With Wilyer Abreu’s availability for Opening Day looking increasingly unlikely, the Red Sox are checking around for another right-handed hitting depth outfielder, MassLive.com’s Sean McAdam reports. Since Abreu’s recovery from a gastrointestinal virus hasn’t definitively ruled him out yet, “it’s not a major or critical need for now, but…the Red Sox have let other teams know that they’re in the market,” McAdam writes.
On paper, Boston would appear to have plenty of outfield help already on hand, between Masataka Yoshida, utilityman Rob Refsnyder, and non-roster invite Trayce Thompson (the latter two of whom are right-handed hitters). However, McAdam notes that the Sox might be looking for so-called Quad-A players “like Thompson, who have some big league experience and can help fill roster gaps when injuries strike.” This would put Boston in the market for veterans on minor league deals, or players that might come available later in Spring Training once clubs start making more extensive cuts from their list of non-roster invites.
The Sox also have star prospects Roman Anthony and Kristian Campbell on the verge of their MLB debuts, though neither player is exactly a fit for this particular need. Presumably once Anthony or Campbell are called up, the Red Sox want them to stick in the majors for good, and the team probably doesn’t want to start their service clocks for what might be a short-term fill-in role. As McAdam observes, Campbell has been working out as an outfielder but has only a couple of appearances as a right fielder at the pro level, and Anthony has also been hampered by another virus going around the Sox clubhouse. Manager Alex Cora told reporters (including The Athletic’s Jen McCaffrey) that Anthony lost about 10-12 pounds due to the illness, though Anthony might resume game action as early as Tuesday.
Yoshida has also been limited to DH duty thus far in camp, as he continues to recover from offseason shoulder surgery. All of these factors might well open the door for Thompson to win a job on the Opening Day roster, less than a month after he signed his minor league contract with the Sox. Thompson has been making a strong case for himself with a huge 1.636 OPS over 28 Grapefruit League plate appearances.