SPOTLIGHT
Sam Travis’ spring training numbers were hard to ignore. He hit .469 with a pair of homers and a team-leading 13 RBI for the Boston Red Sox and appeared to be positioning himself as the franchise’s first baseman of the future.
But that’s on hold because Travis suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left leg May 29 when he was making a tag during a rundown against Indianapolis.
The Pawtucket (R.I.) first baseman will miss the remainder of
the Class AAA International League season, and it’s uncertain whether he will be ready to return during the early part of the 2017 season.
Travis was hitting .272 with six homers, 29 RBI and a .332 onbase percentage at the time of the injury.
There was a great deal of speculation that Red Sox first baseman Hanley Ramirez would be moved to designated hitter when David Ortiz retired, opening a spot for Travis. If Travis is able to start the 2017 season on time, however, he likely will be back in Pawtucket.
The injury is the second dis-
appointment of the season for the 2014 second-round pick out of Indiana. He was sent back to the minors for the start of the season, but Travis, 22, didn’t view that negatively. He understands that he had never played above the AA level before this season and that he was not on the 40-man roster.
“I was doing everything I could in spring training to make it hard for them to send me down, but I’m a realist, too,” Travis said before his injury. “I knew it was a long shot to make it out of spring training. I wanted to make a good impression and connect with the players, though, and I think I did that.”