Red Sox reaping rewards for showing confidence in Jackie Bradley Jr.

12:56 AM ET

ATLANTA — When Jackie Bradley Jr. came to the plate with the bases loaded in the 12th inning late Sunday night in Houston, he was stuck in the kind of slump (4-for-28, nine strikeouts) that was so common through his first three seasons with the Boston Red Sox that it practically became the norm.

But at least he wasn’t worried about his job.

The Red Sox have made a commitment to Bradley as their center fielder this season. Sure, he earned the job in spring training, but he also was never seriously challenged in the way that left fielder Rusney Castillo lost his job to utilityman Brock Holt. And as long as Bradley plays his Gold Glove-caliber defense, the Sox are willing to live with his often meager offense at the bottom of the order.

Jackie Bradley Jr.’s solo homer in the seventh sent the Red Sox to a 1-0 win over the Braves on Monday night. AP Photo/John Bazemore

But manager John Farrell also believes there’s untapped potential in Bradley’s bat. Bradley has shown it in spurts, especially the 83-at-bat stretch late last season when he resembled Willie Mays, and the Red Sox are willing to bet he can shorten the cold spells, maximize the hot ones and be a consistent hitter.

Finally, perhaps, Bradley is getting there. He singled home the go-ahead run Sunday night against hard-throwing Houston Astros reliever Ken Giles, and with sluggers David Ortiz and Hanley Ramirez getting a breather Monday night, he homered in the seventh inning against Atlanta Braves starter Julio Teheran to lead the sleep-deprived …

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