January 8, 2014 at 4:19 PM
Red Sox re-sign Justin Henry
According to Matt Eddy of Baseball America, the Red Sox have re-signed minor league free agent Justin Henry (pictured) to a minor league deal. Henry, 28, was acquired from the Detroit Tigers in December of 2012 in exchange for Jeff Kobernus.
In 2013, Henry spent the entire season with the Pawtucket Red Sox, hitting .210/.294/.286 over 409 plate appearances. His 2013 stats do not show it, but Henry's strong points are his speed and on-base ability, posting a career .362 OBP over seven seasons, though he has well below-average power managing only six career home runs.
The Red Sox did not have a lot of depth in center field at the upper levels of their system, and that is the position Henry is most familiar, with 422 of his 767 career games spent there. In addition to center field, Henry saw time at first base, second base, third base, and left field in 2013.
Henry may not have a ton of upside, but a player with his positional versatility and a good understanding of the strikezone is a good complimentary player to add depth to a very strong minor league system. He is expected to be assigned to Pawtucket again in 2014.
Photo Credit: Justin Henry by Kelly O'Connor