The Red Sox shouldn’t bother with Troy Tulowitzki, and I doubt they will

Troy Tulowitzki, at one point in his career, was a very fine shortstop — one of the best you could find anywhere in baseball. Even at age 34, he could probably still be just that, if he could find a way to stay healthy.

But health has been his biggest Achilles’ heel ever since he left the Colorado Rockies in 2015. In three seasons with the Toronto Blue Jays, staying off the disabled list was darn near impossible for Tulo. It’s no secret the former star is nowhere near the player he once was, and the injuries are the biggest reason for that. After a dismal 2016 season, Tulowitzki missed large chunks of 2017, and then didn’t play at all in 2018.

But even given that, the Red Sox are still apparently interested in at least watching one of his workouts, which they did.

Hopefully, it doesn’t become any more than that. It would be great for Tulowitzski to salvage his career and get back on track. There’s just no way it’s going to happen in Boston.

First off, there’s no place for him in the starting lineup. The Red Sox aren’t going to trade Xander Bogaerts, even though the Boston Globe’s Pete Abraham threw it out as a possibility. If their general manager was Danny Ainge, then it wouldn’t come as a surprise. But in reality, Bogaerts is only 26 years old, he’s excellent with the bat and in the field, and the Sox should be thinking about how they are going to keep him around after his contract expires next year.

The only role Tulowitzki could possibly serve would be on the bench, and there is just no point in bringing him in just for that. He’s constantly an injury threat, and it isn’t worth the effort — especially when the Red Sox have Brock Holt to fill that role. I’m convinced Holt would perform the job of reserve infielder just as well, if not better, than Tulowitzki, and the Red Sox wouldn’t have to worry about him taking a trip to the DL every month.

If this discussion had taken place 10 years ago, the thought of Troy Tulowitzki playing shortstop at Fenway Park in a Red Sox uniform would’ve been thrilling. In 2019, even if it’s just off the bench, it’s pretty far from.

Watching Tulowitzki work out is one thing. But this shouldn’t evolve to anything more than that.