Copyright Newsweek
The Boston Red Sox enjoyed their best season since 2021 and only second above-.500 campaign since 2019 this year, winning 89 games and earning an American League playoff berth. But only about a month after Boston was eliminated in the wild-card round by the New York Yankees, the roster that got them there is starting to shed key players. While there are likely to be higher-profile losses off the Red Sox roster — most notably third baseman Alex Bregman who reportedly informed the team Monday that he will opt out of his contract and become a free agent for the second straight year— the Red Sox are absorbing other losses of important, if less attention-grabbing, players. On Sunday, the first day of official free-agent eligibility, the Red Sox lost one of their clubhouse leaders and at age 34, the oldest position player on the team. According to a report by Red Sox beat reporter Christopher Smith of MassLive, Rob Refsnyder, a 10-year veteran outfielder who spent the last four seasons in Boston, hitting 27 home runs with a respectable .804 OPS, became a free agent after completing his $2.1 million contract for last season. Refsnyder, a right-handed hitter, specializes in hitting left-handed pitching, and was used by manager Alex Cora primarily in a platoon role. In the season just completed, Refsnyder got 138 plate appearances against southpaws but only 71 against right-handers. More MLB: Red Sox Tabbed to Deal Jarren Duran for ‘Elite’ 103 MPH Righty But the New York Yankees 2012 fifth-round draft pick excelled in the role of designated lefty-masher, belting seven home runs and compiling an OPS of .959. To put his performance in context, his OPS would have tied him with the Toronto Blue Jays' George Springer for fourth-best in the major leagues, and put him ahead of leading MVP candidate Cal Raleigh of the Seattle Mariners (.948). Of course, Refsnyder did not hit nearly as well against right-handers, with a subpar .616 OPS in those plate appearances. According to Smith's report, the Red Sox may have some interest in bringing Refsnyder back for one more year, "although there should be other interested teams in a strong clubhouse guy who had an impressive 52.3 percent hard-hit percentage and just a 19.1 percent chase percentage this past season." Refsnyder also holds the distinction of blasting the longest home run by a Red Sox player this year. In the first inning on Sept. 9, against the Athletics at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento, California, Refsnyder crushed a pitch from left-hander Jeffrey Springs for a shot that was measured at 463 feet.
