Inside The Red Sox

Should Red Sox Pursue Former Rookie Of The Year To Bolster Outfield Depth?

Boston could use an extra right-handed slugger

Scott Neville

Arizona Diamondbacks right fielder Kyle Lewis (1) reacts after hitting a two-run home run against
Arizona Diamondbacks right fielder Kyle Lewis (1) reacts after hitting a two-run home run against / Rob Schumacher/The Republic / USA TODAY
In this story:

The Boston Red Sox entered spring training with a loaded outfield group that became even stronger when Ceddanne Rafaela lived up to the hype and forced his way onto the Opening Day roster.

The current group includes Masataka Yoshida, -- who is primarily a designated hitter -- Jarren Duran, Tyler O'Neill, Wilyer Abreu and Rafaela. Rob Refsnyder fractured his toe but is expected to return in short order.

While that group does not need to be tinkered with, Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow has an opportunity to add a former first-round pick and American League Rookie of the Year to the mix and should at least explore the idea.

Former Seattle Mariners and Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Kyle Lewis remains a free agent after a tumultuous start to his career.

Lewis was non-tendered after a season in which he failed to produce in limited reps but absolutely dominated over the larger sample size at the Triple-A level.

The 28-year-old posted a .157/.204./255 slash line in 51 at-bats across 16 games but showed life in his bat when given everyday reps in the minors. Lewis hit .371 with 33 extra-base hits including 17 home runs, 80 RBIs and a 1.098 OPS in 63 games at Triple-A Reno to end last season.

Lewis hit .235 with 40 extra-base hits including 26 home runs, 59 RBIs and a .732 OPS (104 OPS+) in 146 career big-league games across five seasons. The right-handed slugger has been held back by injuries but has all of the tools needed to excel at the highest level.

For Boston, it would make sense to add him to Triple-A Worcester as an insurance policy should injuries mount. It would also allow Breslow to have an extra trade chip that would be quite valuable if he continue his Triple-A success from a year ago.

Lewis does not fit on the current roster but it's never a bad idea to accumulate as much talent as possible at the beginning of a 162-game season.

More MLB: Red Sox Slugger Makes MLB History With Impressive Opening Day Feat

Published
Scott Neville

SCOTT NEVILLE

Scott Neville covers the Boston Red Sox for Sports Illustrated's new page "Inside The Red Sox." Before starting "Inside The Red Sox", Neville attended Merrimack College, where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Communication and Media with a minor in Marketing. Neville spent all four years with Merrimack's radio station WMCK, where he grew as a radio/podcast host and producer.  His propensity for being in front of a microphone eventually expanded to film, where he produced multiple short films alongside his then-roommate and current co-worker Stephen Mottram. On a journey that began as a way to receive easy credits via film classes, he received a call from "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia" star Charlie Day. Day advised him to make a feature-length film, which he completed his senior year. While writing the film, Neville completed an internship for United Way as part of their NFL Partnership Program. Neville ran the blog for a team of interns and hosted an internet show called "United Way's NFL Partnership Series" where he interviewed NFL alumni. After college Neville wrote for SB Nation's "Over The Monster," a Red Sox sister site of the flagship brand. His work would eventually lead him to a job as a content producer with NESN, where he would cover all sports. After developing as a writer with the top regional network in the world, he was given the opportunity to join the Sports Illustrated Media Group in his current endeavor as the publisher of "Inside The Red Sox." The successful launch and quick rise of "Inside The Red Sox" led to Neville joining the Baseball Essential ownership group, a national baseball site under SIMG. Follow him on Twitter: @ScottNeville46 Email: nevilles@merrimack.edu