As the Red Sox look to increase the power of the right-handed hitter, they should consider Teoscar Hernández

But while manager Alex Cora praised his club for its strong skillset, he acknowledged what was missing – something the Yankees had plenty of.

Perfomance.

“You felt the game,” said Cora. “(Jose) Trevino goes deep. There’s nothing like a home run in this game, right? And immediately they were back in the game. We did all of that and it was a 4-2 game.”

The Yankees led the majors with 237 home runs this season. As in previous years, they relied on home runs. But they found their footing in the postseason, combining bat-to-ball skills, stolen bases and timely home runs to reach the World Series.

The Dodgers, the Yankees’ opponents, have a similar profile, led by Shohei Ohtani and Mookie Betts as one-two punchers at the top of the order. But further down their impressive roster is free agent Teoscar Hernández – a right-handed hitter who could be exactly what the Sox are missing.

Hernández is coming off one of the best seasons of his career, posting a .272/.339/.501 batting average, an .840 OPS and a career-high 33 home runs.

In 2019, JD Martinez hit 36 ​​home runs and Xander Bogaerts added 33 for the Red Sox. Since then, only Tyler O’Neill has surpassed the 30-homer mark from the right side for them, hitting 31 last season. O’Neill is now a free agent.

“We’ve seen the impact of a guy like Tyler and 30-plus home runs as a right-handed power hitter in the middle of the lineup,” Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow said. “He has earned the right to have free rein. But I think the right-handed power hitter who can score 30 points and change a game with one hit is definitely a pretty desirable asset.”

If the Sox find a way to re-sign O’Neill, that still wouldn’t be enough. And Hernández, who admitted before signing a one-year deal with the Dodgers last January that the Red Sox were his favorite team, would be a smart addition.

In his last six seasons, Hernández has hit at least 25 homers five times while hitting more than 30 times. The year he didn’t reach that mark was the COVID-shortened 2020 season, when he turned 16.

The Sox believe they have what it takes to compete in the American League East next season. As Cora has indicated numerous times, he believes this year will be the Sox’ “last stand.”

But for the club to survive the difficulties, it needs to assert itself, especially on the right side.

Hernández would be a smart choice.

“It’s good (stealing bases),” Cora said. “But at the same time, it’s much easier to go deeper.”

Julian McWilliams can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him @byJulianMack.