McAdam: Remaining games offer chance for Red Sox to evaluate further

Three off-day thoughts on the Red Sox:

1 - On Tuesday, the Red Sox finally got around to making official what had seemed obvious for some time now: Andrew Benintendi isn't going to play again in 2020.

From the time Benintendi strained his ribcage during a baserunning mishap, it was known that his return would take some time. Rib, side or oblique injuries are notoriously tough to recover from, since any rotation of the torso can aggravate the spot anew. And torque is essential for nearly every baseball movement.

As the Sox provided updates, there was never any mention about picking up a bat. Only recently was Benintendi reported to have begun jogging on a treadmill. By then, a shutdown announcement was only a matter of time. Tuesday afternoon, manager Ron Roenicke provided it, as the Sox moved the outfielder from the IL to the 45-day IL, retroactively.

Roenicke reasoned that the Red Sox saw no reason to rush Benintendi back for the final month and change, and that's the correct call. He was not going to impact their record or erase the lousy from their season.

But whether he came back to make a token appearance or not, the Sox have lost more than Benintendi's season; they've also lost a chance of getting commensurate value for him in a trade this winter.

Had Benintendi had a better season and remained healthy, he would have been interesting trade bait for the Sox, used as a lure to obtain some desperately needed starting pitching. The Red Sox could go into next season with an outfield of Alex Verdugo,  Jackie Bradley Jr. re-signed at a discount, and perhaps a short-term veteran providing depth while the Sox await Jarren Duran to be ready, say, by June.

Now, however, if they trade Benintendi, they'll be doing so with his value having bottomed out. If some are cautioning that it's dangerous to evaluate players based on a 60-game season, then surely its doubly absurd to do so with two weeks of play. That's what Benintendi had in 2020.



But what a miserable two weeks he had. He slashed .103/.314/.128 and has exactly four hits in 14 games. And one of those was a bunt. If you were trying to convince teams that his subpar 2019 season (.774 OPS) was an aberration, these 14 games this year aren't going to cut it.

Look, Benintendi is just 26, he's signed for a relatively affordable $6.6 million for 2021 and is under control for 2022. I'm hardly alone in believing there's more there there. Most likely, many teams agree.

But they're going to hold his 2020 season against him if the Red Sox look to deal him and there's no getting around that.

2 - It was perhaps a bit hard to tell by Tuesday's doubleheader lineup, what with a couple of players (Kevin Plawecki and Yairo Munoz) unavailable because of minor injuries, but the Red Sox are not-so-subtly shifting into future evaluation mode in the final 16 games.

You'll see more of Christian Arroyo at second base, as he was in the first game, perhaps splitting time there with Munoz. You'll see more of Michael Chavis in the outfield, as the Sox try to determine how, where and even if he fits into their future plans.

It's clear that Jose Peraza has done little to warrant an invitation to return. He's arbitration-eligible this winter, and the prospect of paying him an inflated salary after a poor offensive season is exactly what caused the Cincinnati Reds to non-tender him last winter, making him a free agent for the Sox to sign.

At the time, the Red Sox liked the fact that they could get him at an affordable price ($3 million) for just a one-year commitment and still control him for an additional two more seasons. But at a position that demands offense, Peraza has delivered very little. He doesn't walk, and he has paltry .342 slugging percentage.

It's unknown whether Arroyo or Munoz can do any better in the final two and a half weeks. But they'll get a chance to show, in a small sample size, that they can be productive, everyday impact players at second. Peraza has had his chance.

As for Chavis, he remains something of an enigma. Is he an everyday player or just some a depth piece with some versatility and occasional pop? Will he ever learn to catch up to high fastballs, or at the very least, lay off those above the strike zone?

Again, it isn't as if Chavis can solidify his future in less than three weeks. But if he proved adequate in left for the rest of the month, it may make the Red Sox feel better about having someone on the roster who can start next season in left field and free them to shop Benintendi.

To his credit, Chavis learned second base on the fly last season and proved to be at least league-average there. He's shown a willingness to play where the Sox ask. But to make an impact, he'll have to become more consistent at the plate -- regardless of position.

3 - Roenicke continues to hint that the Red Sox intend to audition some additional pitchers from the team's alternate training site in Pawtucket.

Nick Pivetta, one of two pitchers acquired from the Phillies in the trade that sent Heath Hembree and Brandon Workman to Philadelphia, is likely to get a call-up -- but not for another 10 days. If the Red Sox wait until Sept. 18,  they can get an extra year of control out of him. Instead of being eligible for free agency after 2023, Pivetta would have to wait until after 2024.

Once the Sox pass that threshold, Pivetta will be summoned, in time, probably, to make two starts in the final week or so.

Just a guess, but Tanner Houck could be another. The Sox certainly aren't about to rush either Jay Groome or Bryan Mata, who have far more development to undertake before being ready to face major league hitters.

Houck, at least, is more advanced. He's 24, and spent the final month or so in Triple A in 2019, though he pitched mostly out of the bullpen. Houck's issues are well-documented -- lefthanders have given him trouble (.285 batting average against in 2019) -- but the Sox have made this a point of focus during his time at the alternate training site. At times, they stack the lineup full of nothing but lefties for him to face in simulated games.

"He's made the steps in the right direction he needs to make,'' said Pawtucket pitching coach Paul Abbott last week.

It makes sense, then, to see how well he can apply his lessons to big-league hitters.