It was an experiment that paid off. The 22-year-old Benintendi was called up in early August to fill the role that so many players before him couldn’t, either because of injury or poor play. Left field is a beast of a position, especially with the Green Monster in Fenway Park looming large over a player, let alone for a youngster who just was drafted in the first round in 2015.
A move like that from Double-A Portland may have been too much for another man, but Benintendi’s lefty bat has swung with the best that Major League Baseball has to offer this month.