Sox activate Vazquez, ship Blake Swihart to Pawtucket

Share

BOSTON -- As expected, the Red Sox activated Christian Vazquez today and he's in the starting lineup, batting eighth and catching, for the series opener tonight against the Blue Jays. 

But surprisingly, they shipped out Blake Swihart as part of the package.

The Sox had opened a roster spot when they optioned outfielder Rusney Castillo to Pawtucket after Wednesday night's 4-2 victory over the Orioles. It was thought Vazquez would be the replacement -- especially when he didn't accompany the PawSox on the nine-game road trip that started Thursday in Lehigh Valley -- and he is.

The Red Sox, however, made another roster move at the same time. They sent Swihart to Pawtucket and recalled infielder Marco Hernandez, who batted .579 (11-for-19) with six doubles, and a 1.514 OPS for the Sox this year in spring training. 

The move makes sense. Had Swihart not been sent out, the Sox would have been carrying three catchers and their only non-catching, in-game bench players would have been outfielder Chris Young and infielder Jeff Rutledge. Subbing Hernandez for Swihart gives them more in-game flexibility and insurance in case of injury.

Still, it was thought they'd carry three catchers -- at least for a little while -- since Vazquez is still in the final recovery stages of Tommy John surgery and won't be able to play long stretches at a time. With Swihart gone, Ryan Hanigan figures to get more playing time as he shares the job with Vazquez.

Contact Us