Why Don't Red Sox Try Fan-Favorite Veteran With .981 OPS At First Base?

As the Boston Red Sox struggle to get anything going on offense, they should be looking to get their hottest hitters in the lineup as often as they can.

Boston's best hitter in May has been Rafael Devers, who has a strong chance to win American League Player of the Month. He's got a 1.156 OPS in May, while driving in 29 runs, the second-most of any month in his career. But do you know who has the second-best OPS of any Boston hitter in May?

That would be reserve outfielder Rob Refsnyder, who has a 1.002 OPS in 23 May plate appearances. And rather than marveling at the first half of that statistic, which shows how excellent Refsnyder has been, let's scrutinize the second half.

Refnsyder is too good a hitter to only have 23 plate appearances in 26 days. Sure, he does his best work against lefties, but he also has an .875 OPS against righties in 24 plate appearances this season. And there's a potential solution that the Red Sox, as far as we can tell, haven't even thought about trying.

Unless you've been living under a rock, you probably know that the first-base position has become a problem for Boston. Triston Casas got hurt at the start of the month, Rafael Devers refuses to give it a try, and the Red Sox are currently trying to teach Kristian Campbell to play there in the middle of a brutal slump.

Meanwhile, Refsnyder has 36 career games at first base, though he hasn't done it since 2020. He did, however, get some experience at the position last spring, when he went on a rehab assignment to Triple-A Worcester.

The Red Sox have taken to starting either Nick Sogard or Abraham Toro at first base every game these days, while waiting for Romy González to return from the injured list. But Refsnyder's bat would be a huge upgrade. Shouldn't he at least be taking some experimental ground balls there?

Now that Alex Bregman is out for an undetermined, potentially months-long stretch, the Red Sox have to prioritize offense. And getting a veteran clubhouse leader who happens to be one of the team's best hitters in the lineup is a good way to start.