Months ago, Red Sox manager Alex Cora believed Rob Refsnyder would contribute to his team despite there being no room initially for the outfielder on Boston’s Opening Day roster.
Refnsynder is now proving Cora right.
After making one of the best catches of the season in Seattle, Refsnyder continued to make an impact for the Red Sox in their 6-1 win over the Oakland Athletics on Tuesday night at Fenway Park. Refsnyder, who was called up from Triple-A Worcester to fill in for the injured Kiké Hernández, went 3-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI from the top spot in the lineup, and showed off a strong glove again by covering a ton of ground to make a terrific grab at the wall in the sixth inning.
For Cora, what Refsnyder has done so far in his second stint with the Red Sox this season isn’t a surprise.
“We saw it in spring training,” Cora told reporters, as seen on NESN postgame coverage. “Obviously, you have to work with your roster and all that stuff, but we knew at one point he was going to be part of this. He can hit lefties, he gives you versatility in the outfield, another athlete on the bench when he doesn’t start. So, so far so good.”
Offensively, Refsnyder has manufactured ways to get on base since being recalled. Against Seattle, it was more unconventional with Refsnyder getting hit twice by pitches. On Tuesday night, Refsnyder’s bat found the ball with him recording three singles along with a sacrifice fly to plate Christian Vázquez in the bottom of the second.
With that sort of production to go along with his steady defense, Refsnyder sure is impressing Cora.
“Very athletic, controlling the at-bats, which is very important,” Cora said. “He had the base hit, the first one, then the rocket to third base. The last one he hit hard. The defense. The arm.”
Refsnyder and the Red Sox look to keep it going Wednesday against the Athletics. First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. ET, and you can catch the game, along with an hour of pregame coverage, on NESN.
