Tag: alex rodriguez

Red Sox sign Alex Rodriguez’s nephew to minor-league deal

The Red Sox have signed free agent infielder Joe Dunand to a minor-league contract, per the club’s MLB.com transactions log. It is unclear if the deal comes with an invite to major-league spring training, but Dunand has been assigned to Triple-A Worcester.

Dunand, 28, is the nephew of former Yankees star Alex Rodriguez. The Miami native was originally selected by the Marlins in the second round of the 2017 amateur draft out of North Carolina State and broke in at the major-league level in May 2022.

Appearing in just three games for the Fish, Dunand went 3-for-10 with one double, one home run, one RBI, two runs scored, and three strikeouts while seeing playing time at second and third base. The right-handed hitter was designated for assignment shorty after making his debut and was quickly claimed off waivers by the Braves, but he has not seen any big-league action since.

Instead, after subsequently being outrighted off the Braves’ 40-man roster, Dunand spent the entirety of the 2023 campaign with Atlanta’s Triple-A affiliate in Gwinnett. He batted .268/.362/.481 with 19 doubles, two triples, 17 home runs, 52 RBIs, 49 runs scored, three stolen bases, 45 walks, and 107 strikeouts in 95 games (403 plate appearances) for the Stripers before being granted free agency this past November.

Altogether, Dunand is a lifetime .238/.318/.383 hitter with 97 doubles, 51 homers, 224 runs driven in, 225 runs scored, 13 stolen bases, 178 walks, and 541 strikeouts in 519 career minor-league games (2,057 plate appearances). That includes a .233/.325/.407 slash line in 249 games at the Triple-A level.

Defensively, Dunand has started games at first base, second base, third base, shortstop, and left field over the course of his professional career. With Gwinnett last year, the 6-foot-1, 205-pounder logged 299 1/3 innings at first base, 263 2/3 innings at third base, and 47 1/3 innings in left field. He also made 23 starts at DH.

Dunand, who does not turn 29 until September, figures to provide the Red Sox with experienced infield/outfield depth at Worcester this coming season. He has two minor-league options remaining, so that could help his case if he is needed in Boston at any point in 2024.

(Picture of Joe Dunand: Denis Poroy/Getty Images)

Red Sox’ Xander Bogaerts Becomes Second Shortstop Ever to Hit 30 Home Runs and 50 Doubles in Same Season

With his two-out double in the third inning of the Red Sox’ 7-4 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays on Thursday night, Xander Bogaerts made some history,  as he became just the second shortstop ever to mash 30 home runs and collect 50 two-baggers in the same season.

He also joined Sox legend David Ortiz as the only other player in franchise history to hit 30 homers and 50 doubles in the same season, 12 years after Ortiz became the first, per Red Sox Notes.

Alex Rodriguez first accomplished the feat in his age-20 season with the Seattle Mariners way back in 1996 and went on to finish second in American League Most Valuable Player voting that year.

Following Thursday’s win, Bogaerts is now slashing .304/.380/.560 to go along with those 31 long balls, 50 doubles, and 106 RBI, all of which are career-highs for the 26-year-old, through 141 games in 2019.

Bogaerts’ teammate and partner on the left side of the infield, Rafael Devers, notched his 50th two-bagger of the campaign this past Tuesday, meaning the two are the first pair of Red Sox players to hit 50 doubles in the same season. Pretty remarkable.

As things stand at the moment, it appears as though Boston will have four players finish in the top-10 in AL MVP voting, presumably in the order of Bogaerts, Devers, Mookie Betts, and J.D. Martinez.