The Boston Red Sox and Philadelphia Phillies each released struggling veterans on Thursday as the Red Sox parted ways with outfielder Jackie Bradley Jr. of Richmond, Virginia and the Phillies parted ways with shortstop Didi Gregorius. Both Bradley Jr. and Gregorius had the exact same batting average this season at .210. Gregorius became expendable when Phillies infielder Jean Segura was able to return from the 60-day injury list.
Jackie Bradley Jr.
Bradley Jr. batted .210 with three home runs and 29 runs batted in with the Red Sox in 2022. In 91 games, 290 plate appearances and 271 at bats, he had scored 21 runs and had 57 hits, 19 doubles, one triple, two stolen bases, 17 walks, an on base percentage of .257, a slugging percentage of .321, 87 total bases, and two sacrifice bunts.
This was Bradley Jr.’s second time with the Red Sox. He previously played eight seasons with the Red Sox from 2013 to 2020, and was an All-Star in 2016. Six seasons ago with Boston, Bradley Jr. batted .267 with career highs in runs (94), hits (149), triples (seven), home runs (26), runs batted in (87), walks (63), total bases (271), and sacrifice flies (five).
In 2021, Bradley Jr. signed a two-year contract worth $24 million with the Milwaukee Brewers. However in his only season in Milwaukee, he was terrible offensively, as he only batted .163 with only 63 hits in 387 at bats. On December 1, 2021, Bradley Jr. then returned to the Red Sox as he was traded with infield prospect David Hamilton of San Marcos, Texas and third base prospect Alex Binelas of Oak Creek, Wisconsin for right fielder Hunter Renfroe of Crystal Springs, Mississippi.
In 2022, Bradley Jr. was better than he was in 2021, but he was only 10 percentage points over the Mendoza Line. Bradley Jr. became expendable as the Red Sox acquired Tommy Pham at the trade deadline from the Cincinnati Reds and the fact they are wanting to give centerfielder Jarren Duran more at bats.
Didi Gregorius
The veteran shortstop from Amsterdam, Netherlands, only batted .210 this season for the Phillies with one home run and 19 runs batted in. During 63 games, 232 plate appearances and 214 at bats, he scored 17 runs and had 45 hits with nine doubles, four triples, one stolen base, 13 walks, a .263 on base percentage, .304 slugging percentage, 65 total bases, and two sacrifice flies.
Gregorius has played 11 seasons in Major League Baseball with the Phillies, Cincinnati Reds, Arizona Diamondbacks and New York Yankees. He spent his most productive seasons with the Yankees. From 2016 to 2018, he hit a minimum of 20 home runs each year, and during this time was considered one of the best hitting shortstops in the game. However, Gregorius has seen a significant drop in his power, and as a result, the RBI totals have taken a significant dip as well.
As mentioned, the Phillies are reinstating Jean Segura. He was on the 60-day disabled list with a broken finger.
Postseason Experience
If anyone signs Gregorius and Bradley Jr. to a contract down the stretch, they will receive a player with plenty of postseason experience. Gregorius has 28 postseason games and is batting .257 with four home runs and 16 runs batted in. Bradley Jr. has 22 postseason games and is batting .185 with four home runs and 15 runs batted in.
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