Jackie Bradley Jr.’s second stint with the Boston Red Sox appears to be on the verge of ending.
The Red Sox on Thursday designated Bradley for assignment, as first reported by The Boston Globe’s Julian McWilliams. In doing so, Boston removed the veteran outfielder from its 40-man roster and it now has seven days to either trade or release him.
While JBJ had been playing his usual flawless defense for the Red Sox, his ongoing struggles at the plate made it tougher and tougher for manager Alex Cora to justify a lineup spot for the 32-year-old. Bradley was hitting .210 with three home runs, 29 RBIs and 57 total hits through 91 games this season.
Bradley, a supplemental first-round pick by the Red Sox in 2011, spent the first eight seasons of his Major League Baseball career in Boston before he darted for Milwaukee in free agency last year. After signing a two-year, $24 million deal with the Brewers in March 2021, Bradley was sent back to Boston nine months later in a trade that saw Hunter Renfroe land with Milwaukee.
With Bradley now out of the equation, the Red Sox’s starting outfield for the remainder of the season figures to be the newly acquired Tommy Pham, Jarren Duran and Alex Verdugo from left to right, respectively.
