Red Sox outfielder Mookie Betts sustained a back injury after crashing into the wall while fielding a ball hit by Justin Smoak in the second inning of Friday's contest against the Toronto Blue Jays.
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Betts Out of Lineup vs. Blue Jays
Saturday, June 13
The Red Sox announced that Betts is absent from their lineup for Saturday's game vs. Toronto.
On June 12, ESPN's Gordon Edes reported that Betts had sprained his back on this play:
Betts converted from second base to the outfield last season, and he has served primarily as Boston's starting center fielder in 2015. The transition has been seamless defensively, but not everything has gone so smoothly.
Although the 22-year-old shows five-tool tendencies as a great fielder with speed and pop, he's been plagued by inconsistency at the plate.
He is a hot-and-cold player who goes on streaks as a hitter. That has resulted in him being moved all around in the lineup, from the leadoff spot or No. 2 to No. 7 or No. 8.
Red Sox assistant hitting coach Victor Rodriguez chalked Betts' struggles up to a somewhat flawed approach at the dish, according to Brian MacPherson of the Providence Journal:
What I'm seeing is a guy that is not ready to hit -- and because he's not ready, he finds himself late and not ready to react. He's late. He's getting his pitch, and he’s not able to do anything with it. He's reacting late and losing the barrel of the bat and hitting a lot of fly balls. That's not him. He’s a line-drive guy.
It is tough for any hitter to find a rhythm when he is constantly being shifted around, but it's hard to blame manager John Farrell for changing things up in order to spark his team.
With that said, Betts has also had to contend with a ton of competition in the outfield over the course of the season, with Castillo, Brock Holt, Shane Victorino and De Aza all vying for playing time, while Hanley Ramirez has manned left field as well.
Even though the Red Sox have depth in the outfield, losing Betts for any amount of time will be detrimental since he is their most valuable defender.
Not much has gone right for Boston this season, and Betts' ailment is yet another negative in a campaign full of them.
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