The Red Sox have a shortstop problem and Kike Hernández is not the answer.
Hernández committed two costly errors during Game 1 of the Red Sox and Rays doubleheader on Saturday afternoon from Fenway Park. He now has 13 errors on the season (which leads all of Major League Baseball). What's hard to fathom is that 11 of those have been throwing errors.
Earlier this week, Alex Cora gave a very honest and candid assessment of his baseball team.
“We’re not a good defensive team,” Cora said. “We’re 29th in the league. We have a pitching staff that doesn’t have swing-and-miss stuff. If we get to two strikes, we induce weak contact. We’ve got to make the plays. When we’re really good, we’re making plays. When we’re not, we struggle.”
All of Hernández’s errors have come while playing shortstop. With the likes of Trevor Story still rehabbing back from internal brace surgery on his throwing elbow, Adalberto Mondesí down at Fort Myers rehabbing from ACL surgery and no timetable on his season debut, Yu Chang is still feeling soreness during his rehab from hamate surgery and Christian Arroyo on the mend with a hamstring injury, the Sox are thin on options.
Cora told the media on Friday that Arroyo will see time at shortstop after he returns from the injured list. He played nine innings at shortstop for the WooSox Friday and is back in Boston so the team can reassess his injury situation.
“I think that’s the most important thing,” Cora said “He hasn’t played in a while. And when he was here, he didn’t play that much toward the end. So all that comes into consideration when you activate a player. You [have to] be ready to compete. That’s the most important thing besides the health part of it. And he hasn’t had too many innings under his legs yet, so we’ll talk to him and see how he feels about it.”
The Florida native has played 192 1/3 innings at shortstop (109 2/3 for Boston). Health has been the biggest factor for Arroyo during his time in Boston. If he can come back healthy from his hamstring injury, he could be the bandaid the Sox need until Story is ready, presumably in July.
Story physically looks strong and has been getting stronger while training in Florida. The Red Sox haven’t put a definite timeline on his return at this point. The 30-year-old has not yet begun any live reps offensively or defensively. Pablo Reyes is also an option and could platoon with Arroyo while Hernández shifts to second base and plays some center field.
Joely Rodríguez suffers setback
Red Sox left-handed reliever Joely Rodríguez was warming up in the bullpen alongside Ryan Sherriff during Game 2 of the doubleheader on Saturday night. While loosening, the southpaw felt some discomfort in his left bicep or that general area, Cora told reporters postgame.
“Joely got up, but we had to get him down,” said Cora. “We’re checking on him now. He’s not feeling right, so we were one inning short. You map it out, but the game is the game. They’re checking on him, it’s probably his bicep. It’s right around that area. It was when he was warming up.”
The Red Sox are not certain yet if Rodríguez will require a stint on the injured list. Cora alluded to reporters that Brennan Bernardino may stay with the club and not be sent back to Triple-A Worcester. The southpaw was added as the 27th man for the day/night doubleheader at Fenway Park.
Rodríguez has struggled with staying healthy all season. He’s only appeared in five games for the Red Sox and owns an 18.00 ERA over four innings. To begin the season, Rodríguez found himself on the 15-day injured list with an oblique strain. He did not make his Red Sox debut until May 17.
Boston signed Rodríguez on the eve of Thanksgiving last November to a one-year, $1.5-million deal, with the potential to earn another $2 million. In 2022, the 31-year-old appeared in a career-high 55 games for the Mets and posted a 4.47 ERA. He struck out 57 batters in 50.1 innings and allowed three home runs. While his numbers may not jump off the page, he held opponents to a .226 batting average. The Red Sox were hoping they could build off his ability to force opponents to make weak contact. Unfortunately, Rodríguez's health has been a roadblock for the start of the season.
David Hamilton an 'elite athlete'
One name that has been on Red Sox' fans radar all season has been WooSox infielder David Hamilton.
The speedy infielder has enjoyed success for the WooSox this season, his first full season at Triple-A.
“I think Hamilton has out-performed anything we expected out of him since coming into the organization,” Minor League Infield Coordinator Darren Fenster told BostonSportsJournal.com his week.
“His stolen bases have really stuck out and last year as an elite game-changer on the bases. He’s had some ups and downs offensively. Hamilton got into our system from a defensive perspective and does the things we believe in. We feel like someone with his ability, he can really take off.”
Hamilton has “cooled off” for his standards with a .200 batting average over his last 19 games. He’s shown sneaky power, he has 11 home runs this season, which has him on pace to hit the most he has ever hit in his minor league career. The 25-year-old has shown off his blazing speed, he has 26 stolen bases in only 47 games this season. Hamilton has played second base, shortstop and centerfield with Worcester.
“To his credit, last season he spent a lot of time bouncing between shortstop and second base. This year he’s spent significantly more time at short. Everybody is really thrilled with the progress he’s made on both sides of the ball,” added Fenster.
Hamilton has only two months of Triple-A experience under his belt which is likely why the Red Sox have balked at promoting him to the Major League roster. There’s no denying that Hamilton is a tremendous athlete who’ll impact the Red Sox roster in many different ways, but rushing him to Boston because Hernández is struggling defensively would be an error in judgment.
“He’s an elite athlete and he’s developed a really consistent routine both offensively and defensively. That started last year in Portland and now in Worcester. It’s to the point where he knows what to do to get ready to compete every night, he really understands himself as a player and his strengths, weaknesses and how to attack them both. We’ve seen significant gains in really every aspect of his game coming from his total body of work last year to what he’s shown so far this year,” said Fenster.
When Hamilton arrives, his speed and positional versatility will be able to impact the Sox and that should come after more seasoning in Triple-A.
“I think he has the ability to do a lot of different things. I could see him playing shortstop on an everyday basis at a very high level. I could see him bouncing all over the place in the middle of the diamond from short to second to center field.
“When someone is trying to break into the big leagues, it's not necessarily an everyday spot that’s available. A lot can depend on who’s healthy and who’s not, who’s struggling and who’s not struggling. The versatility we're developing not just Hamilton but with a number of other players coming up through the system, it puts them into a great position if something opens up,” said Fenster.
Hamilton will have to wait for his opportunity, he landed on the injured list on Saturday with a sprained left thumb.
Double-A Pitcher Ready for Promotion?
Portland Sea Dogs left-handed reliever Brendan Nail has been well, nails to begin the season.
The 27-year-old has pitched in 14 games this season, including making five starts. Nail has tossed 27 ⅓ innings and owns a 0.99 ERA. His impressive ERA is a byproduct of only allowing three earned runs. What’s even more impressive is that he only gave up one earned run in the month of April and two in the month of May.
Nail ranks fourth in all of Double-A for pitchers with at least 20 innings pitched in ERA. He sits third in all of the Eastern League with the least amount of earned runs given up.
The WooSox have had their fair of pitching struggles over the last month. As a team, they own a 5.61 team ERA and entering play on Saturday. Over the last week, they’ve seen some fresh new arms in righty Theo Denlinger and left-hander Rio Gomez earning promotions.
The WooSox currently have seven lefties on their roster making it seem hard to add another southpaw to the mix. With Ryan Sherriff and Brennan Bernardino in Boston, the WooSox are relying on the likes Joe Jacques, who’s been stellar and fellow lefty Oddanier Mosqueda as options out of the bullpen.
Nail has been dominant coming out of relief for the Sea Dogs. He’s held opposing hitters to a .114 batting average and a.325 OPS. He has been incredibly difficult against lefties, opponents are hitting a mere .103 off him this season.
“I really spent extra time learning my mechanics this offseason,” said Nail. “This is my seventh year in the system, so I knew I had to come out being consistent and reliable.”
The former Western Carolina standout has been with the Sox organization since 2017 after he was signed as an undrafted free agent. With his impressive start, he likely has the eye of the Sox front office looking for upside arms. On the flip side, Nail does understand that this is a make or break year for him.
“Im an older guy and understand it’s make-or-break time.” Nail added. “I’m here to prove that I’m healthy and ready for that chance.”