An afterthought last May, Jackie Bradley Jr. emerges as top-flight center fielder

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BOSTON — Tuesday marks an anniversary of sorts for Jackie Bradley Jr., though it’s doubtful he will remember.

One year ago, the Boston Red Sox temporarily interrupted Bradley’s banishment to Triple-A, recalling him before a game in Toronto. But Bradley’s return to the big-league team lasted for only 12 days during which he got a total of 11 at-bats. On May 22, he was sent back to the minors, flip-flopped with fellow outfielder Rusney Castillo, who signed for $72.5 million late in the 2014 season in part because Bradley had failed as the everyday center fielder.

That all seems like such ancient history.

These days, Bradley is the hottest hitter on the American League’s highest-scoring team, a status he punctuated Monday night at Fenway Park with three more hits — including his first career grand slam — and six RBIs in a 14-7 pummeling of the Oakland Athletics.

Jackie Bradley Jr. celebrates four of his six RBIs on Monday night following his sixth-inning grand slam. AP Photo/Charles Krupa

A sizzling Italian sausage on Yawkey Way has nothing on Bradley right now. To wit:

Bradley has a 15-game hitting streak, the longest active surge in the majors. He’s 21-for-55 (.382) with four doubles, three triples, four home runs, 17 RBIs and a 1.215 OPS during that time.

At .903, Bradley has the 13th-best OPS in the American League, not terribly far from the likes of Mike Trout (.964), Eric Hosmer (.949) and reigning league MVP Josh Donaldson (.931).

Bradley has three homers in his past five games — or as many as slugging teammate Hanley Ramirez has hit in 119 at-bats.

In the series-opener against the A’s, Bradley put on a hitting clinic. In a …

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