Will Middlebrooks (Photo by Kelly O’Connor via SittinStill.smugmug.com)
The Boston Red Sox had five open spaces after trading away pieces on Thursday prior to Friday’s contest at Fenway Park against the New York Yankees, but the team did a couple extra moves to make sure even more players could get on the team.
The Red Sox placed Allen Craig an Yoenis Cespedes on active roster while pitchers Tommy Layne, Alex Wilson and Anthony Ranaudo were recalled from Triple-A Pawtucket. Mookie Betts was also recalled from Triple-A.
Will Middlebrooks was activated from the 15-day DL.
In order to make room for the extra two men, Shane Victorino was placed on the DL for the third time this season. This time with a lower back strain. The team also designated 1B/OF Mike Carp for assignment.
Craig had been having an off year in 2013 with a .237 average with just seven home runs. Cespedes did not make it in time to play on Friday, but should be in the lineup come Saturday. The Cuban outfielder had 17 homers with the Oakland Athletics before the trade on Thursday.
Layne has notched 11 saves with a 5-1 record out of the bullpen for the Paw Sox this season with a nifty 1.50 ERA. He pitched 0.2 scoreless innings earlier this season against the Baltimore Orioles.
Alex Wilson has been up three other times this season fr the Red Sox and will take his 4-1, minor league mark and 4.23 ERA up to the big club for some time to come.
Ranaudo started Friday against the Yankees after going 12-4 through 21 starts with the Paw Sox with a solid 2.41 ERA, which is second in the International League and first among Red Sox farmhands. The 24-year-old won his major league debut with six
solid innings with two earned runs, four walks and two strikeouts. Joe Kelly will likely be the guy in that spot of the rotation moving forward.
Mookie Betts hit a walkoff homer for Pawtucket on Thursday before his callup and will likely see playing time against left-handed pitching for the time being. He entered Friday hitting .235 with two doubles and a home run in 10 games in his earlier stint with the big league squad.
Middlebrooks gets the chance to showcase what he can do after dealing with a fractured finger in May. He was hitting .197 in just 21 games with Boston this year.