Andrew Benintendi was slumping coming into the month of August, but a few days off at the beginning of the month helped him regain his focus at the plate.
The Boston Red Sox outfielder took two days off to begin August and he has been on a tear ever since. Benintendi is coming off a weekend series against the New York Yankees in which he went 5-for-13 with three home runs, nine RBIs and three runs scored. The young outfielder became the first member of the Red Sox to tally nine RBIs in a three-game series at Yankee Stadium since 1920.
Benintendi and his outfield mates, Jackie Bradley Jr. and Mookie Betts, joined WEEI’s “Ordway, Merloni and Fauria” on Tuesday during the WEEI/NESN Jimmy Fund Radio-Telethon presented by Arbella Insurance Foundation, and the left fielder discussed how the two-day break helped reset him.
“Yeah, it was two days and a rainout,” Benintendi said. ” Yeah, I think it’s just those two days where it was time to just kind of take a step back, relax and put in some work with Chili (Davis) and Ruben (Amaro Jr.) in the outfield. But yeah, I’m just trying to keep things simple. More of a mental break, you know, I was frustrated for a while, and obviously not playing my best baseball, so I think those two days really helped.”
The 23-year-old is hitting .425 with five home runs and 13 RBIs since his two-day break from the Red Sox’s lineup.
Bradley, Betts and Benintendi also discussed the absence of David Ortiz and Pablo Sandoval’s exit from the team.
To hear the entire interview, check out the video above.
The 16th annual Jimmy Fund Radio-Telethon will take place Aug. 15 and Aug. 16, and you can help strike out cancer by donating here.
Thumbnail photo via Patrick McDermott/USA TODAY Sports Images
