Red Sox catcher Christian Vazquez has been placed on the 10-day disabled list with a fractured right pinky finger, according to a team announcement on Sunday. In a series of corresponding moves, right-handers William Cuevas and Ryan Brasier have been selected from Triple-A Pawtucket, while righty Austin Maddox (right shoulder injury) has been transferred to the 60-day DL and Brian Johnson (left hip inflammation) has been assigned to the 10-day DL as well.
Vazquez sustained the injury while sliding into second on a stolen base attempt during the seventh inning of Saturday’s 15-4 win over the Royals. He remained in the game through the end of the inning, but was unable to come back out for the eighth and was soon replaced by Sandy Leon behind the dish. Per Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe, he’ll undergo an MRI on Monday to determine the severity of the injury and the length of what already appears to be a long recovery process.
Prior to his exit on Saturday, the 27-year-old catcher went 1-for-4 with a two-run single against the Royals. He’s currently batting a career-low .213/.249/.300 with three home runs and a .548 OPS through 218 plate appearances. While Vazquez works his way back to the field this summer, Leon is expected to receive the lion’s share of starts behind the plate, with Blake Swihart moving into the primary backup role.