Rob Refsnyder Plans To Play In 2026

Red Sox outfielder Rob Refsnyder flirted with retirement last offseason, but ultimately decided to continue his career in Boston. Now that he’s headed into his age-35 season, however, it appears he’s less conflicted about his future. Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reported yesterday that Refsnyder intends to continue his playing career in 2026, and he’s already had “informal talks” with Boston about the possibility of a return.

It’s understandable that Refsnyder would want to keep going after the year he’s had. In 70 games for the Red Sox, Refsnyder raked to the tune of a .269/.354/.484 slash line across 209 plate appearances. That was more or less a repeat of his excellent 2024, and he now enters free agency coming off a two year stretch where he’s slashed .278/.357/.476 in 163 games (516 plate appearances). In that time, he’s clubbed 20 homers with 28 doubles with a 25.6% strikeout rate against a 10.1% walk rate.

That’s incredibly strong production for a bench player, though it should be noted he sports a massive platoon split. Refsnyder is hitting .302/.396/.554 (160 wRC+) against southpaws over the past two years, but in that same time he’s hit a mediocre .250/.310/.387 (94 wRC+) against right-handed pitchers. That production against righties dropped to just .212/.268/.348 (67 wRC+) this season, leaving him has a far less viable bat against same-handed pitching. Even with that step back against right-handers this year, Refsnyder should enjoy a strong market by bench bat standards.

It’s not completely out of the question that a club could see Refsnyder as a candidate for a larger role, given his overall production the past two seasons and solid numbers against same-handed pitching in 2024. His more significant platoon split in 2025 likely puts a damper on those efforts, however, and he still figures to fit best on a team where he can be used as a part-time player. The Red Sox still make plenty of sense for his services given their heavily left-handed outfield mix. Having Refsnyder in the fold to complement Wilyer Abreu, Roman Anthony, Jarren Duran, and Masataka Yoshida would go a long way to keeping Boston’s offense balanced next year.

There are a handful of other teams Refsnyder could make plenty of sense for as well, however. The Diamondbacks traded Randal Grichuk away at the deadline but have an outfield and DH mix that’s similarly heavy on lefties with Corbin Carroll, Alek Thomas, Jake McCarthy, and Pavin Smith all playing roles. The Cubs could view Refsnyder as an upgrade over Justin Turner who could be deployed as a platoon partner for Moises Ballesteros or Owen Caissie in the event that one of those lefty-swinging rookies takes over Kyle Tucker’s spot in the Chicago lineup. The Royals and Guardians both struggled to get production out of their outfielders this year and could view Refsnyder as a way to significantly improve their offense without breaking the bank.