Grady Sizemore (Photo by Kelly O’Connor via SittingStill.smugmug.com)
It took a strong spring from Grady Sizemore and a week spring from Jackie Bradley Jr. to decide who would roam center field on Opening Day, but it will be the veteran who will get the nod on Monday.
The 31-year-old has not played in two years, but he found a groove this spring training. In 12 Grapefruit League contests, the three-time All-Star hit .333 (13-for-39) and had an eye-popping .842 OPS. He connected on some extra-base hits towards the end and that is a promising sign going forward.
Sizemore’s final test was to play for a long stretch of games and he played Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday without needing any time off. He played five of six contests before taking Friday off.
Bradley Jr. was demoted to Triple-A Pawtucket before Friday’s afternoon contest against the Minnesota Twins. The speedy outfielder only hit .158 in 57 at-bats. In 19 games, he struck out 17 times and had only a .497 OPS. The 23-year-old needs to approve his approach at the plate with everyday at-bats in the minors before John Farrell will trust him in the majors.
As long as Sizemore stays healthy, then the center field situation is set for the time being.
More roster cuts are expected following Friday’s game.