Ex-Red Sox Fan Favorite Cut From Contender Right Before Final Postseason Push

Most fans would welcome the slugger back to Boston if the opportunity presented itself

Scott Neville | Sep 18, 2023

Ex-Red Sox Fan Favorite Cut From Contender Right Before Final Postseason Push /

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Boston Red Sox

A former Boston Red Sox slugger is in flux after spending the last couple of weeks on a team that currently is just a 1/2 game back of a National League Wild Card spot.

"The (Cincinnati) Reds have designated outfielder Hunter Renfroe for assignment," FanSided's Robert Murray tweeted Monday afternoon.

What a year it's been for the 31-year-old. Renfroe has hit .233 with 51 extra-base hits including 20 home runs, 60 RBIs and a .713 OPS (91 OPS+) in 140 games this season.

He spent the majority of the season with the Los Angeles Angels before an unprecedented post-trade deadline waiver-wire fire sale. Renfroe was claimed by the Reds, where he has been abysmal. Since joining Cincinnati, Renfroe has hit .128 (5-for-44) with one home run, four RBIs and a .432 OPS (18 OPS+) in 14 games.

Red Sox fans were highly disappointed when outfielder Hunter Renfroe was traded away to the Milwaukee Brewers after his lone 2021 season with Boston -- the last year in which the Red Sox made the playoffs.

Renfroe hit .259 with 64 extra-base hits including 31 home runs, 96 RBIs and a .816 OPS (114 OPS+) in 144 games that season. He was a key cog in the middle of the lineup, had a perfect swing for Fenway Park and finished as a Gold Glove finalist in Boston's incredibly difficult right field.

Boston traded Renfroe for outfielder Jackie Bradley Jr., middle infielder David Hamilton and corner infielder Alex Binelas. Bradley was cut mid-season, Hamilton appears to be nothing more than a depth utility man and Binelas does not appear to be on course to make the big leagues in his career.

Renfroe will always be known around Boston as one of the best one-season performances this century. He'll be one of the top hitters on the market this offseason -- largely due to the historically bad free-agent class for position players.

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Published Sep 18, 2023

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