Red Sox manager Alex Cora said Saturday of Refsnyder (oblique) and Wilyer Abreu (calf), "it feels like they're gonna be back with us next week," Mike Monaco of ESPN reports.
Refsnyder was able to run sprints Friday -- a good sign that his strained left oblique has improved. The veteran outfielder last played in a game Aug. 13, though he wasn't placed on the IL until Aug. 18 (retroactive to Aug. 15). It's unclear whether Refsnyder will be ready to return immediately when eligible Monday, but it sounds like his activation will be in the not-too-distant future.
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Red Sox's Rob Refsnyder: Shut down with oblique strain
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The Red Sox placed Refsnyder on the 10-day injured list Monday with a left oblique strain.
It's not clear when Refsnyder was injured, but he hadn't played since making a pinch-hitting appearance last Wednesday. He will be eligible for activation Aug. 26, but any oblique injury has the potential to create longer than a minimum stay on the IL.
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Red Sox's Rob Refsnyder: Supplies only offense in loss
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Refsnyder went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Tuesday's 4-1 loss to the Phillies.
He was the only Boston batter to solve Cristopher Sanchez on the night, taking him deep in the fourth inning. It was Refsnyder's sixth homer of the season and first since June 22, and his role as a lefty-killer remains secure -- 95 of his 132 plate appearances this season have come against southpaws, and the 34-year-old has delivered a .288/.379/.563 slash line in that split.
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Red Sox's Rob Refsnyder: Lifts homer in loss
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Refsnyder went 2-for-5 with a two-run home run in Sunday's 9-5 loss to San Francisco.
Refsnyder was at his new spot in the order -- batting leadoff against left-handers -- and belted a two-run homer off Robbie Ray in the fifth inning. Boston manager Alex Cora recently moved Refsnyder and his 1.029 OPS against lefties up to leadoff whenever the Red Sox face a southpaw. In five games hitting atop the order, Refsnyder is 6-for-14 with two extra-base hits and two RBI.
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Red Sox's Rob Refsnyder: Batting leadoff against lefty
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Refsnyder will start in right field and bat leadoff Sunday against the Yankees.
Jarren Duran -- who was held out of Friday's game against Yankees lefty Ryan Yarbrough -- has been the Red Sox's preferred leadoff man all season regardless of the opposing starter. Manager Alex Cora went in a different direction Saturday, as Refsnyder led off and Duran dropped to fifth in the order against southpaw Carlos Rodon. The Yankees will send another lefty (Max Fried) to the hill Sunday, with Refsnyder getting another start out of the leadoff spot and Duran sliding to sixth. The move atop the order could enhance Refsnyder's run-scoring upside when the Red Sox face lefties, but Refsnyder will likely continue to find himself on the bench versus right-handers more often than not.
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Red Sox's Rob Refsnyder: Homers off lefty
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Refsnyder started in right field and went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Friday's 4-2 loss to Atlanta.
Refsnyder has been dealing with back issues over the past week but was feeling good enough to fill his usual role against a lefty Friday. He took Atlanta's Chris Sale deep in the seventh inning to bring the Red Sox within a run -- his third homer in 15 games. Refsnyder has a 1.002 OPS against lefties this season.
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Red Sox's Rob Refsnyder: Could land on IL
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Manager Alex Cora said after Friday's game against Kansas City that Refsnyder (undisclosed) might need to spend time on the injured list, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.
Cora noted that Refsnyder is a bit banged up, and while it's unclear what kind of injury he's dealing with, it helps explain why the 34-year-old outfielder hasn't played since May 1 despite owning a .918 OPS in 40 plate appearances. Until the Red Sox provide more information or place him on the IL, Refsnyder's return timeline will be up in the air.
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Red Sox's Rob Refsnyder: Homers off righty
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Refsnyder started in place of a slumping Ceddanne Rafaela and went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Monday's 4-2 win over the White Sox.
Refsnyder, a lineup staple when the Red Sox face a left-hander, got a rare start against a righty and delivered his first home run of the season in his first at-bat. Boston hasn't seen too many southpaws thus far, and Refsnyder entered Monday's game with just 21 plate appearances. Rafaela's bat showed life in the first two games of the series, but overall, it's done little to help his season-long numbers, as he carries a .582 OPS with just three extra-base hits in 74 plate appearances. Notably, Refsnyder has the same number of XBH over 25 plate appearances.
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Red Sox's Rob Refsnyder: Falls ill
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Red Sox manager Alex Cora said after Saturday's 4-3 loss to the Rangers that Refsnyder was unable to play due to an illness, Mac Cerullo of the Boston Herald reports.
Refsnyder has yet to make his 2025 debut, though it's unclear whether his absence for the first two games of the series was due to him being under the weather or simply not being needed. He had a productive 2024 campaign and projected to serve in the weak side of the platoon in right field with Wilyer Abreu, but Refsnyder will have to overcome his illness before taking the field.
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Red Sox's Rob Refsnyder: Free of restrictions in camp
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Refsnyder (forearm) took live batting practice against Red Sox right-hander Zack Kelly during Wednesday's full-squad workout, Gabrielle Starr of the Boston Herald reports.
Refsnyder slugged a home run to right-center as part of his round of BP, an indication that he's moved past the right forearm strain that caused him to finish last season on the injured list. Before being shut down, Refsnyder was productive at the dish when called upon, slashing .283/.359/.471 with 11 home runs and two stolen bases over 306 plate appearances. The right-handed-hitting Refsnyder should get regular playing time versus left-handed pitching in 2025, most likely occupying the weak side of platoon in right field alongside Wilyer Abreu (illness).
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Red Sox's Rob Refsnyder: 2025 option exercised
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The Red Sox exercised Refsnyder's $2.1 million club option for 2025.
Refsnyder was a useful platoon bat for the Red Sox again in 2024, slashing .283/.359/.471 with 11 homers over 93 games, which included a .941 OPS versus left-handed pitching. Boston currently projects to be very left-handed heavy again in 2025, so Refsnyder should be busy again as a short-side platoon outfielder.
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Red Sox's Rob Refsnyder: Lands on injured list
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The Red Sox placed Refsnyder on the 10-day injured list Friday with a right forearm strain, Mac Cerullo of the Boston Herald reports.
Refsnyder hasn't started a game since wrist discomfort caused him to be a late scratch from the lineup Sept. 12, though he was able to appear as a pinch hitter during Thursday's loss to Tampa Bay. The 33-year-old outfielder's placement on the injured list will put an early end to his 2024 campaign. He has a .283/.359/.471 slash line alongside 11 homers and 40 RBI across 306 plate appearances, and Vaughn Grissom will come up from the minors to fill his spot on the active roster.
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Red Sox's Rob Refsnyder: Continues to sit
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Refsnyder (wrist) is not in the starting lineup for Sunday's game against the Yankees.
Refsnyder was scratched from Thursday's lineup against the Yankees due to right wrist discomfort, and he has been held out of the starting lineup for the entire four-game series. The Red Sox have a scheduled off day Monday, and the 33-year-old could return to action for Boston's upcoming three-game road series against Tampa Bay. Since the All-Star break, Refsnyder has slashed .267/.313/.505 with seven home runs and 19 RBI across 112 plate appearances.
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Red Sox's Rob Refsnyder: Heading back to bench
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Refsnyder is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Diamondbacks, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports.
Refsnyder went 2-for-12 with a solo home run and an additional run while starting each of the Red Sox's last three games -- all against right-handed pitchers -- but he'll head back to the bench Sunday while righty Merrill Kelly takes the hill for Arizona. Tyler O'Neill (finger) is returning from a two-game absence and will take back his usual spot in left field, so Refsnyder's opportunities to play against right-handed pitching could be more limited moving forward while O'Neill, Jarren Duran and Wilyer Abreu form Boston's preferred outfield arrangement. Refsnyder should still be a regular part of the lineup versus left-handed pitching.
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Red Sox's Rob Refsnyder: Enters late, homers
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Refsnyder entered Sunday's game as a pinch hitter and went 1-for-2 with a solo home run in a 4-2 loss to Baltimore.
Refsnyder produced Boston's final run with his eighth home run of the season in the ninth inning. His .902 OPS against left-handers puts him in starting lineups against southpaws and leads to frequent pinch-hit appearances.
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Red Sox's Rob Refsnyder: Drives in two in win
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Refsnyder went 2-for-5 with a double and two RBI in Tuesday's 6-0 win over Colorado.
Refsnyder made a second consecutive start after being scratched from Sunday's starting lineup. The outfielder is 3-for-9 with a double and three RBI in the first two games of the series. With a right-hander (Cal Quantrill) scheduled to throw for the Rockies on Wednesday, Refsnyder could take a seat for the series finale.
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Red Sox's Rob Refsnyder: Back in action Monday
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Refsnyder (shoulder) will start in left field and bat second in Monday's game against the Rockies, Gabrielle Starr of the Boston Herald reports.
Refsnyder had been slated to start in Sunday's 9-6 loss to the Dodgers, but he was scratched from the lineup while he continued to deal with shoulder soreness, which stemmed from a defensive play the night before. The day off was apparently all Refsnyder needed for the issue to resolve itself, so he'll draw back into the lineup Monday while the Red Sox oppose another lefty in Austin Gomber.
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Red Sox's Rob Refsnyder: Dealing with shoulder soreness
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Refsnyder was scratched from Sunday's lineup against the Dodgers as a result of shoulder soreness, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.
Refsnyder is dealing with some shoulder soreness after attempting to make a diving play in Saturday's 7-6 loss. Manager Alex Cora said Sunday that he expects Refsnyder to be ready to go for Monday's series opener on the road against the Rockies.
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Red Sox's Rob Refsnyder: Scratched from Sunday's lineup
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Refsnyder was scratched from the lineup for Sunday's game against the Dodgers for unspecified reasons, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.
The 33-year-old was set to start in left field and bat leadoff against Los Angeles lefty James Paxton, but Refsnyder will now start the contest on the bench. The Red Sox have yet to provide an update, but it could be an injury situation since the outfielder is a lineup regular versus left-handed pitching.
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Red Sox's Rob Refsnyder: Moves to leadoff Friday
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Refsnyder batted leadoff and went 1-for-2 with a walk in Friday's 6-1 loss to the Royals.
Red Sox manager Alex Cora had Refsnyder and Jarren Duran swap spots in the order against a left-hander. Boston has hit righties (.756 OPS) better than southpaws (.713) this season, so Cora was hoping to get a jump against Cole Ragans.
