Don't look for Swihart behind the plate in Arizona either

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At least part of the reason the Red Sox parted ways with Blake Swihart was said to be their lack of faith in his catching ability.

It sounds as if Swihart's new team, the Arizona Diamondbacks, doesn't plan on using him a lot at catcher, either. Dbacks GM Mike Hazen, the former Red Sox GM was in Boston's front office when Swihart was a first-round pick in 2011. He told the Arizona Republic he sees the versatile Swihart moving among several positions.

“We really like his bat and think he has a chance to hit,” Hazen said. “If he ended up in a spot where he got to play every day and did what we felt like he could do with the bat, we wouldn’t have had a chance to acquire him.”  

Look for Swihart to fill in at both corner outfield spots, first, third and even second base, Hazen said. Swihart, 27, appeared in one game at second and three at third in his Red Sox career. Hazen said doesn't see him displacing any of the three catchers on Arizona's roster.

When asked where he envisioned Swihart playing, Hazen said, “It could be behind the plate. It could be at a different position.”

A stint in left for the Red Sox ended disastrously for Swihart in 2016 when he injured his ankle colliding with the side wall in left field at Fenway Park. He was limited to only six games the following season before bouncing back last year to appear in 82 games (catching in 28). He hit .229. 

Swihart was designated for assignment earlier this week before the Sox worked out a trade with Arizona on Friday. They also sent $500,000 in international bonus pool money to the Dbacks in exchange for minor league outfielder Marcus Wilson, 22, ranked Arizona's No. 20 prospect by Baseball America. He was hitting .235 with a .879 OPS and two homers in 12 games for Double-A Jackson. Last year, he hit .235 with a .678 OPS, 10 homers and 26 doubles with Class A Visalia. 

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