DENVER -- At this point, it’s a question that needs to be asked.

Has Brock Holt priced himself out of a potential return to the Red Sox?

Holt, who missed almost the entirety of April and May, has been one of the best hitters in baseball since returning, hitting .329/.403/.468 with an .871 OPS in 63 games. He has taken a leap forward offensively to post his best all-around season at the plate while playing six different positions for the Sox.

Holt’s return in free agency once seemed like a foregone conclusion considering his value to the club and community and his desire to re-sign, potentially on a team-friendly deal. But the season he’s having might have increased his price tag to a level the Sox aren’t comfortable with.

Holt, a 31-year-old utilityman with offensive prowess, will appeal to pretty much every club as a free agent. Contenders will look at him as a final complementary piece and rebuilding teams will view him as a mentor who can split time with young players. It’s undeniable that he’d have a strong impact on any clubhouse as a well-respected veteran with championship experience.

And at 31, it’s not out of the question he lands a three-year deal. The market hasn’t been friendly to free agents in recent years, but there’s no question the demand will be high for Holt.

The two best comps for him are Ben Zobrist, who landed a four-year, $56 million deal from the Cubs in 2015, and Marwin Gonzalez, who got two years and $21 million from the Twins a year ago. While Zobrist was much older (35), he had a stronger track record of success and power potential. Gonzalez was coming off a down year offensively in Houston and ran into a slow market, causing him to wait until late February to sign.

It’s unlikely Holt will land a deal in the Zobrist range, because as of when Zobrist hit free agency in 2014, he had shown a lot more power, been better defensively and been on the field much more than Holt, presently. Holt does have age and a better walk-year OPS (.871 to .809) than Zobrist working in his favor.

Asked where Holt compares to Zobrist in his prime, Red Sox manager Alex Cora wouldn’t bite.

“You’re going into a topic where there’s a lot of money there. I don’t know,” Cora said. “That’s for the agent and the front office to judge. Marwin Gonzalez is a good utility guy. There’s a lot of them. Where the game is going, obviously players like him are very important. I hate to talk about next year, because that’s next year and the offseason. Right now, I’ll talk about him playing well for us, being a difference-maker at the plate and at second base.”

After posting a .733 OPS in his walk year as a 29-year-old, Gonzalez was the victim of a team-friendly free-agency period last winter. He has posted a similar year to 2018 so far, hitting .263 with 15 homers and a .743 OPS in 108 games.

The guess here is that Holt could command a three-year deal in the $9-10 million range, ultimately earning an average annual value in the Gonzalez range with an extra year of control. That might take a market rebound and some teams rewarding Holt for trending upward this season.

If Holt does get too expensive, the Sox have a built-in option in Marco Hernandez. Though Hernandez doesn’t come with as much versatility as Holt, he has the ability to play shortstop and third base in addition to second and has proven himself to be offensively capable this year after rehabbing from three shoulder surgeries.

The biggest thing working in Hernandez’s favor is cost, as he’ll be arbitration-eligible 2020. Is Holt really worth something like $7-8 million more per year than Hernandez? It’s a question the Sox have to answer with money needed for extensions and free-agent additions in other areas of the roster.

Holt has meant much more than anyone could have imagined when he was acquired as a complementary piece in the Mark Melancon/Joel Hanrahan trade in 2012. And he’s a wonderful fit at under $3.6 million. But with a major raise coming, it’s not certain that he’ll return.

10 observations from the last week in baseball

1. Officially petitioning for the Red Sox to be in the N.L. West. This trip to Petco Park and Coors Field has been amazing.

2. Coors is very underrated. Granted, I haven’t been to San Francisco or Pittsburgh, but this place is No. 1 for me in the non-Fenway category.

3. If there’s a window for the Red Sox to make a move in the wild-card race, it’s now. While Boston plays the Angels, the Rays have the Astros and Indians and the Athletics are in the Bronx.

4. Another fight in the Orioles dugout? Usually when teams are that bad, they at least like each other. At least the O’s beat has something to write about.

5. Everybody will be rooting for Carlos Carrasco when he returns to the mound this weekend. One of the best moments of the All-Star Game, and could be one of the best storylines to follow down the stretch.

6. Shelby Miller is now looking for his third team this year after opting out of a minor-league deal with the Brewers. Hey, remember that time the Diamondbacks gave up Dansby Swanson and Ender Inciarte for him?

7. Wouldn’t be surprised to see some veterans get looks from contenders on minor-league deals before the end of the month (and the deadline for players to be playoff-eligible). Matt Harvey, Brad Boxberger, Jhoulys Chacin, Chris Iannetta and Tony Sipp are some available names.

8. How far the Yankees go in October might depend on how good Luis Severino looks when he returns. Their rotation still looks light from here.

9. Still crazy that the Diamondbacks, who tanked in the winter and then traded their best pitcher at the deadline, are 4 1/2 games out of a wild-card spot with a month to go.

10. Been asked a bunch about J.D. Martinez’s opt-out in recent weeks. I’d say it’s straight-up 50/50 right now.