/.523 through June 17, but he's been on a downward offensive trajectory since. In August, he's hit a new low.
Toro is batting .137/.151/.255 in 14 appearances in August. He's only notched seven hits in 51 at-bats, and he's taken one walk. Toro on August 19 went 0-for-5 with two strikeouts when the Red Sox left 13 men on base in their 4-3 to the Orioles in extra innings.
Abraham Toro doesn't belong in the Red Sox's lineup after prolonged slump
It hasn't just been a rough streak for Toro — he's regressed to his usual level of offense from the previous six years of his career in the big leagues. Toro is a career .223/.285/.356 hitter over 442 games in parts of seven MLB seasons, and he's performed like his usual self lately.
The Red Sox can't afford many, if any, more days with Toro's bat in the lineup. Boston has seven games against the Yankees and series with the Blue Jays and Tigers in their way of maintaining their Wild Card spot, and Toro has been nearly an automatic out lately. If the Red Sox are going to make the playoffs, they need to act like a playoff team, and Toro's recent offensive struggles don't belong on the roster.
This isn't to disparage Toro. He had minimal first base experience when the Red Sox called him up to replace Casas, and he fared well on both sides of the ball for longer than expected. However, it's time for Boston to make a change. Its bats are slumping so much that any offensive improvement is better than nothing — Kristian Campbell, Jhostynxon Garcia, or even Nate Eaton could be better options on the active roster at this point. Even if the Red Sox don't want to designate Toro for assignment, Nathaniel Lowe needs to be the starting first baseman for the rest of the season.