Triston Casas' season-ending injury created a gaping hole on the Boston Red Sox roster at first base. They have guys like Abraham Toro and Nick Sogard filling in for now, and acquired Ryan Noda to add some depth at the position, but they've yet to turn to a player Red Sox fans would deem an acceptable replacement.
Ten-year veteran Hunter Renfroe, who spent a year in Boston, just became available after getting DFA'd by the Kansas City Royals. While Red Sox brass might trick themselves into thinking he might be the solution, they shouldn't.
It isn't hard to see why Boston's front office might be intrigued by the idea of bringing Renfroe aboard. His season in Boston was outstanding, as he slashed .251/.315/.501 with 31 home runs and 96 RBI. Those 96 RBI set a new career high, which he has not come close to topping since. Overall, it was one of, if not the best year of his career.
That version of Renfroe would be a no-brainer to acquire, but he also wouldn't have been DFA'd if he were still remotely at that level. The player Renfroe is in 2025, though, is not worth considering.
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Red Sox should not consider Hunter Renfroe as viable first base solution
Ever since Renfroe left Boston, he's regressed. His OPS went from .816 in Boston to .807 the following year. It then dipped to .737 in 2023, and .689 in 2024. Somehow, this season has been much worse for the 33-year-old.
He slashed .182/.241/.242 in 35 games with the Royals before being DFA'd on Friday. Despite stepping up to the plate 108 times, he didn't hit a single home run. It goes without saying that if Renfroe isn't hitting for power, he doesn't add much value. The fact that he ranks 264th out of 267 position players with at least 100 plate appearances with a 32 WRC+, and tied for 264th among those same 267 players with -0.9 fWAR proves just that.
Renfroe has nine appearances and six starts at first base over the course of his career. How well he'd do defensively isn't really fair to assume given his small sample, but had he provided more offensive value, he might've been worth giving a shot to. The fact that he hasn't hit at all, though, shows that it simply is not worth the investment. The Red Sox need to aim higher.