After quick start, Sizemore sputtering at plate

BOSTON -- The Red Sox came into the season well aware that it would be a year of ups and downs for Grady Sizemore.

Before signing with the Red Sox in the offseason, he'd been out of baseball for two years after recovering from microfracture surgery on his right knee.

Back on April 15, Sizemore was hitting .308 with two home runs and four RBIs. Coming into Wednesday's game against the Yankees, had just one hit since then, a span of seven games.

It's easy to assume that Sizemore has hit a wall, but manager John Farrell believes there's more to it.

"When he's squared up some balls, it hasn't quite traveled to what we might expect," Farrell said. "We aren't seeing an abnormal amount of swing and miss. The bat speed is there. I don't see him coming out of an approach or doing more than he is capable of.

"We have to keep in mind that he's compiling a decent amount of at-bats and with a large gap of playing time. I don't see anything from a mechanics standpoint."

Over the past 11 games, the Red Sox have also decided to mix up the alignment in the outfield, putting Jackie Bradley Jr. in center field and Sizemore in the corner outfield spots. Sizemore was in right field for Wednesday's game.

"We recognize that he's not as comfortable in the corner outfield spots as he would be in center," said Farrell. "Through the repetition, we see him more in the corner spots than in center at this point. We are doing what we can to shorten down that curve so he is more efficient."