What to do with Brock Holt?
Photo by Maggie Meyer/Getty Images |
Ryan MacLeod (RyanMacLeod15)
Contributing Writer
There is no denying that Brock Holt is an asset to this team. He is a utility player who has always filled in where needed and has proven that he can play seven positions in the field. But like a utility tool, sometimes there just isn't the right fit. It feels like right now Holt is like a screw, and the screwdriver is trying to screw him in but has been trying to hard. The screw is stripped and the screwdriver is just spinning in place. This screw needs to be taken out and a new screw needs to take its place.
Holt has struggled recently, and he has seen time on the bench because of this. In the doubleheader against Kansas City, Holt sat out of the first game against a right handed pitcher, and Chris Young took his place. Young was acquired this offseason to face left handed pitching, not right handed pitching. That would be Holt's job. In the last week, Holt is hitting .091 with only 2 hits in 22 at bats. He was 0-9 in a three game series in Kansas City and is hitless in his last five games. He is hitting only .200 for the month of May and he has seen his average drop 44 points in the last week.
It is time to send Holt down to AAA, as right now his struggles are not worth keeping him up. Josh Rutledge has proven that he can play third base when Travis Shaw has to play first base and Marco Hernandez has proven that he can play second base when Dustin Pedroia needs a rest, which has seemed to be more common lately.
With Holt being sent down to AAA Pawtucket, that means we need to call up an outfielder, and there is nobody better to call up than Rusney Castillo. That's right it is time to reunite the dynamic outfield known as the BBC (Betts, Bradley, Castillo). Castillo has played in 27 games in AAA this year and is hitting .275 with 30 hits and 12 RBI's. He has a fielding percentage of .980 committing only one error in 50 chances, but the question is how well does Castillo know the Green Monster. He should have spent a fair amount of time learning the basics of it while at Spring Training this year in Fenway South.
Holt being sent down to AAA should benefit him. He will won't be facing the everyday pressures of the Boston Media and will give him some time to clear his head, and find the confidence at the plate that he is currently lacking. It also gives Castillo the chance to prove himself in the Majors. For someone who is making $10.5 million this year it seems to be a waste to not give him his opportunity.
Leave your thoughts below or tweet them at me by clicking here.