Theo Epstein is in need of some good home cooking, and fast.
With a virtual lack of production from right fielders J.D. Drew, Mike Cameron and Darnell McDonald, the Red Sox in all likelihood will be forced to seek outside help to solve their production woes.
The problem is, the Red Sox don't have any money to do so.
According to Peter Gammons, the Red Sox can't add any more payroll this season, and thus will not be able to acquire a big name outfielder prior to the July 31 trade deadline.
Now, Epstein and company may be forced to do something they've done with great success over the years - turn to the farm. But who are some potential candidates who could help the Red Sox in the outfield?
Josh Reddick is at the top of the list, and for good reason. Reddick has proven that he can play ball in the majors, and is not just filling space like Drew, Cameron or McDonald.
Reddick is batting .414 with one home run and nine RBI in 12 games in Boston this season, and is a proven fielder. Nevertheless, fielding is the least of their worries (if it were, you probably wouldn't see Adrian Gonzalez plugged in the outfield).
However, Reddick's numbers this season in Triple-A Pawtucket are suspect, as the Savannah, Georgia native is hitting only .230 with 14 home runs and 36 RBI in 52 games with the PawSox. The power numbers are certainly there, but Boston doesn't necessarily need another big bat, just one that can get on base and drive in runs.
Next in line for consideration is Ryan Kalish, who is the only other Triple-A outfielder who is on the 40-man roster. Unfortunately, Kalish is also struggling at the disk, batting .236 with zero home runs and seven RBI in 14 games. To make matters worse, he is also currently on the 7-day disabled list.
After Kalish, the Sox could consider Daniel Nava, who made a splash by hitting a grand slam in his very first major league at-bat last season, as well as Matt Sheely, Ronald Bermudez, Zach Daeges, Che-Hsuan Lin and Juan Carlos Linares.
In reality, none of those are attractive options, but when your big league right fielders are all in a slump, there just aren't that many other options. The top two options are clearly Reddick and Kalish, both of whom have spent time with the Red Sox.
Who knows, maybe Theo can strike gold again and pull a rabbit out of his hat. It's happened plenty of times before.