The incredible story of former Red Sox draft pick Jordan Weems
A few months ago, Pablo Reyes was left off the Oakland Athletics roster. The 29-year-old was playing for Oakland’s Triple-A affiliate, the Las Vegas Aviators when the Red Sox acquired him for cash considerations in early May.
Before being traded to the Red Sox, Reyes had spent the majority of his career as a journeyman, appearing in just 147 games across five years in Major League Baseball. When acquired by the Red Sox, it was expected that Reyes would serve as a depth piece, instead, he has emerged as a key piece on the Red Sox roster as they try to close the gap in the Wild Card race.
Back in June, Red Sox manager Alex Cora said he didn’t view Reyes as an everyday player, which insisted the shortstop position would continue to be a revolving door while the Sox waited on the returns of Yu Chang and Trevor Story. Flash forward to now, Yu Chang has since been designated for assignment in favor of Reyes.
That move has paid off for the Red Sox.
One week after potentially saving the Red Sox season with his walk-off grand slam against the Kansas City Royals, Reyes provided the spark for the Sox again in Tuesday night’s 5-4 win over the Washington Nationals.
Reyes finished the night 2-of-4 at the plate, but it was his hustle on the basepaths, scoring on a wild pitch from Robert Garcia that proved to be the difference.
Tuesday night served as another reminder of how much of a difference-maker Reyes has been for the Red Sox. Since being reinstated from the IL on July 24, Reyes has appeared in 13 games and is batting .351 with four RBI and six runs scored in those games.
Reyes has found something this season with the Red Sox that he has yet to unlock in his major league career. Middle infield depth has been an issue for the Red Sox this season, and while the return of Trevor Story will finally provide stability at shortstop, Reyes has made his case to be the everyday second baseman, at least for the time being.
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