Red Sox select contract of veteran infielder Chris Owings among other roster moves

The Boston Red Sox made a few roster moves ahead of Sunday's game against the Los Angeles Angels and it will result in a veteran making his Red Sox debut.

According to the Red Sox official Twitter account, the team selected the contract of infielder Chris Owings from Triple-A Pawtucket and put him on the major-league roster.

Owings, 27, has played seven major-league seasons spending most of them with the Arizona Diamondbacks before joining the Kansas City Royals prior to the 2019 season. He was designated for assignment by the Royals on May 31 before eventually signing a minor-league deal with the Red Sox in mid-June.

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Owings is a career .242 hitter but struggled badly with the Royals this year, hitting only .133 overall before his release. However, he has turned things around in Pawtucket and is hitting .325 with 11 homers in 183 plate appearances. He will have a chance to spark the Red Sox and prove that he can still be a function utility player at the MLB level.

To make room for Owings on the roster, the Red Sox sent Hector Velazquez back down to Pawtucket while transferring injured first-baseman Steve Pearce to the 60-day IL. Neither move was surprising as Velazquez has logged a 1-4 record and 5.81 ERA this season while Pearce hasn't been dealing with back and knee injuries since late-May. He still isn't able to run, so that necessitated a move to the 60-day IL.

Owings will get a test right away for the Red Sox, as he will play second base in Sunday afternoon's game and will get a chance to lead-off for the squad with Mookie Betts getting a day off. Here's a look at the Red Sox lineup for the contest. First pitch is scheduled for 1:05 p.m. ET.