Tag: jonathan arauz

Red Sox roster moves: Hirokazu Sawamura activated from injured list; Jonathan Araúz recalled from Triple-A Worcester; Marcus Wilson designated for assignment

Before opening up a three-game weekend series against the Rays at Tropicana Field on Friday, the Red Sox made a flurry of roster moves in the wake of Friday afternoon’s trade deadline.

First off, infielder Jonathan Arauz was recalled from Triple-A Worcester. Secondly, reliever Hirokazu Sawamura was returned from his rehab assignment with Worcester and was activated from the injured list. Finally, outfielder Marcus Wilson was designated for assignment.

The Red Sox made all these transactions official earlier Friday evening.

This series of roster moves comes after the Sox made three significant additions within the last 24 hours, acquiring All-Star outfielder Kyle Schwarber from the Nationals while adding relievers Hansel Robles and Austin Davis in trades with the Twins and Pirates, respectively.

With reliever Brandon Workman being designated for assignment on Thursday night, infielder/outfielder Michael Chavis being traded to Pittsburgh in exchange for Davis and Wilson being designated for assignment on Friday, Boston was able to create three 40-man roster spots for Schwarber, Robles, and David.

As noted by MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo, Sawamura returning from the injured list essentially fills the vacancy on the big-league roster left behind by Workman, while Arauz will take Chavis’ spot on the Sox’ 26-man roster for the time being.

Cotillo also notes that the Red Sox will need to make additional moves this weekend in order to add Robles and Davis to the major-league roster. Schwarber is expected be placed on the 10-day injured list since he is still recovering from a hamstring strain.

Arauz, who was added to Boston’s taxi squad for their three-city, 10-game road trip, will start at third base and bat out of the nine-hole in Friday’s series opener against Tampa Bay.

The soon-to-be 23-year-old infielder is about to embark upon his second major-league stint of the season with the Red Sox. In four games against the Athletics and Angels from May 12-16 at Fenway Park, he went 2-for-8 (.250) at the plate with one double, one RBI, two runs scored, two walks, and three strikeouts over 10 plate appearances.

Sawamura, meanwhile, returns to the Boston bullpen after missing the minimum 10 days on the 10-day injured list with right triceps inflammation. The 33-year-old righty was initially placed on the IL on July 23 (retroactive to July 20) and later tossed a scoreless first inning in his lone rehab outing for the WooSox at Polar Park this past Wednesday.

In his first season with the Red Sox, Sawamura has been quite effective, posting a 2.87 ERA and a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 44:18 over 38 relief appearances spanning 37 2/3 innings of work.

As for Wilson, he was designated for assignment to allow for the Sox to create more space on their 40-man roster for their deadline acquisitions.

Originaly acquired from the Diamondbacks in exchange for catcher Blake Swihart back in April 2019, the 24-year-old outfield prospect has slashed .242/.370/.452 with 10 home runs and 30 RBI across 64 games (265 plate appearances) with the WooSox so far this season.

The Red Sox will have the next seven days to either trade, release, or outright Wilson off their 40-man roster.

With all these moves made, Boston’s 40-man roster is now at full capacity.

(Picture of Hirokazu Sawamura: Winslow Townson/Getty Images)

Red Sox activate utility man Kiké Hernández from injured list

The Red Sox have activated utility man Kiké Hernández from the 10-day injured list, manager Alex Cora announced Tuesday evening. Hernández will bat leadoff and start in center field for the Sox in the first of three against the Blue Jays in Dunedin, Fla. Tuesday night.

Hernandez returns to Boston’s lineup after missing the last 10 games due to a right hamstring strain suffered in the first inning of the team’s May 6 game against the Tigers.

After being placed on the IL on May 7, the 29-year-old spent this past weekend on a rehab assignment with Triple-A Worcester and went 2-for-6 with two home runs (including a grand slam), five RBI, and three runs scored in two games for the WooSox at Polar Park.

“It went really well,” Hernandez said of his rehab assignment when speaking with reporters before Tuesday’s game. “Back in 10 days. Took the minimum. 10 days felt like a month, but glad to be back. Glad to be here.”

With the Red Sox this season, the right-handed hitter comes into play Tuesday slashing .239/.298/.425 with four home runs, 10 RBI, and 19 runs scored over 30 games (124 plate appearances). In those 30 games, the versatile veteran has seen time at second base, shortstop, and — for the most part — center field.

The Sox were able to activate Hernandez from the injured list without making a corresponding move on account of the fact that infielder Jonathan Arauz was optioned to Worcester after Sunday’s game against the Angels.

Arauz went 2-for-8 at the plate with one RBI and two runs scored over four games in his first big-league stint of the season. The 22-year-old was initially recalled from the WooSox when fellow infielder Christian Arroyo was placed on the IL due to a left hand contusion back on May 9.

(Picture of Kiké Hernández: Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/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 lineup: Michael Chavis leading off, Jonathan Araúz making first start of season in series finale against Athletics

As the Red Sox look to avoid a three-game sweep at the hands of the Athletics at Fenway Park on Thursday night, manager Alex Cora has shaken things up a bit with left-hander Sean Manaea getting the start for Oakland.

Of the nine hitters in Boston’s starting lineup for Thursday’s contest, six hit from the right side of the plate and one is a switch-hitter.

Michael Chavis will lead things off for the Sox while getting the start at second, and he will be followed by Alex Verdugo — who will be making his 20th start of the season in center field — and J.D. Martinez — who will be making just his sixth start of the season in left field.

With Martinez starting in the outfield, Xander Bogaerts will get half a day off as he will serve as Boston’s designated hitter while batting cleanup.

Rafael Devers, Christian Vazquez, and Hunter Renfroe comprise the 5-6-7 portion of the Red Sox lineup, while Bobby Dalbec and Jonathan Arauz round things out.

Dalbec returns to the lineup and gets the start at first base after sitting out the first two games of this series. The 25-year-old slugger comes into play Thursday sporting a .188/.241/.317 slash line to go along with just two home runs and 11 RBI over 30 games (108 plate appearances).

Arauz, meanwhile, will make his first start of the 2021 campaign in place of Bogaerts at shortstop after being recalled from Triple-A Worcester on Sunday.

The 22-year-old infielder made his season debut and came on as a pinch-hitter in the ninth inning of Wednesday’s 4-1 loss to the A’s. He struck out swinging in his lone plate appearances.

Originally selected by Boston in the 2019 Rule 5 Draft, the switch-hitting Arauz spent the entirety of the truncated 2020 season with the Red Sox and slashed .250/.325/.319 with one homer and nine RBI over 25 games while playing every infield position besides first base.

“In spring training, he was a little bit erratic defensively,” Cora said of Arauz prior to Thursday’s game. “But he’s a cool customer. I saw him play a lot last year. He put some good swings in spring training. And we’re tying to keep our shortstop off his feet today. He’s been playing a lot. He DH’s today. You got Monday off, so you got to take advantage of situations like this.

“We got J.D. [Martinez] playing left field,” added Cora. “He doesn’t care — he loves playing the outfield. So it’s a good opportunity against a lefty to try to take care of some players and be ready for not only for today, because I think we have a good lineup going, but also for the upcoming days.”

During their current three-game losing streak, the Red Sox lineup has been limited to a total of four runs on 13 hits over their last 27 offensive innings.

They will look to buck that trend and salvage this series against the A’s with right-hander Garrett Richards getting the start for Boston opposite Manaea.

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

(Picture of Jonathan Arauz: 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 taxi squad getting opportunity to do more in second road trip of season

As the Red Sox are one game into their second road trip of the season, the club has five players traveling with them as part of their taxi squad.

These five players — right-handers Eduard Bazardo and Daniel Gossett, catcher Chris Herrmann, infielder Jonathan Arauz, and outfielder Cesar Puello — are not just working out with the major-league team.

To further explain, the Red Sox are currently in Queens for a two-game series against the Mets at Citi Field on Tuesday and Wednesday.

At the same time, Boston’s alternate training site roster is in Brooklyn to take on the Mets’ alternate training site team in a pair of scrimmages at MCU Park.

So, not only are Arauz, Bazardo, Gossett, Herrmann, and Puello working out with the Red Sox while they are at Citi Field, they are also getting to see live pitching in a somewhat-competitive environment across town.

“That’s good for them,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said of Boston’s taxi squad players on Tuesday. “Get big-league money and get at-bats. That’s awesome.”

After wrapping up their two-game set against the Mets Wednesday night, the Sox will head to Texas for a four-game weekend tilt against the Rangers in Arlington.

Once the Red Sox return to Boston on Sunday, the likes of Arauz, Bazardo, Gossett, Herrmann, and Puello will all return to the team’s alternate training site in Worcester, as Major League Baseball’s health and safety protocols for the 2021 season dictate.

(Picture of Jonathan Arauz: Mark Brown Getty Images)

Might recently-signed Danny Santana cost Christian Arroyo his spot on Red Sox’ roster?

Could the Red Sox signing utilityman Danny Santana to a minor-league contract on Thursday ultimately cost Christian Arroyo his spot on the club’s 40-man roster. One writer in particular — MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo — thinks that may be the case.

In his weekly notes column for MassLive, Cotillo made 10 predictions for the Sox’ 2021 season, and one of those predictions was that Santana makes the team out of spring training after winning the competition for the final bench spot.

“Though he’s a late entrant into the competition for Boston’s final bench spot, Santana is actually a better fit for the roster than the club’s other options,” Cotillo wrote Friday. “The other three competitors — Christian Arroyo, Michael Chavis and Yairo Muñoz — are all right-handed hitters, which limits Alex Cora to an extent.”

Cotillo notes that while the handedness of the hitters on the Red Sox’ bench would change on a game-to-game basis, “the fact that the backup catcher (Kevin Plawecki) is right-handed means a left-handed bat would be preferable.”

As currently constructed, Jonathan Arauz and Marwin Gonzalez are the only infielders on Boston’s 40-man roster who can hit from the left side of the plate, as both are switch-hitters.

Arauz, who is still just 22 years old, figures to begin the 2021 season at the Sox’ alternate training site in Worcester to continue his development, while Gonzalez, who inked a one-year, $3 million pact with Boston last month, figures to see most of his playing time come in left field as opposed to the infield.

Having said that, Cora and Co. are somewhat limited in what they can do in regards to bench flexibility. That is where Santana — a switch-hitter — comes into play.

In seven major-league seasons between the Twins, Braves, and Rangers, the 30-year-old out of the Dominican owns a lifetime .266/.304/.422 slash line against right-handed pitching and a lifetime .243/.287/.407 slash line against left-handed pitching going back to 2014. He has also seen playing time at every defensive position besides pitcher and catcher.

Arroyo, who unlike Chavis is out of minor-league options and unlike Munoz is on Boston’s 40-man roster, unsurprisingly owns a lifetime .213/.297/.381 slash line in 176 career plate appearances against righties dating back to 2017. He has seen playing time at just three different positions: second base, third base, and shortstop.

Taking those points into consideration, Santana — as noted by Cotillo — “makes more sense than the others,” including Arroyo.

Coming into the spring, Arroyo seemed like almost a lock to make the Red Sox’ Opening Day roster considering the fact that he is out of minor-league options like Nick Pivetta is.

The 25-year-old former top prospect had a decent showing in limited action with the Sox last season, going 12-for-50 (.240) at the plate with three home runs, eight RBI, and four walks over 14 September contests (54 plate appearances).

If Boston were to roll with Santana over Arroyo out of the gate, though, that would likely mark the end of Arroyo’s run on the club’s 40-man roster.

In other words, you could see a transaction where the Red Sox purchase Santana’s contract — and in doing so add him to their major-league roster — while designating Arroyo for assignment to clear a roster spot.

The goal then, as Cotillo writes, would be for the Red Sox “to try to sneak Arroyo through waivers” while both Chavis and Munoz would be optioned down to the alternate site.

In this scenario, this would not be the first time the Sox designated Arroyo, as they did the very same thing just days after claiming the Florida native off waivers from the Indians last August.

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For what it’s worth, Santana, who turns 31 in November, is only under club control through the end of the 2021 season. Arroyo, meanwhile, turns 26 in May and is under club control through the 2024 season.

According to MLB Network’s Jon Heyman, Santana will earn a base salary of $1.75 million if he makes it to the majors with the Red Sox this year with the chance to earn an additional $1 million in incentives and another $100,000 in the form of a bonus if he starts at Triple-A.

Those contract details, per Cotillo, makes it “seem like the Red Sox have plans to bring him up to the majors.”

We will have to wait and see if those hypothetical plans come to fruition before Opening Day.

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

Garrett Richards makes Red Sox debut as sloppy defense leads to 5-3 loss at hands of Braves

The Red Sox opened the home portion of their Grapefruit League schedule on Monday by falling to the Braves by a final score of 5-3 in seven innings at JetBlue Park.

Newcomer Garrett Richards, who signed a one-year, $10 million deal with Boston last month, made his first start of the spring for Boston in this one.

Working two “full” innings, the veteran right-hander surrendered two earned runs on three hits and two walks to go along with one strikeout on the afternoon.

Both of those Atlanta runs came in the top half of the first, when Richards managed to record just one out before the rest of the inning was called off for pitch count purposes.

The 32-year-old was able to rebound in the second inning, however, as he retired the Braves’ 7-8-9 hitters in order to end his day on a more positive note.

Ultimately hit with the losing decision in what was his Red Sox debut, Richards will look to pick up where he left off in his next time out, which should come against the Braves once again on Sunday.

In relief of Richards, left-hander Kyle Hart, a non-roster invitee, came on for the third and yielded two runs — both of which were unearned thanks to a Bobby Dalbec fielding error — on a pair of walks and a two-run single.

From there, right-hander Kevin McCarthy — another non-roster invitee — worked a scoreless top half of the fourth, while right-handed pitching prospects Thad Ward and Connor Seabold combined to toss a pair of shutout frames in the fifth and sixth innings.

https://twitter.com/redsoxstats/status/1366476286273683458?s=20
https://twitter.com/redsoxstats/status/1366484749527748608?s=20

Zac Grotz, a right-hander, was responsible for the seventh, and he gave up one unearned run before being injuring his elbow on a pitch that required him to leave the game immediately.

All in all, Sox pitchers allowed five total runs, but only two of those runs were earned due to sloppy defensive play that resulted in five errors being committed; one from Dalbec, one from Ward, one from Marwin Gonzalez, and two from Jeter Downs.

https://twitter.com/TWard_12/status/1366500289264648192?s=20

On the other side of things, the Red Sox starting lineup featured the likes of Christian Arroyo, Gonzalez, J.D. Martinez, Dalbec, Michael Chavis, Yairo Munoz, Cesar Puello, Jeisson Rosario, and Jett Bandy.

Matched up against right-hander Huascar Ynoa — one of the top pitching prospects in Atlanta’s farm system — Bandy kicked off the scoring for his side by drawing a bases-loaded walk with two outs in the bottom of the second.

Fast forward to the fourth, and the bases were loaded once more. This time with one out as Rosario, one of the two prospects Boston acquired from the Padres in the Mitch Moreland trade, came to the plate to face Touki Toussaint.

Rosario managed to pick up an RBI, but only by dribbling a grounder to the right side of the infield that gave Chavis enough time to score from third and make it a 4-2 contest in favor of Atlanta.

In the seventh, a leadoff double off the bat of catching prospect Kole Cottam resulted in another Boston run crossing the plate when Jonathan Arauz grounded into a 4-6-3 double play.

That sequence cut the Sox’ deficit to two runs at 5-3, and it allowed the tyring run to come to the plate in the form of Roldani Baldwin, who stuck out against Jasseel De La Cruz to put this one to bed.

Some notes from this one:

Nick Yorke, the Red Sox’ first-round pick in the 2020 draft, made his spring debut on Monday. The 18-year-old infielder went 1-for-1 off the bench with a walk and a fifth-inning single off Braves reliever A.J. Minter.

https://twitter.com/redsoxstats/status/1366479801691815939?s=20

Ward and Seabold, ranked by Baseball America as the No. 10 and No. 11 prospects in Boston’s farm system, were probably the two most impressive pitchers the Red Sox threw out there on Monday.

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Next up for the Red Sox, they’ll host the reigning American League champion Tampa Bay Rays at JetBlue Park on Tuesday afternoon.

Left-hander Martin Perez will get the ball for Boston, and he will be opposed by veteran righty Michael Wacha.

Garrett Whitlock, Joel Payamps, Ryan Weber, Josh Winckowski and Andrew Politi are also expected to pitch for the Sox.

First pitch Tuesday is scheduled for 1:05 p.m. eastern time on ESPN, which means we are in for nine innings of baseball since this will be a nationally-televised game.

(Picture of Garrett Richards: Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)