Red Sox Outfielder Who Threatened Retirement Could Miss Rest Of 2024 Season

This can't be the last we see of this veteran, right?!

Sep 20, 2019; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; A detail view of Boston Red Sox hats and gloves at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-Imagn Images / Kim Klement-Imagn Images

If the Boston Red Sox aren't fighting for a playoff position in the final two weeks of the season, there is still an intriguing injury subplot to follow.

One of the surprise stories of the Red Sox's 2024 campaign was the late-career breakout of outfielder Rob Refsnyder. In a career-high 306 plate appearances, the 33-year-old has 11 home runs, 40 RBI, and an .833 OPS/129 OPS+.

Refsnyder had already carved out a nice niche for himself as a matchup problem for left-handed pitchers, but this season proved he can be more than that for the Red Sox in a pinch. He also has a $2 million club option for the 2025 season that seems like a no-brainer for Boston to pick up.

However, the end of Refsnyder's season became more complicated when he was scratched before Friday's game against the New York Yankees. According to Chris Cotillo of MassLive, Refsnyder may go on the injured list if he can't play in the Red Sox's upcoming series against the Tampa Bay Rays.

"Refsnyder is still dealing with the right wrist discomfort that caused him to be scratched from Friday's lineup," Cotillo said. "According to manager Alex Cora, Refsnyder could go on the injured list if he doesn't recover in time to play during the three-game series against the Rays at Tropicana Field that begins Tuesday."

The math starts to become interesting if Refsnyder does go to the IL. It could be a 10-day or 15-day stint, retroactive to Friday or Saturday, which would place his return anytime between the beginning of next week... or not at all.

Think back to mid-August, when Refsnyder originally said to reporters that he was considering retirement to spend more time with his family. The Red Sox were still in the hunt, so the thought didn't seem as pressing. Cora even joked about it openly, because Refsnyder was hitting so well it seemed crazy to think he might be gone.

If the threat of losing Refsnyder is real, though, perhaps we've already seen his last game in a Red Sox uniform. And if Boston is already out of the race and the veteran still returns to play the final few games, there's a chance it's a sign that he wants to go out on his own terms.

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