Brock Holt returns to Fenway Park as a visitor

BOSTON --- As he’s done so many times before, Brock Holt drove to Fenway Park on Sunday morning.

The 20-minute trip from a suburb west of the city was a familiar one. Everything changed the moment Holt arrived near the famous corner of Jersey Street and Brookline Avenue.

"It’s weird," Holt said. "I’ve never seen this side of Fenway Park – the visiting side."

The former Red Sox utility man signed with the Nationals on Saturday and was [...]

BOSTON --- As he’s done so many times before, Brock Holt drove to Fenway Park on Sunday morning.

The 20-minute trip from a suburb west of the city was a familiar one. Everything changed the moment Holt arrived near the famous corner of Jersey Street and Brookline Avenue.

"It’s weird," Holt said. "I’ve never seen this side of Fenway Park – the visiting side."

The former Red Sox utility man signed with the Nationals on Saturday and was available for the final two games of this series against his old club. Holt struck out as a pinch hitter in the ninth inning of Saturday’s 5-3 loss and was available off the bench again on Sunday.

"Everyone is like, ‘Hey, you know where the cage is?’" Holt said. "And I’m like, ‘No, I don’t know where anything is over here.’

"It’s cool to be back. I drove over yesterday or two days ago to get my COVID test and went back home. I was waiting for the results. It just happened to work out.

"This is a special place for me. To kind of be here right now is pretty cool."

Boston honored Holt with a video tribute prior to the top of the third inning. He came to the front of the Washington dugout, tipped his cap and bowed to imaginary fans in empty seats. It was the kind of good-natured moment generally associated with Holt’s tenure with the Red Sox.

Holt came to Boston along with pitcher Joel Hanrahan in a 2012 trade that sent Ivan De Jesus, Mark Melancon, Stolmy Pimental and Jerry Sands to the Pirates. Hanrahan was the primary piece sought by the Red Sox and eventually lost his closer’s job to Koji Uehara. Holt played 615 games with Boston, made the American League All-Star team in 2015 and captured a pair of World Series rings.

"I was here for so long," Holt said. "Me and my wife (Lakyn) fell in love with the city and got involved in some organizations that meant a lot to us. Just being here year-round was something that made sense."

Holt was a key piece on the 2018 title winners, becoming the first player to hit for the cycle in Game 3 of the A.L. Division Series against the Yankees. He entered free agency for the first time last offseason and found the market far slower than he expected. Holt ultimately signed a one-year deal with the Brewers that included a club option for 2021.

"I didn’t really hear from the Red Sox at all, which was a little strange to me," Holt said. "It’s one of those things – first time through free agency. Didn’t know what to expect. Figured I would get a phone call or something.

"They called a couple times just checking in, but they were never really even close to offering. I think early on in the process I knew it was probably the end."

Holt attempted to play through an ankle injury at Summer Camp with Milwaukee and stumbled at the outset, going 3-for-30 at the plate. The Brewers designated him for assignment and released him last week, sparking hope of a reunion among Red Sox fans. Boston seemingly made its choice long ago, turning its second base and utility roles over to Jose Peraza, Michael Chavis, Tzu-Wei Lin and Jonathan Arauz.

"We obviously do everything we can to monitor every player who comes across the DFA or waiver wire," Boston chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom said during a mid-week interview with NESN. "We also need to make sure we’re not cutting off opportunity from some of the guys here who we want to get a look at and have a lot of runway ahead of them. We’ve got to factor all those things in as we look at Brock.

"This is the time of year – we’ve seen it over the last few weeks, and I think we’re going to see more of it as we get between here and the deadline – where there may be players who come available through various means."

"That’s part of the business of baseball," Holt said. "It’s the sucky part of it, but that happens. Sometimes it’s time to move on."

bkoch@providencejournal.com

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On Twitter: @BillKoch25