Jahmai Jones needed two trips to the plate to give Fenway something to remember. In his second time up as a member of the Red Sox on Saturday, he put a two-run homer over the Green Monster and tied the game at 2-2 against Tampa Bay.
The circumstances made it more unlikely. Jones arrived by trade from Detroit and profiles as a depth and utility piece rather than an everyday starter. He was in the lineup partly because the calendar demanded it, with Boston playing three games in a little more than 24 hours across the weekend series.
Afterward he talked about walking into a team playing this well and trying to keep it moving, describing it as passing the baton along. “It’s a great feeling to have that crowd behind you,” he said.
The season to that point had given him almost nothing. Jones hit .135 with seven RBIs for the Tigers before the trade, a stretch bad enough that the move surprised no one. He has been in the majors since 2020 without ever locking down a steady role.
Last season looked different. He batted .287 with 23 RBIs and seven home runs in Detroit, which is presumably the version Boston had in mind.
There is a specific use for him here too. All 11 of Jones’ career home runs have come against left-handed pitching, which gives the Red Sox a defined job to hand him rather than a vague one.
