In early 2020, the Boston Red Sox didn’t give Mookie Betts the contract extension he wanted and decided to trade him just a little over a year removed from their 2018 World Series triumph.
The Red Sox’s return, however, was short for a player of Betts’ caliber.
For Betts and David Price, Boston received Alex Verdugo, Jeter Downs, and Connor Wong.
Now, a couple of years after that trade, Downs has been outrighted from the 40-man roster.
“The Red Sox have designated Jeter Downs for assignment to make room for Masataka Yoshida,” Red Sox insider Jen McCaffrey tweeted.
The Red Sox have designated Jeter Downs for assignment to make room for Masataka Yoshida.
— Jen McCaffrey (@jcmccaffrey) December 15, 2022
Yoshida was signed to a five-year, $90 million deal by the Red Sox last week.
Downs’ career hasn’t progressed as hoped, as he hit a disappointing .154/.171/.256 in his first 41 major league plate appearances this year.
Downs’ Career Has Taken A Huge Hit
The infielder was a consensus top-100 prospect just a couple of years ago.
Now, he is at risk of being a career minor leaguer if he doesn’t improve with the bat.
He is a career .193/.292/.368 hitter in 740 plate appearances at the Triple-A level, which is obviously not good at all.
He does have some intriguing power and speed, plus youth on his side (he is still 24, after all), so he will likely latch on with another organization willing to work with him to regain some of his lost luster.
He could theoretically return to the Red Sox if he goes unclaimed via waivers, but some team will likely take a chance on him and put in a claim.
While Betts went on to win the 2020 World Series with the Dodgers, the Red Sox just haven’t been the same since 2018 and since their talented outfielder left.
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