BOSTON — One player might not completely flip the script. But he can help change the narrative.
The Red Sox’s 2015 plot has been eerily similar to the one that played out last season, when Boston finished with a 71-91 record and in last place in the American League East. The club desperately needs an infusion of energy, and outfielder Rusney Castillo, who was promoted from Triple-A Pawtucket before Friday’s game against the Los Angeles Angels at Fenway Park, could be the man to provide such.
“I think changes to your roster can provide a spark, there’s no doubt,” Red Sox manager John Farrell said Friday. “I think we realized some of that when we made recent changes coming out of the Toronto series. I thought there was a turnaround in terms of our overall team performance.
“This is not to put it on Rusney’s shoulders. But he’s a high-energy player, and hopefully he’s got opportunities to impact the game.”
Castillo played right field and batted eighth in his 2015 debut. He’s expected to play both right field and center field — rotating with Mookie Betts and Shane Victorino — when everyone’s healthy, and he could move up in the order before long based on his offensive performance.
But Castillo’s arrival is as much about shaking things up as anything. The Red Sox entered Friday having scored two runs or fewer in seven of their last nine games. Rolling with the same combination of players every night simply wasn’t a palatable option, especially with Castillo — a dynamic talent working under a $72.5 million contract — stationed in the minors.
“It’s not like we’re fatigued if this were August or September. We’re fresh,” Farrell said of his team’s offensive woes. “We’ve got a couple of guys nicked up. But it’s more about in the moment in those RBI situations, where there’s been somewhat of a tendency to try to get two or three runs with one swing.”
Castillo said before Friday’s game he’s not focused on being Boston’s “savior.” Instead, the 27-year-old is looking to carry the momentum he established at Pawtucket — he hit .293 with two homers, 10 RBIs, six stolen bases and a .781 OPS in 18 games before his promotion — to The Show in the hopes of helping a team stuck in the mud.
Obviously, it’d be unreasonable to expect the world from Castillo, particularly in the early stages of his promotion. The Cuban outfielder showed in a 10-game sample down the stretch last season, however, he’s capable of making an impact at the major league level. It’s not like the Red Sox are calling upon a young kid with zero experience and relying on him to radically change the team’s fortunes.
“I think he understands that (he shouldn’t try to do too much). We want him to go play to his abilities, as we do with every guy,” Farrell said. “And that’s part of our ongoing conversation with everybody in our clubhouse — not to do more than what the situation calls for, to trust the guy behind them in the lineup. And when we use the whole field with our hitting approach, that’s when we’re best.”
The Red Sox haven’t been the offensive juggernaut everyone expected this season. And they might not suddenly morph into an unstoppable force now that Castillo is in the mix. But Boston should be a better team with Castillo patrolling the big league outfield on a regular basis.
The long-awaited call-up didn’t come a moment too soon.
Thumbnail photo via Charles LeClaire/USA TODAY Sports Images
