Christian Vazquez Ready for the Show

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What was once his job could easily become his job once again relatively soon.

Tommy John Surgery may have set Christian Vazquez back. But it appears as though he is ready to catch in the majors once again.

The Red Sox optioned Cuban outfielder Rusney Castillo to Triple-A Pawtucket and calling up Vazquez appears to be the corresponding move.

In cold Pawtucket weather over the weekend, Vazquez gave the impression that he feels as though he is healthy and ready to go.

“I’m feeling good man.” he said. “I’m feeling great, on time and I’m seeing the ball well. I’m having some good swings.”

At the plate, the defensive-minded catcher said he was not trying to do too much other than make sure his timing is down. And with a new high leg kick, Vazquez has strung together quality plate appearances. He posted a .650 on-base percentage in five Triple-A games, drawing seven walks in 20 plate appearances. It could be a sign that he has improved at the plate, keeping in mind he posted just a .617 OPS in 55 MLB games in 2014.

It may be a positive sign for him to be hitting pro pitching and drawing walks in a small sample size, but he is a catcher and hitting is secondary for catchers.

Vazquez probably is not going to see the workload the Red Sox gave Jarrod Saltalamacchia in the summer months of 2013, especially with the catching depth they possess. But Vazquez said his body feels great. He also appeared slimmer and mentioned losing about 25 pounds in the offseason.

In Pawtucket, Vazquez took full advantage of working in a low pressure environment.

“I’m working on everything,” he said. “My catching, my arm, my hitting stuff. Overall, I’m working on everything.”

With Ryan Hanigan and Blake Swihart already on the big league roster, a position battle between Vazquez and Swihart will surely ensue. The Red Sox are 29-24 in Hanigan’s starts since the start of 2015 and Swihart has struggled to command the pitching staff.

Regardless of what comes of it, the Red Sox have an opportunity right now to keep all of their catchers fresh.

Former Red Sox Pitcher Bronson Arroyo's Career Likely Over

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After being scratched from his start versus the Miami Marlins yesterday, Peter Gammons reported that Bronson Arroyo has suffered an 80 percent tear of the labrum in his right should which will likely end his career.

Arroyo had never made a trip to the DL in his major league career before 2014 when he missed the second half of the season and all of 2015 after having Tommy John surgery. The Nationals gave Arroyo one more chance to make a major league roster, inking him in January to a minor league deal.

A part of the 2004 group of 'idiots' that reversed and 86 year old curse and won the World Series, Arroyo joined David Ortiz as the only players still active from that team going into this season.

Arroyo may have only spent parts of three seasons with the Red Sox, but provided many memorable moments.

Swihart to Return to Game Action on Wednesday

(Photo Credit: Forrest Mulheron/New England Baseball Media)

 

Update: 03/14/2016 @ 10:34

"Everything is fine. No concussion and I am good to go," Swihart told Pete Abraham.

Abraham also reports that Swihart was fitted for a special mouth guard two weeks ago that will protect from shots to the jaw. Unfortunately, it hasn't arrived yet and he will have to wear a temporary model until then. He will return to game action on Wednesday..

Swihart Exits Game With Bruised Jaw - 03/13/2016 @ 5:00 PM

Assumed Red Sox starting catcher, Blake Swihart, suffered a bruised jaw when a foul ball deflected off his mask during Sunday's game against the Tampa Bay Rays.

It has been reported that Swihart suffered a contusion to his jaw, but that he came back negative for any signs of a concussion.

“He got his bell rung, obviously,” Red Sox manager John Farrell told WEEI. “We’ll check him tomorrow, obviously monitor him day to day. At this point no further test unless things don’t clear up. Again with contusion, we’ll monitor day to day.”

Stay tuned for updates.

Carson Smith to Return to Game Action Tuesday

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By: Tom Joyce 

It won't be long before Carson Smith is back in action for the Red Sox.

The second year reliever, who came from Seattle alongside Roenis Elias in the Wade Miley deal, has not pitched in a game since March 6. But he could be back at it soon enough.

Smith, was sidelined with muscle spasms in his back, will throw a bullpen session today and will pitch in a Spring Training game on Tuesday, according to The Boston Globe's Pete Abraham.

Smith led all rookie relievers with 92 strikeouts in 70 innings last season. He also led the team in appearances (70) and had the lowest ERA (2.31) of a Mariners reliever who threw at least 35 innings out of the bullpen.

This year, the 26-year-old will play a key role in Boston's late inning relief corps alongside Craig Kimbrel and Koji Uehara. 

Who Will Take Rodriguez's Spot in the Rotation?

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By: Forrest Mulheron

It appears as thought he knee injury suffered by Eduardo Rodriguez while shagging fly balls during spring training camp in late February is not a major cause for concern. However, it's has all but been confirmed that Rodriguez will miss his first start of the year (if not the first few) and now the Red Sox must begin to think about his replacement.

A couple obvious choices stick out in fellow left-handers, Henry Owens and Brian Johnson. Both made their major league debuts in 2015 and showed potential on the mound, but neither looked as polished as Rodriguez who looked like he belonged in the majors from the beginning.

Brian Johnson's first MLB start of his career would also be the final start of his 2015 campaign, as it was announced that he began feeling some soreness in his left elbow shortly afterwards. Although an elbow injury is a pitcher's worst nightmare, Johnson did not require Tommy John surgery and has been throwing normally during spring training. It is hard to imagine Johnson getting the call to replace Rodriguez though, he has not pitched in a regular season game since July 21 against the Houston Astros.

Henry Owens by far got the bigger cup of tea last season, going 4-4 with a 4.57 ERA in 11 starts over 63 innings of work. He even looked dominating at times, holding the eventual World Series champion Kansas City Royals to one earned run over eight innings in a 7-1 Red Sox victory on Augusta 21.  The real glaring issues for Owens are his lack of velocity, but more importantly his control. He walks far too many batters (24 walks to 50 strikeouts in 2015) for a pitcher that lacks dominating speed and will need to correct that right off to have any MLB future ahead of him.

The choice that would make the most sense given the current circumstances would be one of the most underrated arms on the roster, knuckleballer Steven Wright. Wright went 5-4 with a 4.09 era in 16 games last season (9 starts) before being sidelined on August 11th with a concussion. He appears to be back to his usual self this spring, however, posting a 2.57 ERA over seven innings of work. One major benefit to Wright is his ability to both start and relieve, which would make for a seamless transition to the bullpen upon Rodriguez's return.

The most important thing to remember is that Rodriguez's injury is not serious and whatever solution the Red Sox find will only need to be a temporary one. It has been rumored that the Red Sox did not want Rodriguez throwing a full slate of 200+ innings this season regardless, so his may wind up as a blessing in disguise as E-Rod can now save those innings for the important games down the stretch.

Carson Smith Dealing With Back Spasms

Tim Britton of the Providence Journal tweeted earlier today that Red Sox relief pitcher Carson Smith has been dealing with some back spasms which explains why he has not piched in nearly a week.

Smith was acquired by the Red Sox along with Roenis Elias in exchange for left-handed starter Wade Miley and right-handed reliever Jonathan Aro. He is expected to be a major part of Boston's bullpen which also includes Craig Kimbrel, Koji Uehara and Junichi Tazawa.

Stay tuned for updates.

Top Prospect Kopech Fractures Hand in Altercation With Roomate

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According to Rob Bradford of WEEI, Red Sox top prospect Michael Kopech recently fractured his hand after getting into an altercation with a teammate.

The injury comes at a very bad time for the 19-year old, having just finished serving a 50 game suspension he received last year for testing positive for the performance enhancing substance, Oxilofrine.

Kopech released the following statement on MiLB.com following the suspension:

"I would like to start by apologizing to all of baseball, baseball fans, and specifically the Red Sox and Red Sox fan base. I respect the game as much, if not more than, anyone else. With that being said, I never have and never will intentionally cheat the game that has been so great to me. I haven't bought any supplements that aren't NSF certified for sport. Therefore, I know I have not bought a supplement containing this drug. I have never heard of Oxilofrine, honestly. Apparently, it is a drug that many people use for weight loss. I have been trying to gain weight since I signed with the Red Sox. I do understand this is also a stimulant. This drug would have no positive outcome for me and that's why I chose to appeal. I realized I didn't have much evidence to prove that I'm innocent, but I didn't have any understanding of how I could have failed a test. I respect the system and understand why they have to be so careful with the testing. I also understand why that means my suspension couldn't have been overturned without proper evidence. I have 50 games to get to work and better myself and as a ball player. Next season I'll be better than ever. Drug free."  

The Boston Red Sox drafted Kopech in the first round of the 2014 draft. In 24 career minor league games (23 starts), Kopech has a 2.97 ERA with 86 strikeouts and 36 walks over 78.2 innings.

Rodriguez Will Need Game Action Within 10 Days to be Ready for Opener

(Twitter - @Sean_McAdam)

According to a tweet from Sean McAdam, John Farrell has stated that Eduardo Rodriguez will need to get into game action at some point within the next 10 days to be considered ready for the opener.

Rodriguez suffered a right knee injury while shagging fly balls during a practice at the end of February, similar to how Mariano Rivera injured himself in May of 2012. The young southpaw initially stated that he felt 'fine' after the tweak, but eventually it was reported that the 22-year old suffered a patella subluxation (dislocation of the knee cap).

Rodriguez was acquired at the 2014 trade deadline from the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for left-handed reliever Andrew Miller and is considered a major piece of the Red Sox rotation moving forward.

It is needless to say that the injury has caused some understandable concern for Boston fans, however, the front office and coaching staff has been adamant there is no serious damage and that Rodriguez is recovering as expected.

Boston has plenty of depth to cover Rodriguez's spot in the rotation so it may be best to let him take his time and guarantee he returns at one hundred percent.

Henry Owens and Brian Johnson provide the Red Sox with other left-handed options, while knuckleballer Steven Wright has looked good this spring and had a 2.59 ERA over his final four starts last season before being sidelined with a concussion.

Rodriguez was 10-6 with a 3.85 ERA over 121.2 innings last season.