When Romy Gonzalez Is Ready to Return, Isiah Kiner-Falefa Should be the First Name Out the Door

There was a lot of confusion around the league when the Boston Red Sox inked Isiah Kiner-Falefa to a one year, $6 million contract late in the offseason. The thought was that he didn’t make much sense as a veteran addition to a team that had rookie Marcelo Mayer, Caleb Durbin, Nate Eaton, and an injured Romy Gonzalez already under contract for the season. Sure, he’s a veteran presence in a very young clubhouse, but at what cost? Mayer needs to be playing at second every day, even against left-handed pitchers, and Gonzalez is looking to return in just over a month if Chad Tracy still believes that Mayer needs a platoon partner at the keystone.

In other words, it’s time for the Red Sox to cut their losses and move on from Isiah Kiner-Falefa.

If we just look at the numbers, they paint the picture of a veteran who is past his prime and struggling with the looks he’s given. He’s only played in 20 games with 44 plate appearances. He’s currently slashing .200/.256/.200 with a zero fWAR and a 27 wRC+.

When he’s at the plate, he’s striking out just 18.2% of the time, but his walk rate is an abysmal 6.8%. His chase rate is 45.0% and he’s only barreling 3.1% of the pitches he puts in play. He’s as close to an automatic out as you can be at this point in his career. He’s starting against left-handed starters as Mayer is eased into the role of an everyday big leaguer, but Mayer has looked at least competent against most southpaws he’s been allowed to face. Any at-bat that Kiner-Falefa is taking from Mayer is doing a disservice to the top prospect's growth and the future of the organization. There was some hope, before the news of Garrett Crochet’s injury broke, that when Nate Eaton was called up at the end of April that maybe Kiner-Falefa would be DFA’d, but that wasn’t meant to be at the time.

The saving grace in all of this is Romy Gonzalez is nearing his return to the club. He’s responded well to his shoulder surgery and has been playing catch and taking grounders during the most recent homestand. While he’s not close to game action yet, he’s started baseball activities and that means the next step should be a rehab assignment with a minor-league club. Once Gonzalez is big league ready, it’s likely safe to assume that a Kiner-Falefa DFA would be the most logical corresponding move. Gonzalez has been a contributor to this team in recent seasons and has both a higher floor and ceiling than Kiner-Falefa possesses at this point in his career. He mashes left-handed pitchers and plays valuable defense at all infield positions. His skillset makes Kiner-Falefa a redundant, and expensive, bench piece that will only see his playing time decrease once the season heats up in late June.

Kiner-Falefa’s skillset is obviously diminishing, and he’s taking time away from younger players who need more exposure to at-bats in major-league action. It’s rare for Craig Breslow to admit when he made a mistake, but he can save a bit of face by releasing Kiner-Falefa the second Romy Gonzalez is ready to join the club.