The Opening Day right fielder is again a mystery for the Boston Red Sox after Boston.com reported that Ryan Kalish underwent shoulder surgery in November and will not be ready until May or June. Boston just sent outfielder Josh Reddick to Oakland as part of a five-player deal that brought closer Andrew Bailey to the Red Sox. Reddick manned right field for 56 games last season, after JD Drew was sidelined with injuries.
In 2010, Kalish got the nod over Reddick and hit .252/.305/.405 in 53 games. Kalish opened the 2011 season in Triple-A Pawtucket but was injured for nearly the entire season.
The trade for Bailey also brought outfielder Ryan Sweeney to Boston and it was thought that he, along with Kalish and other role players, would split time in right field to open the season. Now, things will be different as Kalish won't be ready. Other outfielders on the 40-man roster include Darnell McDonald, Mike Aviles and prospect Che-Hsuan Lin but none of them are capable of playing right field full time.
Kalish's injury is going to give GM Ben Cherington a big decision to make; either wait until Kalish is healthy and use Sweeney and others in the meantime OR sign a free agent to fill the void.
Two interesting free agents that Boston could pursue are Cody Ross and Ryan Spilborghs. Both are right-handed bats who would compliment a lefty-heavy Boston lineup. Spilborghs is more of a contact hitter who doesn't have much power and would probably split time with Sweeney. Ross, on the other hand, has good power and would be able to play on an everyday basis.
Another player that could fall into the mix is Cuban outfielder Yoennis Cespedes. Cespedes is a five-tool player that will be available for negotiations in early 2012. He is going to cost a lot to acquire, whereas Ross or Spilborghs would be cheap for the most part.
It seems that Boston is confident that Kalish will be the right fielder of the future as long as he stays healthy, so a long-term acquisition isn't foreseeable.
No matter what Cherington decides to do, the right field position is definitely a complicated situation.
Trent Hunter Andy Hilbert Bruno Gervais Dustin Kohn Andrew McDonald Matt Martin
No comments:
Post a Comment