Boston Red Sox bench crunch will force A hard decision

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Blake Swihart, Eduardo Nunez, and Brock Holt are all vying for consistent playing time on a loaded Red Sox roster. Which one will have to go when Dustin Pedroia returns?

For most of the spring, a debate has raged about the optimal use of the limited roster spots. The Boston Red Sox have a bench crunch, and at some point, the front office will have to let an asset go. They alleviated the pressure slightly with the trade of Deven Marrero. And Dustin Pedroia’s recovery from knee surgery buys them a little time. But eventually, they will have one more player without options than they have room for.

When the season starts on March 29th, Eduardo Nunez will be the starting second baseman, leaving a four-man bench of Sandy Leon, Brock Holt, Blake Swihart and Mitch Moreland. Moreland is limited to 1st base and DH, and Leon will only see time behind the plate. Luckily, the other two guys are quite versatile.

Holt can cover every position on the diamond except catcher if need be. And Blake Swihart can catch, man left field or don a first baseman’s mitt. So the entire field is covered with this bench. J.D. Martinez will be spending time between DH and the corner outfield spots as well, which means the outfield runs six-deep on the 25 man roster. Seven if we include Nunez who spent 20 days there in 2017.

The Risk for the Boston Red Sox

Unfortunately, both Holt and Swihart carry some risk. Holt has struggled to recover from concussion and vertigo symptoms. He appears to be healthy this spring, but recurring issues from brain injuries are nearly impossible to predict. When healthy, Holt is about a league average bat who provides well above average defense at the corners of both the infield and the outfield and passable defense up the middle.

If he’s healthy, he’ll be with the team all season as that combination of value on both sides of the ball is rare. Most utility men tend to be well below average with the stick. Plus, BROCKHOLT! has become a thing in Red Sox Nation, and it would be a shame to see that come to an end so soon.

The other flexible guy on the bench is Blake Swihart; a strong bat providing a third catcher for emergencies while giving additional depth at first and in left is a luxury most teams don’t have. That 25th man on the roster is usually a glove-only player or a speedster who specializes in slap hits. Not Swihart, though. This is a kid who was drafted for his combination of athleticism and potential with the bat.

Thrust into the spotlight early, Swihart took some time to adjust to the jump from High-A to the majors in 2015. But his bat started coming around very quickly. The trend shown in this article continued through the end of the season where he posted a 127 wRC+ in August and September as a 23-year-old.

But, like with Holt, injury struck in 2016. The damage to his ankle was substantial, and the pain lingered through the end of last season. And like Holt, he appears to be healthy again this spring. The 2016 injury was a freak accident, so there is little reason to think that continuing to play left field in Fenway poses and substantial risk, but the rigors of everyday play may trigger inflammation. We won’t know until he’s out there regularly for longer than a month of spring games.

And there’s the argument that Blake may be more valuable to a team that can use him more often than the Red Sox can. The counterpoint to that is more about 2019 than 2018, as Swihart may be able to prove he’s worth putting behind the plate regularly again by the end of the year. The extension of Christian Vazquez also complicates that scenario.

In the meantime, however, he appears to be redundant and cannot be optioned.

FORT MYERS, FL – FEBRUARY 25: Blake Swihart /

The Crunch:

If Brock Holt is healthy, he is almost assuredly the best bench bat the team will have in 2018. Eduardo Nunez looked spectacular in his brief time with the Red Sox in 2017, but the sample size was too small to be predictive. More likely, he’s also a league average bat who doesn’t provide as much defensive value as Holt.

When Dustin Pedroia returns from the DL, Holt will be at the top of the food chain for bench options as long as vertigo stays away. That means one of Nunez or Swihart will have to go. But which one?

Nunez provides more defensive versatility, being capable of manning every non-catcher infield position and both corner outfield spots. Having a third catcher is nice, but not entirely necessary. Swihart has more upside at the plate, though, and perhaps substantially more.

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Swihart is cheaper and could be a more valuable long-term asset to the club, though Nunez has a player option and could be in the picture next season as well. Both offer plenty of value in their own ways, so it’s a shame they can’t both fit on the 25 man roster all year.

The Solution:

So what is the front office to do? Wait. Pedroia isn’t due back until some time in May most likely. That gives the team time to see if Holt has genuinely put vertigo behind him or if Swihart’s ankle will hold up to more regular use. Or for another injury to happen opening up a roster spot. Chances are, this will resolve itself one way or the other by the time the de facto captain is ready to suit up again.

And if the team finds itself with a healthy Pedroia, and all three of Nunez, Holt, and Swihart healthy and productive, they’ll have some trade chips to shop around for a prospect or maybe a relief pitcher.

Next: Rafael Devers may become Sox best hitter

The Boston Red Sox bench crunch is a real issue, but it’s one that isn’t likely to present the club with significant difficulty.

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