C.J.

Cron

The veteran first baseman signed a minor league contract with Boston in early March, and Cron decided to opt out of the deal after hitting .200/.368/.200 across six Grapefruit League contests. He will look to snag another opportunity with another ballclub before the season begins,

Red Sox manager Alex Cora says the hope is to “make [Refsnyder] a more versatile piece for the bench.” With the team potentially carrying as many as five outfielders on the Opening Day roster, they won’t need a strict outfielder on the bench. Refsnyder has a history of being an asset against left-handed pitching, so he could be an important bench piece if he can become more versatile. Right now, he’s likely in a battle with Bobby Dalbec and C.J. Cron to be a right-handed hitter off the bench.

Boston’s front office has been trolling the free agent waters in search of a low-cost fallback option at the cold corner and designated hitter for a couple weeks and finally reeled in a capable veteran in Cron. The 34-year-old slugger dealt with back issues last year in Colorado before being shipped to the Angels. He’s a low-risk lottery ticket for the Red Sox and is unlikely to make a tangible impact for fantasy managers.

This isn’t the first time the veteran slugger landed on the injured list this season with back inflammation. He missed a month in late summer with the same injury and the move to the injured list will effectively end his season. Cron hit .248/.25/.434 with 12 homers and 37 RBI between Colorado and Los Angeles.

Cron was activated off the IL on Saturday but has yet to make a start until today. Before landing on the injured list, he was hitting .252/.299/.441 with 12 homers and 37 RBI in 254 at-bats between the Rockies and Angels. Cron will start at designated hitter with Jared Walsh moving to right field and Brandon Drury playing first base. Nolan Schanuel will get a day off and Michael Stefanic will play third base.

He’ll take the roster spot that was vacated when Shohei Ohtani (oblique) landed on the injured list on Saturday. Cron has been sidelined since August 16 due to inflammation in his lower back. Before landing on the injured list, he was hitting .252/.299/.441 with 12 homers and 37 RBI in 254 at-bats between the Rockies and Angels.

The 33-year-old slugger has been dealing with a nagging back issue for a while now, and the Angels felt it would make the most sense to sit him down completely to allow it to fully heal. Nolan Schanuel had his contract selected from Triple-A Salt Lake in a corresponding move on Friday.

Cron takes a seat on Wednesday evening after returning to Los Angeles’ lineup on Tuesday night following a two-game absence due to lower back tightness. It’ll be Mike Moustakas taking over at first base in his absence.

It’s the second straight game that the 33-year-old slugger has missed due to his nagging back issue. The Angels’ still believe it to be a minor issue and don’t think Cron will require a trip to the injured list. Mike Moustakas is drawing another start in his place at first base and will bat cleanup against Max Scherzer and the Rangers on Monday evening in Arlington.

Cron was lifted in the sixth inning of Saturday’s game due to lower back tightness. After the game, Angels manager Phil Nevin told reporters that the 33-year-old had been dealing with the injury for a few days and was taken out for precautionary reasons. Fantasy managers should consider him day-to-day for now. Mike Moustakas will play first base while hitting cleanup as the Angels try to remain in the playoff picture in the American League.