*Photo from Southside Showdown*
This signing right here could prove to be a pretty interesting one. The Boston Red Sox have signed 2B Yolmer Sanchez to a minor league contract with an invitation to major league spring training, according to an announcement made by the Red Sox.
After appearing in only 11 games with the Chicago White Sox in 2020, Sanchez spent the 2021 season playing for the Triple A Gwinnett Stripers, the Triple A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves. He never got a chance to play for the Braves, largely due to the continued health of Ozzie Albies, Dansby Swanson, and Austin Riley, but he's an intriguing sleeper candidate to make the active roster in Boston.
The main reason that he could be is in large part due to his strong defense. In his last full major league season, 2019, spent with the White Sox, Sanchez took home the AL Gold Glove at second base. He's played 389 major league games at second base, and is a strong defender, which the Red Sox can always benefit from.
In that 2019 season with the southsiders, Sanchez finished the season with a .252 batting average and .638 OPS, hitting two home runs and driving in 43 while playing in 149 games. In 2020, he only played 11 games, hitting .313 with one home run in that short span of time, in the short 60 game regular season that year.
Across parts of 7 seasons in the majors, all with the White Sox, Sanchez has a .245 batting average to go along with a .660 OPS, with 32 home runs and 215 RBI's to his name, stealing 30 bases in 657 regular season games. 2021 was the first year since 2013 that Sanchez didn't spend any time in the majors.
Sanchez enters Red Sox camp competing for a bench infield spot. Christian Arroyo looks entrenched as the likely starting second baseman, with Sanchez battling Jonathan Arauz and Rob Refsnyder for a bench spot, with center fielder Kike Hernandez also able to play second base when need be. That means Sanchez may also be competing with outfield prospect Jarren Duran.
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