Red Sox Free Agent Hints at Retirement Plans
Rob Refsnyder debuted with the New York Yankees in 2015 at age 24. More than a decade later, he’s playing some of his best baseball for the Boston Red Sox.
In 2024, Refsnyder played 93 games, backed up at the corner outfield positions, and hit a career-high 11 home runs to go with a .283 batting average.
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In 2025, Refsnyder returned to Boston when the club exercised his contract option. He played 70 games in a reserve role, and compiled a .269 batting average, .354 on-base percentage and .484 slugging percentage. Refsnyder’s 1.2 WAR (according to Baseball Reference) and .838 OPS were both improvements compared to 2024.
Now, entering his age-35 season, the veteran utility player reportedly has an idea of what he wants to do with his baseball career.
Alex Speier of the Boston Globe reported that Refsnyder “plans to play in 2026 and has had informal talks with the Sox about a possible return, though he should have a healthy market given his productive against lefties and strong clubhouse reputation.”
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Speier notes that Refsnyder mused about retirement in 2024. But opening talks with the Red Sox about a new contract suggests he’s serious about playing one more year — at least.
In 10 seasons at the MLB level, Refsnyder has a .255/.343/.387 slash line. What he lacks in power, he makes up for with positional versatility, patience, and the ability to make contact.
Refsnyder posted the lowest chase rate (22.6 percent) on the Red Sox in 2025. That proved to be a valuable asset on a team that finished fifth in the American League in strikeouts.
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Whether the Red Sox value that attribute of Refsnyder’s game as much as he does remains to be seen. But he’s not unwise to gauge his value on the free agent market — or prefer a return to Boston.
From 2015-21, Refsnyder played 232 games for the Yankees (2015-17), Toronto Blue Jays (2017), Tampa Bay Rays (2018), Cincinnati Reds (2019), Texas Rangers (2020), and Minnesota Twins (2021). He slashed .224/.310/.308 with six home runs in six seasons.
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Since signing with Boston in December 2021, Refsnyder has found his stride as a hitter. He’s slashed .276/.364/.440 with 3.6 bWAR in 309 games.
That’s enough to make him a valuable player to any club, though perhaps especially so in Boston. His swing might simply be best suited for Fenway Park. Refsnyder seems willing to test the theory again in 2026.
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