Andrew Benintendi's Struggles Have Been a Thorn in Boston's Side All Season Long

The Boston Red Sox's pitching was an anticipated headache heading into the 2019 season. Chris Sale has done anything but live up to the price of his colossal offseason contract extension and practically all of Alex Cora's relievers have imploded upon stepping on the mound.

Where the club did not expect to experience countless complications, however, was with budding star Andrew Benintendi, fresh off a tremendous 2018 campaign. Cora even took it upon himself to permanently remove the 25-year-old from the leadoff spot amid his historic struggles.

His recent slump, though putrid as putrid can be, is only part of the problem. The Arkansas product's massive dip in production has been an issue all season long.

Let's just put it out there: Cora is a terrific manager. But why did it take him three and a half months into the season to remove Andrew from the leadoff spot? Not only is he batting just .268 on the season, but his OBP is a woeful .344, and his OPS sits at a meager .767.

How about the all-important WAR stat, which pundits and analytic fanatics are falling in love with nowadays? Benintendi's is a lowly 1.1. On top of it all, he's just 18 strikeouts away from matching his total for the ENTIRETY of last season.

Benintendi was expected to make big strides and possibly even punch a ticket to the All-Star game in 2019, instead, he's failed to make an impact offensively.

Don't let his latest recession fool you. Benintendi has been a thorn in Boston's side since the season's inception back in April.