The Boston Red Sox will designate veteran outfielder Jackie Bradley Jr. for assignment on Thursday.
The Boston Red Sox acquired Tommy Pham at the trade deadline, which put Jarren Duran as the regular center fielder and Jackie Bradley Jr. as expendable. Bradley will reportedly be designated for assignment on Thursday. He has often been used as a designated hitter this season.
The decision to designate Bradley for assignment is upsetting for many Red Sox fans, as Bradley is a beloved veteran with the team. He played all but one season of his entire ten-season career in Boston, and he’s been a mostly reliable player.
Though he’s currently having a tough season, his past achievements have brought the Red Sox far: he’s won two World Series with Boston.
Jackie Bradley Jr. isn’t having a great season, but the Red Sox shouldn’t give up on him yet
This season, Bradley is hitting .210/.257/.321 for an OPS of .578. This is one of his worst seasons in Boston, but he shouldn’t be counted out just yet. He showed significant improvements over the course of July.
In June, Bradley hit .179/.214/.209. By the end of July, he increased his performance to .224/.250/.414.
He’s being replaced by Duran, who is only in his second season of his career and hasn’t produced nearly what Bradley consistently has in the past. Duran, currently in his best season, is hitting .232/.280/.384 for an OPS of .664, which isn’t much better than Bradley.
Duran also had a significantly worse performance over July. By the end of the month, he hit .184/.228/.299.
Bradley has several awards to account for his talent, including AL MVP and a Gold Glove. He’s done a lot for the franchise, and he shouldn’t be designated for assignment just yet.