Tag: rob refsnyder

Red Sox activate Eric Hosmer, place Rob Refsnyder on injured list in series of roster moves

Before opening a three-game series against the Rays at Fenway Park on Monday, the Red Sox made a series of roster moves.

First off, left-hander Darwinzon Hernandez was recalled from Triple-A Worcester and first baseman Eric Hosmer was reinstated from the 10-day injured list. Secondly, right-hander Josh Winckowski was optioned following Sunday’s loss to the Blue Jays while outfielder Rob Refsnyder was placed on the 10-day injured list due to low back spasms, the club announced.

Hernandez returns to Boston for his third big-league stint of the season. The 25-year-old southpaw has appeared in just seven games for the Sox and has allowed 17 runs (16 earned) on 14 hits, eight walks, and nine strikeouts over 6 2/3 innings of relief. That is good for an ERA of 21.60 and a FIP of 12.71.

With Hernandez back in the fold, he will join Matt Strahm as lefties the Red Sox will have available out of the bullpen for their final three games of the season.

Hosmer, meanwhile, returns after originally being placed on the injured list with low back inflammation on August 21. Although he has missed each of the Red Sox’ last 38 games, the 32-year-old was not able to go out on a rehab assignment since the minor-league season is already over. He instead spent his weekend hitting off a high-tech pitching simulator at Fenway Park.

“We’ve got this machine down there, it’s like a simulator or whatever,” manager Alex Cora said on Sunday. “What comes out is pretty similar to the stuff [of MLB pitchers]. You put, for example, Gerrit Cole, and the machine actually calibers the stuff based on his last start. So he’s been facing some good big-league pitching the past few days.”

The Red Sox acquired Hosmer and minor-leaguers Corey Rosier and Max Ferguson from the Padres at the trade deadline in exchange for pitching prospect Jay Groome. Hosmer, who turns 33 later this month and is under team control for three more years, has been limited to just 12 games since going from San Diego to Boston.

In those 12 games, the left-handed hitter has batted .225/.311/.300 with three doubles, four RBIs, six runs scored, four walks, and nine strikeouts across 45 trips to the plate.

Winckowski, like Hernandez, was a member of the Sox’ taxi squad for their last series in Toronto. The 24-year-old righty was added to the active roster on Saturday to provide Boston with some length out of the bullpen. He made the first relief appearance of his big-league career at Rogers Centre and yielded three runs over three innings of work in 10-o loss to the Jays.

On the 2022 season as a whole, Winckowski — who debuted back in May — posted a 5.89 ERA and 4.95 FIP to go along with 44 strikeouts to 27 walks over 15 appearances (14 starts) spanning 70 1/3 innings pitched.

Refsnyder being placed on the injured list at this stage means that his season is over. The 31-year-old journeyman originally signed a minor-league deal with the Red Sox last December. He first joined the big-league club as a COVID-related substitute in April before having his contract selected on a full-time basis in June.

When healthy, Refsnyder proved to be a key contributor off the bench who could play all three outfield positions and do his fair share of damage off left-handed pitching. All told, the right-handed hitter slashed .307/.384/.497 with 11 doubles, six home runs, 21 RBIs, 25 runs scored, one stolen base, 15 walks, and 46 strikeouts over 57 games (177 plate appearances) in his first season with the Sox.

Following Monday’s flurry of moves, the Red Sox now have 14 pitchers and 14 position players on their 28-man roster.

(Picture of Eric Hosmer: Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Advertisement

Red Sox give up 5 home runs in lopsided 14-8 loss to Orioles

On a rain-filled Monday night at Fenway Park, the Red Sox gave up five home runs in a lopsided loss to the Orioles. Boston fell to Baltimore by a final score of 14-8 to extend its losing streak to six and drop to 72-81 on the season.

Connor Seabold, making his fifth start of the year for the Sox, allowed five runs (four earned) on five hits, two walks, and two strikeouts over two rain-shortened innings of work.

After throwing a first-pitch strike to the very first batter he faced, Seabold promptly served up a leadoff home run to Cedric Mullins on a hanging slider. It only went downhill from there as the rookie right-hander surrendered four more in the second inning.

Rougned Odor led off with a ground-rule double and advanced to third on a Kyle Stowers single. Odor scored and Stowers went from first-to-third on a Jorge Mateo RBI double. Mullins plated two more on a sharply-hit triple over the head of Abraham Almonte in center field. The speedster then scored from third on a failed pickoff attempt from Reese McGuire that ended up in left field.

The Red Sox got two of those four runs back in their half of the second. Matched up against O’s starter Jordan Lyles, Martinez led off by cranking a solo shot 420 feet over the Green Monster for his 13th home run of the season. Triston Casas, Rob Refsnyder, and Almonte each reached base with one out to bring Enrique Hernandez to the plate. Hernandez delivered by ripping an RBI single to left field that brought in Casas and cut the Baltimore lead to three at 5-2.

The bases remained loaded for Rafael Devers, who grounded into an inning-ending 4-6-3 double play. The skies above Fenway then began to open up, prompting a rain delay that lasted exactly 100 minutes.

With that much time having passed, Seabold was done for the night and replaced by Tyler Danish when the game resumed at approximately 9:45 p.m. eastern time.

Finishing with a final pitch count of 54 (36 strikes), Seabold only managed to induce three swings-and-misses. The 26-year-old hurler was charged with his fourth losing decision of the season as his ERA rose to an unsightly 11.29.

Danish, meanwhile, yielded an RBI triple to Stowers in the third and kept the Orioles off the board in the fourth. The Red Sox made things interesting in the latter half of the frame after Baltimore had already swapped Lyles for Spenser Watkins.

With one out and the bases full, Hernandez scorched a two-run single down the left field line and advanced to second on. Devers then drove him in with a run-scoring single of his own to pull the Red Sox back to within one run at 6-5.

That is where the Orioles began to pull away. Danish issued a pair of walks and an infield single to begin things in the fifth. He was given the hook in favor of Zack Kelly, who gave up back-to-back run-scoring hits to Odor and Stowers to make it an 8-5 game. Kaleb Ort served up a pair of homers to Anthony Santander and Gunnar Henderson in the sixth, allowing the Orioles to re-establish a commanding 11-5 lead.

Frankin German got the first two outs of the seventh before issuing a walk and giving up the second home run of the night to Santander, who now has 31 on the year. Through three appearances to begin his career, German owns a 31.50 ERA.

In the bottom of the seventh, Martine and Casas each reached base before Rob Refsnyder took Logan Gillaspie 414 feet to dead center field for his sixth home run of the season. The 103.5 mph blast cut the deficit to five at 13-8.

But the Orioles tacked on another when Austin Hays took Eduard Bazardo deep in the eighth. Boston went down quietly from there as 14-8 would go on to be Monday’s final score.

All told, the Red Sox got multi-hit games from Hernandez, Devers, Refsnyder, and Almonte as they outhit the Orioles, 15-14. They also went 6-for-13 with runners in scoring position and left seven runners on base as a team.

Next up: Wacha vs. Bradish

The Red Sox will send right-hander Michael Wacha to the mound as they look to put an end to their six-game losing streak on Saturday. The Orioles will counter with fellow righty Kyle Bradish.

First pitch from Fenway Park is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. eastern time on NESN.

(Picture of Reese McGuire and Anthony Santander: Winslow Townson/Getty Images)

Red Sox commit 3 costly errors in 5-3 loss to Yankees

The Red Sox committed three errors and were swept by the Yankees on Wednesday night. Boston fell to New York by a final score of 5-3 at Fenway Park to drop to 69-74 on the season and 20-42 against American League East opponents.

Brayan Bello, making his eighth start of the year for the Sox, was the victim of poor defense behind him. The rookie right-hander immersed himself into the rivalry by allowing three unearned runs on six hits and just one walk to go along with six strikeouts over five solid innings of work.

All three of those runs came in the top of the fifth. Bello fanned Jose Trevino to begin the inning, but Aaron Hicks followed by reaching on a fielding error committed by Xander Bogaerts. Hicks moved up to second base on an Aaron Judge single before Giancarlo Stanton struck out swinging.

With two outs and runners on first and second, Gleyber Torres ripped a line drive to Alex Verdugo in right field. Verdugo attempted to gun down Hicks at home plate, but instead made an inaccurate throw that got past cutoff man Christian Arroyo and rolled to catcher Connor Wong.

As Hicks crossed the plate, Wong tried to get Torres caught in a rundown between first and second base. He instead made a poor throw that Arroyo had no chance of getting to and wound up in right field.

While Judge had already scored, Torres was on his horse and scored on a head-first slide to complete a Little League three-run home run that gave the Yankees a 3-0 plate.

Bello got through the rest of the fifth unscathed, but the damage had already been done. The 23-year-old hurler finished with a final pitch count of 98 (59 strikes) and induced 14 swings-and-misses. He was the tough-luck loser on Wednesday, though he did lower his ERA on the season down to 5.10.

Shortly after Bello’s night came to an end, the Red Sox got one of those three runs back in their half of the fifth. Rob Refsnyder led off with a hard-hit single off Yankees starter Nestor Cortes. He then scored all the way from first on a two-out RBI double from Wong.

Trailing by two runs going into the sixth inning, Red Sox manager Alex Cora called upon Zack Kelly out of the Boston bullpen. Kelly issued a leadoff walk to Isiah Kiner-Falefa, who promptly stole second base and scored from second on an RBI double off the bat of Trevino.

Following shutdown innings from Kaleb Ort and Eduard Bazardo, the pinch-hitting Reese McGuire led off the bottom of the eighth with a groundball single off Jonathan Loaisiga. Tommy Pham followed with a single of his own to put runners at first and second for Verdugo.

Verdugo grounded into a force out at third base, but Bogaerts filled the bases by blooping a single to right field. Pham then scored from third on a Rafael Devers groundball that got through the legs of Yankees first baseman Marwin Gonzalez.

The bases were still loaded with one out for J.D. Martinez, who seemingly drove in Verdugo by beating out a 6-4-3 double play. New York challenged the ruling on the field, however, and it turns out Martinez’s left foot missed the first-bag completely. The call on the field was overturned, meaning the inning ended without Boston tacking on additional run.

Ryan Brasier allowed one unearned run in the ninth on an Abraham Almonte fielding error in center field. Almonte, who had pinch-hit for Refsnyder in the seventh, led off the bottom of the inning with a line-drive double. He moved up to third and then scored on an Enrique Hernandez groundout. McGuire struck out against Clay Holmes to end it.

All told, the Red Sox went 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position on Wednesday and left six men on base as a team.

Next up: A weekend with the Royals

The Red Sox will have the day off on Thursday before welcoming the Royals into town for a three-game weekend series. Veteran right-hander Michael Wacha will get the start for Boston in Friday’s opener while fellow righty Jonathan Heasley will take the mound for Kansas City.

First pitch from Fenway Park is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. eastern time on NESN

(Picture of Connor Wong: Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox activate Kiké Hernández, Rob Refsnyder from injured list; Yolmer Sánchez designated for assignment

Before opening up a three-game series against the Pirates in Pittsburgh on Tuesday, the Red Sox reinstated outfielder Rob Refsnyder from the 10-day injured list and utilityman Enrique Hernandez from the 60-day injured list.

In order to make room for Refsnyder on the major-league roster, fellow outfielder Jaylin Davis was optioned to Triple-A Worcester on Sunday night. In order to make room for Hernandez on both the 26- and 40-man rosters, veteran infielder Yolmer Sanchez was designated for assignment, the club announced.

Refsnyder returns to the Red Sox nearly three weeks after being placed on the injured list because of a right knee sprain on July 30. The 31-year-old began a rehab assignment with Double-A Portland this past Saturday and went 3-for-4 with a double, two home runs, three RBIs, four runs scored, and three walks while appearing in two games (both in right field) with the Sea Dogs.

Originally signed to a minor-league deal back in December, Refsnyder has been a pleasant surprise for Boston this season. After serving as a COVID-related substitute in late April, the right-handed hitter had his contract selected from Triple-A Worcester in early June. Across those two stints, he has slashed .309/.385/.500 with six doubles, four homers, 12 RBIs, 16 runs scored, 10 walks, and 23 strikeouts over 34 games (109 plate appearances) at the big-league level.

Hernandez, on the other hand, had been sidelined for much longer while recovering from a right hip flexor strain he originally sustained in Anaheim on June 7. The versatile 30-year-old was sent out on a rehab assignment with the WooSox exactly one month after being placed on the 10-day injured list, but that was short-lived.

The Red Sox were forced to pull Hernandez from his rehab assignment after just one game. They subsequently sent him to visit a hip specialist in New York, where he received a platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injection to speed up the healing process. He was transferred to the 60-day injured list on July 23.

From that point forward, Hernandez resumed baseball activities earlier this month and, like Refsnyder, rehabbed in Portland last week, going 3-for-12 with two doubles, two RBIs, one walk, and four strikeouts in four games.

In addition to the hip strain, Hernandez revealed to reporters (including The Boston Globe’s Pete Abraham) in Pittsburgh that he also dealt with a core injury that led to a hematoma developing in one of his abdominal muscles. As a result, he had 16 cubic centimeters of blood drained out through a needle in his back.

That procedure left Hernandez feeling as though “a switch turned off” on the entire right side of his body, hence the lengthy stint on the injured list that lasted more than two months.

Hernandez will bat seventh and start at shortstop for the first time this season in his return to Boston’s lineup on Tuesday night. The right-handed hitter is currently batting .209/.273/.340 with 16 doubles, four homers, 24 RBIs, 27 runs scored, 18 walks, and 38 strikeouts over 51 games (238 plate appearances) to this point in the year.

With Hernandez back in the fold, the Red Sox needed to create an opening on both their major-league and 40-man rosters. They did so by designating Sanchez for assignment.

Sanchez, 30, signed a minor-league deal with Boston in February. Like Refsnyder, the former Gold Glove Award winner made his Red Sox debut as a COVID-related substitute in June. He then had his contract selected from Worcester last month shortly after fellow infielder Trevor Story was placed on the injured list with a right hand contusion.

Primarily serving as infield depth, Sanchez has appeared in a total of 14 games for Boston this season. In those contests, the switch-hitting Venezuelan batted .108 (4-for-37) with two RBIs, one run, five walks, and 13 punchouts while seeing all of his playing time at second base.

The Red Sox will have the next seven days to either release or waive Sanchez, who has accrued enough big-league service time to refuse an outright assignment to the minors if he were to clear waivers.

Following Tuesday’s series of moves, Boston’s 26-man and 40-man rosters are back at full capacity.

(Picture of Enrique Hernandez: Quinn Harris/Getty Images)

Red Sox option Jaylin Davis to Triple-A Worcester

The Red Sox optioned outfielder Jaylin Davis to Triple-A Worcester following Sunday night’s 3-0 win over the Yankees, the club announced earlier Monday afternoon.

Davis, 28, has batted .333/.407/.375 with one double, two RBIs, four runs scored, three walks, and 11 strikeouts over 12 games (27 plate appearances) this season while seeing playing time at all three outfield positions.

Boston originally claimed Davis off waivers from the San Francisco Giants in late April. It designated him for assignment on May 14, but the Appalachian State product cleared waivers and was subsequently outrighted to Worcester. He had his contract selected on July 23 and has been on the the club’s 40-man roster since then.

With the WooSox this year, the right-handed hitting Davis has slashed .236/.335/.462 to go along with nine doubles, two triples, five homers, 15 runs driven in, 28 runs scored, one stolen base, 26 walks, and 68 strikeouts across 56 games spanning 221 trips to the plate.

By optioning Davis, the Red Sox have created an opening on their 26-man roster. That vacancy will likely be filled by fellow outfielder Rob Refsnyder, who is expected to be activated from the 10-day injured list in Pittsburgh on Tuesday after missing the last two-plus weeks with a right knee sprain.

The same can be said for Enrique Hernandez, who has been sidelined with a right hip flexor strain since early June. The only difference between Refsnyder and Hernandez is that the latter was transferred to the 60-day injured list in late July, meaning he does not currently occupy a spot on Boston’s 40-man roster.

So the Red Sox will need to clear a spot on both their 26- and 40-man roster for Hernandez before opening a three-game series against the Pirates at PNC Park on Tuesday. They could accomplish this by designating someone like Yolmer Sanchez for assignment, though that remains to be seen.

(Picture of Jaylin Davis: Winslow Townson/Getty Images)

J.D. Martinez (back spasms) out of Red Sox lineup for Monday’s series opener against Guardians

J.D. Martinez remains out of the Red Sox lineup as the veteran slugger continues to deal with back spasms.

After missing the entirety of this weekend’s series against the Blue Jays, Martinez is once again on the bench for the start of Monday’s series-opening contest with the Guardians at Fenway Park.

The Red Sox had been optimistic that Martinez would be able to return on Monday. While that is no longer the case, manager Alex Cora told reporters (including the Boston Globe’s Alex Speier) that Martinez is feeling better and could be available to pinch-hit later Monday night.

Martinez, who turns 35 next month, has yet to suit up for the Red Sox since representing the club in last Tuesday’s All-Star Game in Los Angeles, where he went 0-for-2 with a strikeout as a reserve.

Prior to last week’s All-Star break, the right-handed hitter was batting .302/.368/.481 with 30 doubles, nine home runs, 38 RBIs, 51 runs scored, 31 walks, and 84 strikeouts through his first 81 games (356 plate appearances) of the season. As a free-agent to-be, he very well could be traded away ahead of next Tuesday’s trade deadline.

In Martinez’s place, Rob Refsnyder will serve as Boston’s designated hitter while batting out of the two-hole on Monday. The 31-year-old is currently slashing a stout .326/.383/.512 to go along with two home runs, four RBIs, and seven runs scored over 16 games (47 plate appearances) in the month of July.

(Picture of J.D. Martinez: Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

J.D. Martinez scratched from Red Sox lineup due to back spasms

J.D. Martinez was originally batting third and starting at designated hitter for the Red Sox in their series opener against the Blue Jays at Fenway Park on Friday night.

But about 80 minutes before first pitch, Martinez was scratched from Boston’s lineup due to what the club described as back spasms. The veteran slugger was replaced by Rob Refsnyder, who swapped spots in the batting order with third baseman Rafael Devers.

This is not the first time this season that Martinez has dealt with back issues. The 34-year-old was also a late scratch against the Mariners back on May 22 for the very same reason. He previously missed seven of a possible nine games in late April because of left adductor tightness.

Fresh off being named an All-Star for the fifth time in his career, Martinez is batting .302/.368/.481 with 30 doubles, nine home runs, 38 RBIs, 51 runs scored, 31 walks, and 84 strikeouts over 81 games (356 plate appearances) so far this season.

It remains to be seen if Martinez will be able to return to action against Toronto on Saturday.

(Picture of J.D. Martinez: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Rob Refsnyder leading off as Red Sox look to bounce back against Yankees in Connor Seabold’s first career start at Fenway Park

The Red Sox are rolling with a right-handed heavy lineup as they look to even their series against the Yankees on Friday night.

Yankees starter Nestor Cortes — a left-handed pitcher — comes into play Friday holding opposing left-handed hitters to a measly .116/.156/.186 slash line against through his first 15 starts of the season.

With that, the likes of Jackie Bradley Jr., Franchy Cordero, and Jarren Duran are all out of Boston’s starting lineup. In their place, Christian Arroyo will get the start in right field, Bobby Dalbec will start at first base, and Rob Refsnyder will start in center while serving as Alex Cora’s leadoff hitter.

Rafael Devers and Alex Verdugo are the only two left-handed hitters in Cora’s lineup. Devers will bat out of the two-hole while Verdugo will bat sixth, per usual. Xander Bogaerts, J.D. Martinez, and Christian Vazquez will make up the 3-4-5 portion of the batting order. Behind Verdugo will be Trevor Story, Arroyo, and Dalbec.

Of these nine hitters, Devers is the only one who has taken Cortes deep in the past, and he has done so on two separate occasions.

Vazquez, after getting the night off on Thursday, will be catching rookie right-hander Connor Seabold. The 26-year-old is slated to make his first-career start at Fenway Park after being recalled from Triple-A Worcester in place of the injured Michael Wacha earlier Friday afternoon.

Seabold is in line to become the third straight rookie to start a game for the Sox after Brayan Bello did so on Wednesday and Josh Winckowski did so on Thursday. In his first two starts of the season last week, Seabold allowed eight earned runs on 15 hits, three walks, and 11 strikeouts over 8 2/3 combined innings against the Blue Jays and Cubs.

If the Red Sox can defeat the Yankees on Friday, it will mark just their 10th win of the year against a divisional opponent. First pitch from Fenway Park is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. eastern time on NESN and MLB Network.

(Picture of Rob Refsnyder: Paul Rutherford/Getty Images)

Red Sox comeback attempt falls short as bullpen blows late lead in 6-5 loss to Blue Jays

For the first time this month, the Red Sox have lost consecutive games. After dropping Monday’s series opener to the Blue Jays, Boston nearly bounced back with a come-from-behind win but were instead walked off by Toronto in a crushing 6-5 loss.

It was nearly a come-from-behind win because the Sox found themselves trailing by three runs after just one inning. Michael Wacha, making his 13th start of the season, ran into some early trouble as he walked two of the first three batters he faced before giving up an RBI double to Teoscar Hernandez. One batter later, Matt Chapman followed with a two-run double that plated both Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Hernandez.

Despite facing an early 3-0 hole, the Boston bats quickly responded in the second inning when Trevor Story laced a 375-foot solo shot to left field off Toronto starter Ross Stripling. Story’s 12th home run of the season left his bat at a blistering 113.4 mph, making it the hardest-hit batted ball of his career.

With his team only trailing by two runs now, Wacha was able to settle in a bit. The right-hander yielded one more run on a Santiago Espinal single in the third but retired five of the final six Blue Jays he faced from the middle of the fourth inning up until the end of the fifth.

Moments before Wacha tossed a scoreless fifth inning, the Sox cut into the Jays’ lead a little more in their half of the fifth. Christian Vazquez and Franchy Cordero led off with a single and double to put runners at second and third with no outs. Rob Refsnyder then drove in Vazquez on an RBI groundout to make it a 4-2 contest in favor of Toronto.

Upon recording the final out of the fifth, Wacha had thrown 90 pitches (57 strikes). The 30-year-old hurler wound up giving up four earned runs on seven hits, three walks, and two strikeouts over five innings of work. His ERA on the season now sits at 2.69.

In relief of Wacha, Ryan Brasier was first dispatched out of the bullpen by the Red Sox. The righty maneuvered his way around a pair of two-out singles to hold the Jays at four runs heading into the seventh.

Now matched up against Blue Jays reliever Trent Thornton, Christian Arroyo reached base with two outs to bring the potential tying run to the plate in the form of Refsnyder. Already 1-for-3 on the night, Refsnyder delivered in the clutch yet again with a game-tying two-run home run that came on a 1-0, 96 mph fastball down the heart of the plate.

Refsnyder made it a 4-4 game with his second homer of the season. After John Schreiber took care of business in the latter half of the seventh, Vazquez gave his side its first lead of the night a half-inning later on a go-ahead RBI single off Tim Mayza.

The Sox then loaded the bases with one out when the pinch-hitting Bobby Dalbec drew a six-pitch walk off new reliever Matt Gage. But Arroyo followed by lining into an inning-ending double play.

Taking a newfound 5-4 lead into the bottom of the eighth, Tyler Danish sat down the side in order on 15 pitches. With closer Tanner Houck unavailable due to his vaccination status, though, Red Sox manager Alex Cora was forced to get creative and he turned to Danish for a second inning in the ninth.

That decision did not pan out, as Danish gave up a single and issued a walk to lead off the inning. He was then given the hook in favor of Hansel Robles, who proceeded to surrender a game-tying single to Bo Bichette that was followed by a walk-off hit off the bat of Guerrero Jr.

Danish was charged with the loss, Robles with the blown save, and the Red Sox fell to 2-7 against the Blue Jays this season. They now sport an overall record of 42-33 on the year.

Next up: Pivetta vs. Manoah in finale

Having already seen their streak of consecutive series wins snapped at seven, the Red Sox will look to snap their two-game losing streak against the Blue Jays on Wednesday night. Canadian-born right-hander Nick Pivetta will get the start for Boston while fellow righty Alek Manoah will do the same for Toronto.

First pitch from Rogers Centre is scheduled for 7:07 p.m. eastern time on NESN.

(Picture of Vladimir Guerrero Jr.: Mark Blinch/Getty Images)

Red Sox select Rob Refsnyder from Triple-A Worcester, place Garrett Whitlock on 15-day injured list in slew of roster moves

Before opening a three-game series against the Mariners at T-Mobile Park on Friday night, the Red Sox made a series of roster moves.

First off, outfielder Rob Refsnyder had his contract selected from Triple-A Worcester. To make room for Refsnyder on both the 26-man and 40-man roster, infielder Jonathan Arauz was designated for assignment.

Secondly, right-hander Garrett Whitlock was placed on the 15-day injured list with right hip inflammation, retroactive to June 9. Fellow righty Phillips Valdez was recalled from Worcester to take Whitlock’s spot on the active roster, the club announced.

Refsnyder joins the Red Sox for the second time this season after previously appearing in three games as a COVID-related substitute in late April. The right-handed hitting 31-year-old went 2-fot-5 at the plate with two doubles, one RBI, and one walk.

With the WooSox this year, Refsnyder has batted .306/.429/.524 with 14 doubles, six home runs, 28 RBIs, 31 runs scored, four stolen bases, 28 walks, and 42 strikeouts over 42 games spanning 182 plate appearances. He will hit leadoff and start in right field against the Mariners on Friday.

Arauz, meanwhile, has lost his spot on Boston’s 40-man roster after appearing in just six games with the big-league club this season. The versatile switch-hitter failed to record a hit in his 10 trips to the plate, though he did drive in and score one run.

Originally acquired from the Astros in the 2019 Rule 5 Draft, Arauz could appeal to other teams given the fact that he is still just 23 years old and has two minor-league options remaining. The Red Sox will have the next seven days to either trade, release, or sneak the Panamanian national through waivers.

Turning to the other side of these transactions, Whitlock heads to the injured list after experiencing hip issues in his last start against the Angels on Tuesday. The soon-to-be 26-year-old hurler was slated to get the ball in Sunday’s series finale with the Mariners, but the Red Sox will now have to look elsewhere for a starter.

Since his stint on the 15-day injured list was backdated to June 9, Whitlock would first be eligible to be activated on Friday, June 24. That would line him up to make his return against the Guardians in Cleveland.

With Whitlock sidelined for the time being, the Sox recalled Valdez, who was just sent down to make room on the roster for Hansel Robles on Thursday. Valdez owns a 5.84 ERA and 3.71 FIP in 10 appearances (12 1/3 innings) with Boston this season.

(Picture of Garrett Whitlock: John Cordes/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)