ARLINGTON, Texas -- The temptation is understandable.
Not only have the Boston Red Sox lost three left fielders to injuries within the past month, including Chris Young on Thursday, they also have dropped 12 of their last 20 games. They still lead the majors in scoring, but the offense isn't humming quite as it had been. After averaging 5.9 runs per game through the end of May, the Sox are down to 4.9 in June.
And so, almost as soon as Young had been helped off the field with a strained right hamstring, the call went out across social media for Boston to call up top prospect Andrew Benintendi.
Makes sense, right? The nation's best collegiate player last season at the University of Arkansas, Benintendi mashed his way through the lower minors after the Red Sox drafted him in the first round (seventh overall) last June. And while the 21-year-old initially struggled after getting called up to Double-A Portland on May 16, he is 15-for-48 (.313) with a .370 on-base percentage, four doubles and three home runs in his last 12 games.
With Young out for at least two weeks, Brock Holt taking deliberate steps in his return from a concussion and Blake Swihart only now moving from a walking boot to a brace for his badly sprained left ankle, Benintendi could play every day in left field while infusing the lineup with a jolt of energy.
Last year, the New York Mets and Chicago Cubs benefited from calling up former college standouts Michael Conforto and Kyle Schwarber, respectively, within a year of getting drafted. If it worked for them, surely it could work for the Red Sox, too.
Not so fast.
In the aftermath of a sweep-averting, 8-7 victory in 10 innings Thursday against the Chicago White Sox, manager John Farrell said the Red Sox would place Young on the 15-day disabled list but had not decided on how to replace him. They tipped their hand, though, when outfielder Bryce Brentz was pulled from the lineup at Triple-A Pawtucket, a sign that he likely will join the team here Friday night for the opener of a three-game series against the Texas Rangers.
Brentz isn't a sexy choice, but as short-term solutions go, he's a better one than Benintendi. For as impressive as Benintendi has been over the past year, he still has only 459 minor-league at-bats, none above the Double-A level. And if the Red Sox have learned anything over the past few years, it's the danger of rushing even their most talented prospects to the majors before they are ready.
Exhibit A: Jackie Bradley Jr.
In 2013, Bradley had roughly the same amount of experience as Benintendi does now, from a decorated collegiate career at the University of South Carolina to 499 at-bats in the minors, none above Double-A. But after a wildly successful spring training, Bradley won a spot on the roster and was the Opening Day left fielder at Yankee Stadium.
Looking back, team officials admit it was a bad idea. Bradley went 3-for-31 with 12 strikeouts during the season's first two weeks and got sent to Triple-A. It took two more years before he finally hit at the big-league level, and while it's unclear whether a more linear progression through the high minors would have eased his transition, it certainly couldn't have hurt.
The Red Sox seem to have learned their lesson. Star shortstop Xander Bogaerts had 1,424 minor-league at-bats (225 at Triple-A) before getting called up midway through the 2013 season, and he still endured significant growing pains in 2014. Right fielder Mookie Betts had 998 at-bats in the minors (90 at Triple-A) prior to his call-up in 2014.
Even Swihart had 1,210 minor-league at-bats, including 137 at Triple-A, when he was rushed to the big leagues last May. In that case, though, the Red Sox didn't have much choice. Catcher Christian Vazquez already had season-ending Tommy John elbow surgery when backup Ryan Hanigan was lost for three months with a broken right hand.
If Young was going to miss considerable time, a better case could be made for Benintendi. But Young said Thursday that he was already able to walk up and down a flight of stairs in the home clubhouse at Fenway Park, a sign that perhaps the injury wasn't as serious as he initially feared. Holt is nearing a return, too, having begun a rehab assignment this week at Triple-A.
And while the offense hasn't been clicking at peak levels, especially with runners in scoring position, the Red Sox will score runs as long as Betts, Dustin Pedroia, Bogaerts and David Ortiz occupy the top four spots in the lineup. If Hanley Ramirez finally starts to produce, they will be able to get by with Brentz, who has three homers in his last 11 games.
On the Red Sox's list of needs, left field remains well behind finding another late-inning reliever to ease the burden on 41-year-old setup man Koji Uehara, strengthening the starting rotation and adding to an inadequate bench.
Eventually, maybe even as soon as next season, Benintendi will be the answer in left field at Fenway. For now, he is best served staying right where he is.