Tag: christian arroyo

Leadoff man Christian Arroyo lifts Red Sox to 5-3 win over Marlins

Given the circumstances — a grinding weekend in the Bronx, a light flight home after playing Sunday night, etc. — the Red Sox very well could have thrown in the towel on Monday (a day they originally had off) and looked ahead to this week’s series against the Houston Astros.

Instead, the Sox made up the finale of their series against the Marlins that got rained out on May 30 and came away with a 5-3 win over Miami to finish off the three-game sweep at Fenway Park.

It certainly was no easy task, but Boston improved to 37-23 on the season in the process of extending their winning streak to five consecutive games. They also moved to within a half game of the Rays, who were idle on Monday, for first place in the American League East.

Bogaerts’ early hustle pays off

Matched up against rookie right-hander Zach Thompson for the Marlins on Monday, Xander Bogaerts got the scoring started for the Sox by lacing a two-out single to left field in the bottom half of the first.

After advancing all the way to third on a Rafael Devers double, Bogaerts again put his speed on full display when he scored from third on a wild pitch that gave the Red Sox an immediate 1-0 lead.

Arroyo provides spark out of leadoff spot

Fast forward to the third inning, and Christian Arroyo got a productive day at the plate started while batting out of the leadoff spot by ripping a leadoff ground-rule double off Thompson and was driven in on an RBI double off the bat of Alex Verdugo moments later. 2-0 Boston.

In the fourth, the Sox took full advantage of Marlins reliever Zach Pop, with Kevin Plawecki and Enrique Hernandez collecting back-to-back one-out singles off the right-hander before Arroyo drove both runners in on a two-run base hit to the opposite field.

Verdugo followed by pulling yet another single to right field, which subsequently allowed Arroyo to score from second on account of a throwing error committed by Marlins outfielder Adam Duvall. That sequence put the Red Sox up by four runs at 5-1.

On the day, Arroyo went 2-for-3 with a double, two runs scored, two RBI, and a walk. He is now batting .301 this season.

Pivetta can’t get through five full innings

Nick Pivetta made his 12th start of the season for the Red Sox on Monday, and this outing was perhaps more of a grind than any other thus far.

That being the case because the right-hander was unable to make it until the end of the fifth inning, and instead saw his day come to an end when Alex Cora came to get him with one out still to get in the top of the fifth.

Over those 4 2/3 frames of work, Pivetta yielded two earned runs on seven hits and three walks to go along with six strikeouts on the evening.

The first of those two Miami runs came in the fourth, when Pivetta allowed a one-out RBI single to Jorge Alfaro, but escaped any further damage by inducing an inning-ending 6-4-3 double play.

The second of those Miami runs came an inning later, when Pivetta served up a towering, 427 foot solo shot to Starling Marte to cut the Sox’ lead down to three runs.

A two-out walk issued to Garrett Cooper in the fifth would be how Pivetta’s outing came to a close, one out short of being in line for the winning decision.

Finishing with a final pitch count of 92 (54 strikes), the 28-year-old hurler turned to his four-seam fastball 59% of the time he was on the mound Monday, inducing four swings-and-misses and topping out at 97.4 mph with the pitch.

Later hit with the no-decision while slightly elevating his ERA to 3.78 on the season, Pivetta’s next start should come against the Blue Jays on Saturday.

A busy day for the Red Sox bullpen

In relief of Pivetta, Garrett Whitlock got the first call out of a shorthanded Red Sox bullpen due to what transpired against the Yankees over the weekend.

Whitlock, in the shortest outing of his career to date, was summoned to retire Adam Duvall, which he did on two pitches to get out of the jam in the fifth.

From there, left-hander Darwinzon Hernandez punched out the first two hitters he faced in the sixth, but was unable to finish the inning and instead had to be lifted for Hirokazu Sawamura.

Sawamura loaded the bases on a four-pitch walk of Starling Marte and followed with an emphatic five-pitch strikeout of the dangerous Jesus Aguilar on a nasty 94 mph splitter to keep the Marlins at bay. The Japanese right-hander also worked a scoreless top half of the seventh.

Josh Taylor took over in the eighth, but he too made way for another reliever — Adam Ottavino — after getting the first two outs of the inning.

With Matt Barnes unavailable after being used in all three games in New York, Ottavino was tasked with closing this out.

The veteran righty obliged, but not before the Marlins made things interesting by plating a run and bringing the potential go-ahead run to the plate with two outs in the ninth.

Matched up against Jorge Alfaro, Ottavino got the Marlins backstop to ground out to third and notched his third save of the season as a result of preserving the 5-3 victory for his side.

Some notes from this win:

Christian Arroyo in five games this month:

.438 (7-for-16)/.471/.750 with one home run, two doubles, five RBI, four runs scored, one walk, and four strikeouts.

From Red Sox Notes:

Next up: First of three against Astros

The Red Sox will welcome the Marlins into town for the first of a three-game series that begins at Fenway Park on Tuesday night.

Left-hander Martin Perez will get the ball for Boston, while fellow southpaw Framber Valdez will do the same for Houston.

First pitch Tuesday is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. eastern time on NESN.

(Picture of Christian Arroyo: Omar Rawlings/Getty Images)

Xander Bogaerts leads Red Sox to comeback 6-5 victory over Yankees in extra innings; Boston sweeps New York at Yankee Stadium for first time since 2011

It took 10 innings to complete, but the Red Sox finished off their first sweep of the Yankees at Yankee Stadium in nearly 10 years with a drama-filled 6-5 comeback victory over New York on Sunday.

With the win, their fourth straight and their 21st of the come-from-behind variety this year, Boston improves to 36-23 (20-10 on the road) this season. They remain one game behind the Rays for first place in the American League East.

Verdugo gets the Red Sox on the board first

Matched up against Yankees right-hander Domingo German to start things on Sunday, Alex Verdugo got the scoring started for the Sox by crushing a first-inning solo homer to deep right-center field to give his side the early lead.

Verdugo’s eighth home run of the season, which came on a 91.3 mph fastball down the heart of the plate from German, had an exit velocity of 108.8 mph off the bat and traveled 446 feet into the bleachers.

Richards struggles out of the gate, but eventually settles in and goes five innings

Despite going up right away on the Yankees in this one, the Red Sox found themselves down a run going into the second inning on account of Garrett Richards’ early struggles.

Making his 12th start of the season for Boston, the right-hander yielded three consecutive one-out singles in the first inning to load the bases for Gary Sanchez, who drove in two runs on a hard-hit double to left field.

At that moment, it did not look like things were going to go well for Richards in his first outing at Yankee Stadium since 2018, but he was able to settle in fairly nicely.

The only other run the veteran righty gave up came on an RBI groundout from Aaron Judge in the bottom of the fourth. From there, he was able to escape the jam by getting Gleyber Torres to ground into another forceout before retiring the side in order in the fifth to end his night on a more positive note.

Finishing with a final pitch count of 95 (66 strikes), Richards ended his day having allowed three earned runs on eight hits and two walks to go along with six strikeouts over five innings of work to raise his ERA on the year to 3.88.

The 33-year-old’s next start should come against the Blue Jays back at Fenway Park on Friday.

Gonzalez comes through in the seventh

With Richards holding the Yankees to three runs, the Sox lineup bounced back in their half of the seventh after German held them in check in his 5 2/3 innings pitched.

Hunter Renfroe led things off by drawing a four-pitch walk off left-handed reliever Lucas Luetge, which set the stage for Marwin Gonzalez, who was already having himself a memorable weekend in the Bronx.

Batting from his preferred right side of the plate, the switch-hitting Gonzalez cranked a game-tying, two-run home run down the left field line on a hanging slider from Luetge that knotting things up at 3-3.

Bogaerts delivers first of two clutch moments in the eighth

Red Sox manager Alex Cora was presumably very pleased with what he saw out of his lineup in the top half of the eighth.

The pinch-hitting Christian Arroyo led off with a pop-up double that very well should have been caught, advanced to third base on a Verdugo groundout, and then came in to score on a sacrifice fly from Bogaerts that put Boston ahead 4-3 late.

Get ’em on, get ’em over, get ’em in. That’s what happened there.

Barnes blows second save of season in the ninth

While the likes of Darwinzon Hernandez, Adam Ottavino, and Josh Taylor each tossed a scoreless inning in relief of Garrett Richards, Red Sox closer Matt Barnes ran into some trouble in the bottom half of the ninth.

Working in his third straight game, the right-hander issued a one-out walk to Aaron Judge and proceeded to serve up a game-tying, RBI double to Gleyber Torres.

With this contest now in a 4-4 deadlock, Barnes was able to get out of the inning while stranding the potential winning run at third base, though he was charged with his second blown save of the season.

Bogaerts does it again, this time to seal it

Heading into the top of the 10th, Christian Vazquez — who recorded the final out of the ninth — was placed at second base. Bobby Dalbec followed by drawing a six-pitch walk off Luis Cessa, and both runners advanced into scoring position on a sacrifice bunt from Christian Arroyo.

Alex Verdugo was unable to do anything in the clutch, as he grounded out to second, but Xander Bogaerts certainly did — again.

On a 2-1, 83 mph slider from Cessa, Bogaerts cleared the bases by drilling a two-run single to center field, scoring both Vazquez and Dalbec in the process of picking up his second and third RBI of the night to make it a 6-4 game in favor of Boston.

Valdez notches first career save to close it out

Having already exhausted the vast majority of his available bullpen options, Alex Cora turned to right-hander Phillips Valdez to close this one out in the bottom of the 10th.

With a two-run lead to protect, Valdez plunked the first hitter he faced, but induced a potentially pivotal double play — the third the Yankees hit into Sunday — before allowing one unearned run to score on a Marwin Gonzalez throwing error.

Valdez was able to rebound though, as he got D.J. LeMahieu to ground out to secure the 6-5 win for the Red Sox and pick up his first career save while doing so.

Some notes from this victory:

From MLB’s Sarah Langs:

From Red Sox Notes:

Next up: Make-up against Marlins to kick off homestand

Monday was originally supposed to be an off-day for the Red Sox, but May 30th’s rainout against the Marlins changed that.

The Sox will instead welcome the Marlins back into Fenway Park on Monday evening to conclude their three-game series that began late last month, with Boston taking the first two from Miami.

Right-hander Nick Pivetta will get the start for Boston, while fellow righty Pablo Lopez will do the same for Miami.

First pitch Monday is scheduled for 5:10 p.m. eastern time on NESN. A unique start time for what is sure to be a balmy day in the Fenway-area.

Red Sox will be going for their fifth consecutive win before opening up a three-game set against the Astros on Tuesday.

(Picture of Xander Bogaerts: Adam Hunger/Getty Images)

Martín Pérez tosses 7 2/3 scoreless innings, Christian Arroyo crushes 3-run homer as Red Sox salvage series against Astros with 5-1 win

Powered by Martin Perez’s strongest showing of the season to date, the Red Sox were able to avoid a four-game sweep and salvage their series against the Astros with a 5-1 victory at Minute Maid Park on Thursday.

Perez, making his 11th start of the season, pitched into the eighth inning for the first time in his Red Sox career.

Over 7 2/3 impressive frames of work, the veteran left-hander kept the Astros off the board while scattering just six hits and one walk to go along with four strikeouts on the afternoon.

Five of the six hits Perez gave up were singles. The only extra-base hit was snuffed out right away when he yielded a two-out double to Aledmys Diaz and immediately picked him off trying to steal third base.

The fifth inning presented a little bit more trouble for Perez when he put on two of the first three hitters he faced in the frame. Nevertheless, the southpaw got Myles Straw to pop out to the infield before inducing an inning-ending grounder off the bat of Garrett Stubbs. Bobby Dalbec made a nice diving play on the ball and Perez did a quality job of getting over to first base in time.

From there, Perez held things in check. But a one-out single and two-out walk — his first free pass of the contest — in the bottom of the eighth would mark the end of his outing.

Finishing with a final pitch count of 82 (59 strikes), the 30-year-old hurler improved to 4-2 on the year while lowering his ERA down to 3.09. His next start should come against this same Astros team back at Fenway Park next Tuesday.

In relief of Perez, Adam Ottavino got the first call out of the Red Sox bullpen and needed all of five pitches to record the final out of the inning.

With a five-run lead going into the last of the ninth, the Sox were able to go to Brandon Workman to close this one out on the same they promoted him from Triple-A Worcester.

Workman served up a solo homer to Yuli Gurriel, but was otherwise up to the challenge of preserving a 5-1 win for his side.

Red Sox offense wakes up

On the other side of things, the Red Sox lineup was matched up against a familiar foe in the form of Astros right-hander Jake Odorizzi.

Unlike the first three games of this series, the Boston bats were actually able to take advantage of early scoring opportunities.

That being the case because with no outs and runners on first and second in the top of the second, a resurgent Christian Arroyo crushed his first home run of the season on a hanging cutter from Odorizzi.

Arroyo’s three-run shot traveled 339 feet over the left field fence and had an exit velocity of 93.2 mph off the bat. It also cleared the bases and gave the Red Sox a 3-0 advantage early on.

Fast forward to the seventh, and the Sox found themselves in a nearly-identical situation.

With no outs and runners at second and third, Xander Bogaerts put an end to one of the worst offensive skids of his career (0-for-his-last-24) by lacing a two-run double off Astros reliever Cristian Javier. He also singled in the ninth to finish the day with his first multi-hit game since May 21.

Bogaerts’ seventh-inning two-base hit put the Red Sox up 5-0 and, as previously mentioned, 5-1 would go on to be Thursday’s final score.

By breaking out of a three-game losing streak, the Sox improve to 33-23 on the season (17-10) on the season to get back to 10 games over .500. They remain two games back of the Rays for first place in the American League East.

Alex Cora ejected

Red Sox manager Alex Cora was ejected for arguing balls and strikes in the sixth inning. He was tossed by home plate umpire Lance Barrett after Kevin Plawecki struck out looking on a questionable third called strike.

Cora has now been ejected two times this season, with Thursday marking his first ejection since April 15. Bench coach Will Venable took over managerial responsibilities for the remainder of the ballgame.

Next up: Big weekend series in the Bronx

The Red Sox will depart Houston for New York, where they will open up a three-game weekend series against the 31-26 Yankees at Yankee Stadium on Friday night.

Right-hander Nathan Eovaldi will get the ball for Boston in the opener, and he will be opposed by fellow righty Michael King for New York.

First pitch Friday is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. eastern time on NESN.

(Picture of Christian Arroyo: Bob Levey/Getty Images)

Red Sox activate infielder Christian Arroyo from 10-day injured list

Before opening up a two-game interleague series against the Atlanta Braves at Fenway Park Tuesday night, the Red Sox returned infielder Christian Arroyo from his rehab assignment and activated him from the 10-day injured list, the team announced Tuesday afternoon.

Arroyo, who is not in Boston’s starting lineup for Tuesday’s contest against Atlanta, has been held out of action for nearly three weeks after sustaining a left hand contusion against the Tigers back on May 5.

In the sixth inning of that game, the soon-to-be 26-year-old was drilled in the left hand for the second time in less than two weeks by a 92 mph sinker from Tigers starter Casey Mize and was forced to exit an inning later as a result of the discomfort he was experiencing.

X-rays on Arroyo’s hand came back negative, and he was even used as a pinch-runner the following day. But difficulty in swinging a bat ultimately led to him being placed on the IL on May 9 (retroactive to May 7).

While it may have taken a little longer than originally anticipated, Arroyo did spend this past weekend on a rehab assignment with Triple-A Worcester, where he went 1-for-10 with a double, one run scored, two RBI, one walk and four strikeouts in three games for the WooSox against the Buffalo Bisons at Polar Park.

Prior to being shelved earlier this month, the right-handed hitter was slashing .275/.333/.377 with seven doubles, five RBI, nine runs scored, one stolen base, three walks, and 18 strikeouts through his first 23 big-league games of the season while primarily playing second base.

The Red Sox were able to activate Arroyo from the injured list on Tuesday without making a corresponding roster move since they optioned infielder/outfielder Michael Chavis to Worcester following Sunday’s 6-2 loss to the Phillies.

Chavis went 9-for-33 (.273) at the plate with one home run, four doubles, two RBI, six runs scored, zero walks, and 13 strikeouts over 10 games (seven starts) in his second stint of the season with Boston. The 25-year-old was initially recalled from the WooSox on May 7, when utility man Enrique Hernandez was placed on the IL due to a right hamstring strain.

(Picture of Christian Arroyo: Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)

Red Sox option Michael Chavis to Triple-A Worcester; Christian Arroyo (left hand contusion) expected to be activated from injured list Tuesday

Following Sunday’s 6-2 loss at the hands of the Phillies, the Red Sox optioned infielder/outfielder Michael Chavis to Triple-A Worcester, the team announced Monday afternoon.

Chavis was originally recalled from the WooSox back on May 7, when utility man Enrique Hernandez was placed on the 10-day injured list due to a right hamstring strain.

In his second stint with Boston this season, the 25-year-old went 9-for-33 (.273) at the plate with one home run, four doubles, two RBI, six runs scored, zero walks, and 13 strikeouts over 10 games (seven starts) primarily at first and second base.

At the time he was called up from Worcester earlier this month, Chavis had collected one hit (a double) through his first eight trips to the plate and two games in a WooSox uniform.

Because the Red Sox optioned Chavis without making an immediate, corresponding roster move, the expectation seems to be that fellow infielder Christian Arroyo — who has been on the IL with a left hand contusion since May 9 — will be activated ahead of Tuesday’s series opener against the Braves at Fenway Park.

Arroyo spent the weekend on a rehab assignment with Worcester, where he went 1-for-10 with a double, one run scored, two RBI, one walk and four strikeouts in three games against the Buffalo Bisons at Polar Park.

Prior to landing on the injured list after taking yet another pitch off his left hand, the soon-to-be 26-year-old was slashing .275/.333/.377 with seven doubles, five RBI, nine runs scored, one stolen base, three walks, and 18 strikeouts over his first 23 big-league games of the 2021 season.

(Picture of Michael Chavis: Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)

Red Sox option Jonathan Araúz to Triple-A Worcester; Kiké Hernández (right hamstring strain) expected to be activated from injured list Tuesday

The Red Sox optioned infielder Jonathan Arauz to Triple-A Worcester following Sunday’s 6-5 loss to the Angels, the team announced Monday afternoon.

Arauz, 22, was originally recalled from the WooSox back on May 9, when fellow infielder Christian Arroyo was placed on the 10-day injured list due to a left hand contusion.

In four games in his first major-league stint with Boston this season, the switch-hitter went 2-for-8 with two runs scored, one RBI, two walks, and three strikeouts while primarily playing shortstop.

At the time he was called up from Worcester, Arauz was batting .200 (3-for-15) with one RBI over his first five games with the WooSox.

Because the Red Sox optioned Arauz without making a corresponding roster move, the expectation is that utility man Kiké Hernández — who has been on the IL with a right hamstring strain since May 7 — will be activated ahead of Tuesday’s series opener against the Blue Jays in Dunedin.

Hernandez spent the weekend on a rehab assignment with Worcester, where he went 2-for-6 with two home runs (including a grand slam), five RBI, and three runs scored in two games against the Syracuse Mets at Polar Park.

(Picture of Jonathan Arauz: Kathryn Riley/Getty Images)

Red Sox injuries: Kiké Hernández set to rehab with WooSox this weekend; Christian Arroyo ‘not on track’ to begin rehab assignment yet

As planned, Red Sox utilityman Kiké Hernández will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Worcester this weekend, Sox manager Alex Cora said before Friday’s game against the Angels at Fenway Park.

Per MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo, the plan is for Hernandez to serve as the WooSox’ designated hitter on Saturday and play center field on Sunday in the final two games of the team’s series against the Syracuse Mets at Polar Park.

Hernandez, who was placed on the injured list last Friday due to a right hamstring strain, would then be eligible to come off the IL on Tuesday, when the Sox open a three-game series against the Blue Jays in Dunedin, Fla.

Christian Arroyo, meanwhile, had been on track to began his rehab assignment in Worcester right around the same time as Hernandez, but that no longer appears to be the case.

The second baseman has been sidelined with a left hand contusion since last week and was placed on the 10-day injured list on Sunday, meaning the earliest he could be activated was this coming Wednesday.

According to Cora, though, Arroyo is off track with where Hernandez is at in his rehab, so it would seem as though he will not be playing in Worcester this weekend.

“The goal is to have Enrique after his two rehab games,” Cora said Friday afternoon. “He’s playing tomorrow and Sunday. Hopefully he can be back with us on Tuesday. Arroyo, it’s not that he’s behind, but he’s actually doing soft toss today, [batting practice] tomorrow. So, he’s not on track with Kiké.”

Arroyo has been drilled by a pitch in the left hand on two separate occasions this season. The first of which came against the Mariners on April 25; the second of which came against the Tigers on May 6.

While he was able to play defense and run the bases after getting plunked a second time, the 25-year-old’s inability to swing a bat pain-free ultimately led to him being placed on the IL.

It is also worth mentioning that back in 2017, when he was a member of the Giants organization, Arroyo missed the final two months of the minor-league season that year after sustaining a fractured left hand on a hit-by-pitch.

With that in mind, it goes without saying that the Red Sox are presumably taking things slowly with Arroyo’s rehab to ensure that he can come back with full strength and dexterity in his left hand.

“He did soft toss only [Thursday]. It’s part of the progression,” Cora said. “He was OK yesterday. So they felt like today should be soft toss only. Tomorrow, if everything goes well, he’ll hit live BP. And then, we’ll go from there. But right now, he’s not on pace to play tomorrow or Sunday with Triple-A.”

While Hernandez and Arroyo have been shelved with their respective injuries, infielders Michael Chavis and Jonathan Arauz have been up with the Red Sox in their place.

The expectation seems to be that those two would be sent back down to Worcester once Hernandez and Arroyo are ready to be activated.

Assuming Hernandez is back before Arroyo, though, one would have to think Arauz would be optioned before Chavis. We will have to wait and see on that.

(Picture of Kiké Hernández: Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox injuries: Kiké Hernández, Christian Arroyo expected to begin rehab assignments with Triple-A Worcester later this week

Kiké Hernández and Christian Arroyo have been on the Red Sox’ 10-day injured list since May 7 and May 9, respectively.

Hernandez suffered a right hamstring strain against the Tigers on May 6. The 29-year-old led off that game by hitting a hard-hit double, but then needed to be pinch-ran for by Franchy Cordero after tightening his hamstring while running the bases.

Arroyo, meanwhile, suffered a left hand contusion in the sixth inning of a 6-5 loss to Detroit on May 5.

The 25-year-old took a 92 mph sinker from Casey Mize off the top of his left hand last Wednesday and would need to leave the game after the seventh inning. X-rays on his hand did come back negative.

After being held out of the starting lineup and only being used as a defensive replacement on one occasion, Arroyo was ultimately placed on the IL on Sunday, though the beginning of his stint was backdated to May 7.

This past Wednesday was not the first time Arroyo has taken a pitch off his left hand this season. The right-handed hitter was drilled in the same area by Mariners right-hander Drew Steckenrider back on April 25, which resulted in him missing two games.

While both Arroyo and Hernandez are close to returning, the pair will more than likely began rehab assignments with Triple-A Worcester during their series against Syracuse at Polar Park this week, Red Sox manager Alex Cora said during his weekly call-in appearance on WEEI’s Ordway, Merloni & Fauria.

“Most likely, Enrique and Christian, they’ll play maybe two games in Worcester,” Cora said Wednesday afternoon. “Rehab games. Hopefully, they’ll be ready for the road trip or whenever they’re available to come off the IL.”

Hernandez will be eligible to be activated from the injured list as soon as Tuesday, while Arroyo will be eligible to be activated as soon as next Wednesday.

In the meantime, Cora told reporters prior to Wednesday’s game against the Athletics that the Sox have yet to map out an exact plan for either player, just that they will be playing in Worcester before returning to the big-league club.

“Not mapped out, but it’s an idea,” said Cora. “We feel good about where they’re at. Especially with Enrique. So we would like them to see (pitchers) to play a little bit. It might be one game or two games. Especially in that situation (with a hamstring). To run around, play the outfield, maybe play second base one day. It’s trending in the right direction and it seems like both of them should be with us sooner rather than later.”

As noted by MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo, infielders Jonathan Arauz and Michael Chavis were called up from the WooSox to fill the empty roster spots, to they would likely head back down to Worcester as soon as Arroyo and Hernandez are ready to be activated.

(Picture of Christian Arroyo and Kiké Hernández: Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox place Christian Arroyo (left hand contusion) on injured list, recall Jonathan Araúz from Triple-A Worcester

Before taking on the Orioles on Sunday, the Red Sox placed infielder Christian Arroyo on the 10-day injured list due to a left hand contusion, retroactive to May 7.

In a corresponding move, infielder Jonathan Arauz was recalled from Triple-A Worcester, the team announced Sunday.

Arroyo had been out of the Sox’ lineup since Wednesday after getting hit in the left hand by a pitch in the sixth inning of a 6-5 loss to the Tigers.

The 25-year-old remained in the game to take his base, but was removed after the seventh inning and was later diagnosed with a left hand contusion. X-rays on his injured hand came back negative.

While he was out of the lineup, Arroyo had been available to pinch-run and come in as a defensive replacement, as was the case in Thursday’s 12-9 win over Detroit.

The only thing that had hindered Arroyo was his ability to swing a bat, and that ultimately led to him being placed on the injured list before Sunday’s game against Baltimore.

“He’s going to try to swing today,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said in regards to Arroyo’s status earlier Sunday morning. “He tried yesterday, was a little bit sore.”

Wednesday was not the first time this season, or in his career, that Arroyo has been hit in the hand by a pitch.

On April 25 against the Mariners, the right-handed hitter was drilled in the left hand by a 94 mph fastball from Drew Steckenrider that would force him to miss two games.

Going back to 2017 when he was still a top prospect in the Giants system, Arroyo missed the final two months of the minor-league season after sustaining a fractured left hand on a hit-by-pitch.

Because of that history, the Red Sox will likely be cautious in monitoring how Arroyo comes back from this latest contusion.

Through 23 games this season, the Florida native is slashing .275/.333/.377 with seven doubles and five RBI over 76 plate appearances.

Since the start of his stint on the IL was backdated to May 7, the earliest Arroyo can be activated is May 17.

Arauz, meanwhile, was recently added to the Sox’ taxi squad for their trip to Baltimore in the event that Arroyo would need to be placed on the injured list.

The 22-year-old initially opened the year at the alternate training site and later Triple-A Worcester, where he had gotten off to a 3-for-15 start at the plate prior to getting called up on Sunday.

Originally selected by the Red Sox in the 2019 Rule 5 Draft, Arauz compiled a .250/.325/.319 slash line to go along with one home run and nine RBI over 25 games last year in what was his rookie season.

In Arauz, the Red Sox add yet another versatile infielder to the mix who has shown flashes defensively and can hit from both sides of the plate.

“Infielder. Switch-hitter. Good baseball player,” said Cora.

(Picture of Christian Arroyo: Kathryn Riley/Getty Images)

Red Sox injuries: Alex Verdugo scratched from Wednesday’s lineup due to tight back, Christian Arroyo removed after being hit in hand by pitch

The Red Sox were dealt a minor blow before and during their 6-5, extra-innings loss to the Tigers Wednesday night.

Outfielder Alex Verdugo was originally penciled in to bat second and start in center field for Boston in the middle game of this three-game series at Fenway Park.

At approximately 4:03 p.m. eastern time, MLB.com’s Ian Browne tweeted that Verdugo had been scratched from the Sox’ lineup “due to a back issue.”

Less than a half hour later, the Red Sox officially announced that Verdugo was taken out of the lineup as a precaution due to “lower back tightness” and that “he was prepared to play but the [team was] being careful.”

When asked what into the decision to keep the 24-year-old out his lineup on Wednesday, Sox manager Alex Cora provided some clarity during his postgame media availability.

“Tight back,” Cora said in regards to what was ailing Verdugo. “He came into the office, he didn’t feel right. So I decided to stay away from him today. Hopefully, he can feel better tomorrow.”

The fact that Verdugo had to be scratched from the lineup resulted in Enrique Hernandez moving from second base to center field and Christian Arroyo, who was not originally slated to start, getting the start at second base.

In the sixth inning of Wednesday’s contest, Arroyo was drilled in the left hand by a 91 mph pitch from Tigers starter Casey Mize. The 25-year-old was able to take his base, but he was removed after the seventh inning on account of the pain he was experiencing.

Later diagnosed with a left hand contusion, X-rays on Arroyo’s injured hand came back negative.

It was only last Sunday that the infielder took a 94 mph pitch off that very same left hand in the first inning of a game against the Mariners that would force him to miss two games.

“I don’t think he’ll play tomorrow,” Cora said of Arroyo. “He got hit in the same hand as he did last week. It’s pretty sore. X-rays were negative. We’ll see how he feels tomorrow when he comes in but we’ll stay away from him.”

With an already short bench, Arroyo going down Wednesday forced the Red Sox to move Christian Vazquez from behind the plate to second base while Kevin Plawecki took over catching duties.

Even with Arroyo already being ruled out for Thursday’s series finale and Verdugo’s status up in the air, it’s not unreasonable to think the Sox could call up a position player from Triple-A Worcester for the matinee against Detroit.

Cora ruled that possibility out, though, and instead suggested that the club could make some roster moves ahead of their four-game series against the Orioles in Baltimore this weekend.

“I think we should be okay tomorrow, if (Verdugo) plays or not,” said the Sox skipper. “We’re going to have to talk about, after tomorrow, seeing where we’re at physically and making decisions based on that.”

Before claiming reliever Brandon Brennan off waivers from the Mariners and placing Ryan Brasier on the 60-day injured list on Monday, the Red Sox had not made a 40-man roster-related transaction since April 18, when Tanner Houck was appointed as the 27th man for a doubleheader against the White Sox.

Additionally, MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo notes that Michael Chavis would be “the obvious candidate” to receive a call up from Worcester since Jonathan Arauz and Marcus Wilson are the only other WooSox position players on Boston’s 40-man roster.

(Picture of Christian Arroyo: Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)