One of the reasons Craig Breslow offered for his extended delay in elevating Roman Anthony to the major league roster earlier this year was that he and the organization simply did not want to place too much pressure on the shoulders of a 21-year-old rookie.
Over the course of three-plus months, that rookie proved that pressure would not be a problem.
Anthony played both corner outfield spots and batted in the top four spots in the order, quickly making himself invaluable to a team making a run at the AL East.
Yet now he’s gone, placed on the injured list with an oblique strain and likely to miss the rest of the regular season and perhaps a week or two of the postseason. Alex Bregman, the only position player who’s been more valuable to the Red Sox since Anthony’s call-up, described it as a “gut punch.”
And while that emotional component will be difficult for the Red Sox to overcome, they’ll still have to take the field 22 times without Anthony to finish the regular season. That means manager Alex Cora will have to mix and match his lineups each night to try to maximize his roster and make up for the significant vacancy at the top of the order.
With that in mind, here’s a look at the picture who may — and may not — be able to step up in Anthony’s absence.
Refsnyder vs. righties
Rob Refsnyder and Romy Gonzalez have been lefty killers all season long. It’s a bit absurd how well they’ve mashed against southpaws, with Gonzalez posting a .994 OPS against lefties and Refsnyder not far behind at .950.
Cora has carefully managed his usage of Refsnyder, who has more than twice as many plate appearances against lefties than he does against righties this season. That may have to change, as Refsnyder is the most logical option to get more playing time in right field.
But Refsnyder will have to prove he can be better against righties. He’s hitting just .234 against them this year (compared to .300 vs. lefties) with a .620 OPS. Those numbers are in line with his career numbers vs. righties (.231 average, .634 OPS in 738 plate appearances), so it may be unreasonable to expect him to suddenly become a different player.
Yet in the midst of a tight playoff roster, Refsnyder and his 10 years of big league experience should at least make him comfortable in some big spots.
Where is Wilyer?
The Anthony absence would be much less of a concern if Wilyer Abreu was nearing a return. Alas, the Gold Glove right fielder has not had a quick recovery…