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∗ What, exactly, did the Red Sox expect?
They went into the season trying to solve a math problem — five into four — that does not have a workable solution. They have five outfielders for three spots plus a DH role, and a few weeks into the season, are finding that it doesn’t work.
Manager Alex Cora has (correctly) decided that Ceddanne Rafaela and Wilyer Abreu should, because of their defensive skills, be in the lineup nearly every day. That leaves Jarren Duran, Roman Anthony and Masataka Yoshida competing for the remaining two spots on a daily basis.
Of the three to date, only Yoshida is enjoying much offensive success. Both Duran and Anthony, meanwhile, appear to be out of sorts, unable to establish any sort of early season rhythm.
If this were July, it might be a more workable situation. By then, the grind of the season would make the occasional day off — or a day as DH — feel welcome. But this early in the season, Duran and Anthony can’t get any momentum going.
Maybe the Sox are prioritizing at-bats for Yoshida in the hopes that he gets hot and attracts trade interest. But even if a suitor emerges, the Red Sox are going to have to subsidize a big chunk of his remaining contract — better than $37 million remains between this season and next — and that’s something they’ve appeared unwilling to do.
In the meantime, there’s no formidable righthanded bat off the bench for late-inning pinch-hit situations, which has already resulted in Cora giving up the DH late in the game.
Barring an injury to one of the five, there doesn’t appear to be a workable solution on the horizon. So, for now, they plod along with a poorly constructed roster, hoping somehow, some way, it rectifies itself.
Again: what did they expect?
∗ I completely understand the Bruins wanting to take it slow with James Hagens. He’s still a teenager and throwing him into the deep end of the NHL pool could damage his long-term development.
But can’t there be a happy medium here? What was the point of signing Hagens to a entry-level contract if the Bruins weren’t going to have him in the lineup? They’re burning a year of service time as it is, and now, he’s going to watch from the ninth floor as the regular season winds down.
No one is suggesting that Hagens be given first-line duty or inserted into the top power play unit. But you can’t convince me that Hagens isn’t a better option than the likes of Alex Steeves or Mikey Eyssimont on a nightly basis. This is a team that just was limited to single goals in three straight games. A player with Hagens’ natural offensive skill set should be welcomed.
∗ Can we just fast forward to the first week of June, when the A.J. Brown drama is over and done with, one way or another? From a salary cap standpoint, the Eagles stand to benefit by waiting. In the meantime, we get to watch the staring contest between the two franchises to see who blinks first.
∗ You get the distinct feeling that playing in Madison Square Garden the other night was the final necessary step in Jayson Tatum’s comeback. MSG, of course, was where Tatum ruptured his Achilles tendon last spring, and returning to the scene of the accident resonated emotionally for Tatum. Now that he’s cleared that mental hurdle, he could really take off — just in time for the start of the playoffs.
∗ You can’t accuse Alexander Ovechkin of milking a retirement tour. Ovechkin, 40, hasn’t made up his mind about returning for another season and won’t until he has some time to reflect after he’s done with this one. In the meantime, Sunday is the Capitals last home game and ticket prices have skyrocketed — just in case this is it.
∗ As someone who’s been an unabashed fan of the ABS system, this is a good time to remind everyone that, regardless of the number of successful challenges being registered, the vast majority of umpires are superb at their jobs. There are pitches that either clip or miss the strike zone by as little as a quarter of an inch. You try being perfect with balls thrown 98 mph, with 15 inches of drop. It’s not as if these ball and strike calls are missing by a half-foot.
∗ I understand that Doc Rivers is No. 5 all-time in wins among NBA coaches, and surely, that means something. But Rivers coached 25 full seasons in his career and won just one title. Does that sound to you like a Hall of Famer?
∗ RIP to Davey Lopes, son of East Providence, who was part of a terrific Los Angeles Dodgers infield and team that won three pennants and a World Series. Lopes didn’t make his major league debut until he was 27, but proved to be an expert base stealer and four-time All-Star. He later coached and managed, too, and will be remembered as one of the best big leaguers to ever come out of New England.
∗ If I’m the Toronto Maple Leafs, I’m hiring Bruce Cassidy as my coach yesterday....and worrying about who’s going to be his boss later. Talk about a no-brainer. Cassidy took two different teams to the Stanley Cup Final in the last eight years (and won once), something no other current NHL coach can claim.
∗ Pro golfers can sometimes come off as entitled, so it was refreshing to see Robert MacIntyre flip off a green at Augusta this past week. We can all relate.
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- Red Sox’ Ranger Suárez on dominant start: ‘Extremely pumped after that outing’
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- Former Red Sox veteran leader signs with Mexican team for age-41 season
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