Watch: Eric Hosmer comes up clutch for Red Sox with first hit

Eric Hosmer’s first Red Sox hit is a clutch RBI vs former team

Eric Hosmer went 0-for-3 with a walk in his Boston Red Sox debut on Thursday night against the Kansas City Royals, but his at-bats indicated that good things were coming.

In each of his first three at-bats since getting traded to the Sox, he was patient at the plate, and though the balls didn’t land, he made good contact, never striking out. And when he stepped up to bat in his old home ballpark on Friday night, he ripped a double to right, driving in Alex Verdugo to get his new team on the board first in the top of the second.

In the top of the sixth, he scored a run on a clutch hit by another new guy; Reese McGuire’s single to center brought him home. Through six innings on Friday night, he was 1-for-3 with the RBI and a run scored.

Hosmer, of course, has a lot of experience at Kauffman Stadium, which he called home for the first seven seasons of his big-league career. He had four Gold Glove seasons and a career-high 25 home runs in back-to-back years as a Royal. In 521 games as a Royal at Kauffman, he hit .282/.344/.440 with a .784 OPS, 103 doubles, and 60 home runs.

Sox fans should also be excited to see Hosmer when the Sox return home on Tuesday. The veteran first baseman has hit .354/.404/.485 with a .889 OPS and 35 hits, including four doubles, and three home runs, in 24 career games at Fenway Park. More of that, please.

How high is Eric Hosmer’s ceiling with the Red Sox?

The Boston Red Sox acquired veteran first baseman Eric Hosmer at the trade deadline. How high is his ceiling here? Here's why this trade has potential.