The Boston Red Sox optioned infielder David Hamilton to Triple-A Worcester (again) on Monday ahead of their series against the Houston Astros. It's the second time this season that the speedy middle infielder has been sent back down to the minors and, frankly, it should be the last time as his usefulness on the major-league roster is questionable at best — especially after failing to get a bunt down in extra innings in a weekend loss to the Padres.
But that fact alone should be haunting Craig Breslow when he could've traded Hamilton for something far more helpful to the Red Sox, especially right now.
There were vague reports in the offseason that, as the Red Sox explored trades beyond Garrett Crochet to upgrade the starting rotation, they rejected one team's ask for a veteran starter because they were being asked to give up Hamilton in the deal. Fans immediately questioned that decision, to be fair, but Breslow stuck to his guns. However, on Monday's episode of the Section 10 Podcast, it was insinuated that Boston may not have landed Mariners starter Luis Castillo because of their reluctance to trade Hamilton.
Breslow has to be regretting that tenfold, especially after only adding Dustin May to the rotation at the trade deadline, as the Red Sox could certainly use Castillo in the mix while Hamilton has been a utility player or pinch runner at best and entirely unusable on the whole, hence why he's back in Triple-A again.
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Red Sox not trading David Hamilton for Luis Castillo continues to haunt them
Hamilton made the Red Sox roster for Opening Day but was optioned to Worcester on July 11 before being recalled to Boston on July 25. When he's been in the big leagues, though, it's been an eyesore. The lefty has proved that his flashes from the 2024 season were an anomaly, posting a measly slash line of .174/.227/.265. Sure, he's provided value on the basepaths with 17 swiped bags, but at a certain point, how valuable is that on a team that has overall positive speed?
Furthermore, Hamilton's defense has long been in question. He's a passable option at second base, but nothing more, and has been downright bad in the rare occasions when he's been at shortstop. So it's not shocking to see the Red Sox, especially after not even being able to use his speed in an extra-innings game to lay a bunt down and advance a runner, send him back to Triple-A and carry three catchers with Ali Sanchez getting called up instead.
When you then factor in the Castillo component of this, it looks even worse. While Boston has gotten tremendous years from Lucas Giolito and Brayan Bello, the depth of the rotation is still shaky with Walker Buehler and now May in the mix, along with the likes of Richard Fitts and even Cooper Criswell. Having a veteran who's posted a 3.19 ERA and 1.186 WHIP on the year would be invaluable to this pitching staff, far more so than having another utility infielder.
Now, it's important to note that we don't have the full details of the Red Sox' negotiations with the Mariners regarding Castillo, but it does seem like Hamilton may have been a major hold-up in those talks. That's regrettable to the highest degree and, though hindsight is making that even clearer, it's also apparent that fans' initial sentiment was correct while Breslow's instinct to hold onto Hamilton was not.
However, if we're in the business of learning from mistakes, Breslow and the Red Sox need to do that for the rest of the season.
Nick Sogard should be the Red Sox' next call-up, not David Hamilton
While calling up Sanchez to be a third catcher to help protect Carlos Narvaez's health makes some sense, if the Red Sox ultimately need another utility infielder, there's no world in which Hamilton should be the guy called back up from Triple-A. Instead, give the nod to Nick Sogard and call it a day.
Not only does Sogard have more defensive versatility — and is frankly just a better defender than Hamilton in addition to being more well-rounders — but he also acquitted himself well enough for that role in the majors this season. In 17 games, he's slashed .254/.323/.339 with five doubles and just 12 strikeouts in 59 at-bats.
He's also proven to be more than fundamentally sound enough to be able to get a bunt down in a crucial situation, for what that's worth.
The miscalculation this offseason with Hamilton is a mistake that's plaguing the Red Sox as we speak. It's not a death knell by any stretch, but it's making the job harder for Boston, without question, in the postseason race. But the one thing the team can't afford to do is to continue doubling down on that mistake by continuing to try and rely on Hamilton when he's not proven trustworthy enough to do so.