Red Sox outfielder Rob Refsnyder flirted with retirement last season, but ultimately decided to continue his career in Boston. As he enters his age-35 season, it appears he has fewer doubts about his future. Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reported yesterday that Refsnyder plans to continue his playing career in 2026, and he has already done so “informal conversations” with Boston about the possibility of a return.
It is understandable that Refsnyder wants to continue after the year he has had. In 70 games for the Red Sox, Refsnyder hit to the tune of a .269/.354/.484 slash line over 209 plate appearances. That was more or less a repeat of his excellent 2024, and he now enters free agency after a two-year stretch in which he slashed .278/.357/.476 in 163 games (516 plate appearances). In that time, he hit 20 home runs with 28 doubles with a strikeout rate of 25.6% against a walk rate of 10.1%.
That’s incredibly strong production for a bench player, although it should be noted that he has tremendous platoon splits. Refsnyder hit .302/.396/.554 (160 wRC+) against lefties over the past two years, but during that same time he hit a mediocre .250/.310/.387 (94 wRC+) against right-handed pitchers. That production against right-handers dropped to just .212/.268/.348 (67 wRC+) this season, making him a much less viable bat against right-handed pitchers. Even with that step back against right-handers this year, Refsnyder should enjoy a strong market by bench-bat standards.
It’s not entirely out of the realm of possibility that a club could view Refsnyder as a candidate for an expanded role, given his overall production over the past two seasons and solid numbers against even-handed pitching in 2024. However, his bigger platoon split in 2025 likely puts a damper on those efforts, and he still thinks he’ll fit best on a team where he can be used as a part-time player. The Red Sox still make sense for his services given their heavily left-handed outfield mix. Having Refsnyder in the fold to complement Wilier Abreu, Roman Anthony, Jarren DuranAnd Masataka Yoshida would go a long way toward keeping Boston’s offense balanced next year.
However, there are a handful of other teams that Refsnyder could also make a lot of sense for. The Diamondbacks traded Randal Grichuk away at the deadline, but have an outfield and DH mix that is equally heavy on lefties Corbin Caroll, Alex Thomas, Jake McCarthyAnd Pavin Smith all playing roles. The Cubs could look at Refsnyder as an upgrade Justin Turner for those who could be deployed as a platoon partner Moises Ballesteros or Owen Caission in case one of those left-swinging rookies takes over Kyle Tucker‘s spot in Chicago’s lineup. The Royals and Guardians both struggled to get production out of their outfielders this year and could see Refsnyder as a way to significantly improve their offense without breaking the bank.
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