The Boston Red Sox made a trade on All-Star night, dealing with the Detroit Tigers in acquiring outfielder Jahmai Jones in exchange for a player to be named later. With the Red Sox seeming to turn it around and leaning toward being more of a buyer than a seller at the deadline, and with injured star Roman Anthony’s ETA unknown, some outfield depth could be helpful. As a result of this move, utility player Nate Eaton has been sent down to Triple-A Worcester.
Red Sox Acquire Jahmai Jones in Trade with Tigers
Jones has been in the major league for six years now, bouncing around from organization to organization. He’s made major league appearances with the Los Angeles Angels, Baltimore Orioles, Milwaukee Brewers, New York Yankees, and Detroit Tigers. He hasn’t been up long in general, only playing in 198 games in his career. His best year came in 2025, when he played in a career-high 72 games. That season, he hit .287 with seven homers and 23 RBI. But he was also getting on base, with 18 walks compared to 32 strikeouts.
The #RedSox today acquired OF/DH Jahmai Jones from the Detroit Tigers, in exchange for a player to be named later.
To make room on the active roster, Boston optioned INF/OF Nate Eaton to Triple-A Worcester.
— Red Sox (@RedSox) July 14, 2026
This season, however, he’s seen a decrease in playing time, and as a result, his stats have started to slip. The outfielder is currently hitting .137 with two homers and seven RBI, along with a career-worst -1.2 WAR. On the plus side, however, he has done well with left-handers in the past, hitting .291 with a .963 OPS against lefties in two years from 2024 to 2025. He’s also hit .500 at Fenway Park in his eight at-bats there this season, including a double and a home run. So there could be some thought process on the run front at home. The Red Sox have scored significantly fewer runs at home than on the road (156 runs vs. 229 runs, respectively).
Nate Eaton Demoted
There may not have been a player traded from the Red Sox (yet), but there still was movement in the organization as Eaton was sent to Worcester. Originally, Eaton was seen as a good bat off the bench, as well as a great pinch runner. And that was true at first. In 2025, he hit .296 and had an OBP of .348. He didn’t steal many bases (nine), but he was able to move around the bases effortlessly.
Nate Eaton was optioned to create roster space for Jones, the Red Sox announce. https://t.co/trwqMFtzTZ pic.twitter.com/15OOFtQVMv
— Gordo (@BOSSportsGordo) July 14, 2026
Fast-forward to 2026, and he can’t seem to get on base at all. In 32 at-bats, he’s hitting .125. While his .282 OBP is surprisingly higher than one would think given his batting average, he’s far from the solid bench piece that he was last year. The confusing part about demoting him with Jones, however, is that they have (roughly) the same batting average range, but Eaton is faster than Jones. The sprint speed is marginally better, but if it’s a replacement, it’s not really a big difference.
What Does This Mean for the Red Sox?
Yes, Anthony is still injured with no return date in sight. But the move doesn’t change the fact that the Red Sox still have a (very) crowded outfield room, even if guys at Triple-A with major league experience such as Eaton and Kristian Campbell (who has been playing outfield in Worcester) aren’t included.
Of course, they probably aren’t looking to trade someone like Ceddanne Rafaela or Wilyer Abreu. So that leaves Jarren Duran and Masataka Yoshida. And here’s where the interesting part lies. Obviously, if the team is getting along as they’re riding a hot streak, the immediate reaction is don’t trade anyone major. And despite struggling, Duran and Yoshida could be considered major pieces.
But with Yoshida barely playing even without Duran at DH, this could lean towards him being movable. The issue has always been the size of his contract, but that’s growing to be a tiresome excuse. He’s not a big power guy, so there’s something not to expect. But he’s a decent depth piece who consistently bats between .260 and .280 and has two more years of control. That’s a good depth bat for any team looking to upgrade their lineup/bench.
Then there’s Duran, a former MVP candidate just trying to bounce back. But he has more value than his hitting. He’s one of the fastest players in the league, and he also has two years of control. He’s also a decent defender. Of course, in an outfield with two Gold Glovers, someone has to be the odd guy out. But as an outfielder this year, he has six DRS. Last year in left field, he had 11.
Now, this is in no way saying that they need to trade anyone. If they get back from the break still as hot as they were before, there’s no immediate reason to think they should, especially on Duran’s part, since left field would be up in the air. But something has to be done with the outfield at some point.
The Last Word: Good Trade or Bad Trade?
Overall, at this moment, it’s not really a trade that affects the Red Sox directly. If Eaton was the main problem, replacing him with a guy like Jones, who had a good series at Fenway but is almost identical, is a choice. It’s a choice that should be interesting to see if it works.
Main Photo Credit: © Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
