Red Sox Reportedly 'Hunting' For Middle Infield Help, Linked To Former All-Star

Boston needs some help, but is this player really the answer?

Scott Neville | Jun 17, 2023

Red Sox Reportedly 'Hunting' For Middle Infield Help, Linked To Former All-Star /

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The Boston Red Sox have without question felt the absence of superstar Xander Bogaerts this season. They are experiencing some growing pains without their longtime unofficial captain but are starting to put things together.

With less than two months to go until the Major League Baseball trade deadline, the Red Sox are reportedly preparing to add, especially up the middle.

"The Red Sox, according to industry sources, are hunting for some middle infield help and a veteran has emerged as a potential target," MassLive's Sean McAdam wrote Friday.

"One name that’s been linked to the Red Sox: Oakland’s Aledmys Díaz," McAdam continued. "Díaz is 32 and having a down year offensively (.525 OPS), but has experience all over the infield and only last year, was still good for 12 homers in just 92 games. And, obviously, the A’s are willing to move anybody and everybody."

Adding some depth up the middle would be wise. But, why Díaz?

The veteran middle infielder is hitting .205 with seven extra-base hits including one home run, 10 RBIs and a 54 OPS+ in 48 games this season. He's logged a -1.0 WAR and ranked in the third percentile in outs above average this season. In other words, he's been a replacement-level player offensively and defensively.

Meanwhile, the current primary Red Sox shortstop, Pablo Reyes, is hitting .305 with four extra-base hits, nine RBIs and a .706 OPS in 23 games on top of solid defense.

Trevor Story is nearing a second-half return and Reyes appears to be a fine solution in the meantime. As long as Red Sox manager Alex Cora continues to keep Kiké Hernández -- who leads MLB in errors -- away from shortstop, they should be fine until Story returns.

Díaz's career has been impressive on the whole, he was an All-Star in 2016 and has a 102 career OPS+ in eight seasons. However, he's done nothing this season to show that he can help a potential contender.

More MLB: Ex-Red Sox Champion Reportedly DFA'd By Rangers After Tumultuous Start To Season

Published Jun 17, 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