Over these past few weeks, Brock Holt has been as valuable for the Boston Red Sox as he is versatile.
He’s been the epitome of a utility man — catcher and pitcher are the only positions he’s yet to play this season — but his production at the plate has far surpassed what’s usually expected from a player in that role.
Following a two-hit, three-run effort in Thursday’s 5-2 win over the Atlanta Braves, Holt’s stats for the month of June read as such: a .373/.467/.549 slash line, seven extra-base hits, four RBIs and seven runs scored. Oh, and the first Red Sox cycle in 19 years thrown in for good measure.
Holt’s 1.016 OPS this month ranks 12th among all major leaguers with 50 or more at-bats (he trails a who’s who of All-Star sluggers: Stanton, Harper, Pujols, Goldschmidt, Cabrera, Trout, etc.), and he’s become indispensable to the point that manager John Farrell simply can’t afford to leave him on the bench.
Of the Red Sox’s 17 games since June 1, Holt has started 15 and hit safely in 13.
“He’s almost become an invaluable guy to us,” Farrell told reporters after Thursday’s game, via The Providence Journal.
Let’s take a spin through some additional notes from Boston’s win at Turner Field, which allowed the Red Sox to earn a split in the four-game home-and-home:
— Also impressing at the plate of late have been the Red Sox’s 22-year-old killer B’s: Xander Bogaerts and Mookie Betts.
Like Holt, Bogaerts has been on fire in the month of June, recording hits in all but three games and driving in a run in six of his last eight. His sixth-inning single Tuesday night scored Betts for what proved to be the game-winning run.
Betts, meanwhile, stumbled through the early part of the month, slogging through a 6-for-33 (.182) slump before sitting out the final two games of last weekend’s disastrous series against the Toronto Blue Jays. The young center fielder exploded against Atlanta, however, going 9-for-17 with three extra-base hits, three RBIs and three runs scored over the course of the four-game set.
— Third baseman Travis Shaw got the start at third base in place of the benched Pablo Sandoval, but Shaw’s promotion from Triple-A actually was not a byproduct of Sandoval’s social media habits.
The 25-year-old was recalled from Pawtucket to take the roster spot of reliever Heath Hembree, who was placed on the 15-day disabled list Thursday with right shoulder soreness.
Hembree was shelled in his first outing of the season back in April, giving up six runs in just 1 1/3 innings, but he’d been solid since his latest recall, pitching four scoreless frames over two relief appearances.
“It is frustrating,” Hembree told reporters before the game, via The Providence Journal. “I felt like I was in a good rhythm and in a good spot throwing the ball. My confidence on the mound is pretty high right now. I have a little setback, and that’s definitely annoying. I just need a little rest, and I’ll be fine.”
Thumbnail photo via Brett Davis/USA TODAY Sports Images
