Red Sox place prized rookie Andrew Benintendi on DL
By Ted Fleming
The Boston Red Sox 22-year old outfielder has made quite a splash since being called from the minors. Unfortunately, he will miss time due to a sprained knee.
The Boston Red Sox announced today that they have placed Andrew Benintendi on the 15-day disabled list due to a sprained knee. Infielder Marco Hernandez was recalled from Triple-A Pawtucket to take his place on the roster.
The Sox, who are in St. Petersburg to play the Tampa Bay Rays in a series finale this afternoon, said that the injury happened in the seventh inning of their 11-inning loss Wednesday night when he tried to avoid a tag going to second base, but was doubled up anyway.
Benintendi was Boston’s first-round pick, seventh overall, in the 2015 draft and was making quite an impression in his first big league action with a .324/.365/.485 slashline, an .850 OPS with six doubles, one triple, one home run, 10 RBI, and 11 runs scored in 21 games (19 starts). He was brought up from the Double-A Portland Sea Dogs on August 2.
A lefty batter, he has played in 151 minor league games over two professional seasons, batting .312 (178-for-570) with a .910 OPS, 74 walks, and 63 strikeouts. Benintendi has combined to hit .312 (116-for-372) with 70 runs, 31 doubles, nine home runs, and 16 stolen bases this season between High-A Salem (34 games) and Portland (63 games).
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At the time of his recall, Benintendi was ranked the No, 9 prospect according to the Baseball America Midseason Top 100 list. He played for Team USA in the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game in San Diego and went 0-3 with a strikeout from the leadoff spot.
A Cincinnati native, Benintendi was originally selected by the Reds in the 31st round of the 2013 draft only to go to the University of Arkansas where he would garnered a number of accolades such as receiving the Dick Howser Trophy, SEC Male Athlete of the Year, Baseball America National Player of the Year and Collegiate Baseball National Player of the Year among 18 total awards as a sophomore in 2015.