Reese McGuire to the injured list, Sox recall Caleb Hamilton from Triple-A Worcester
The Red Sox continue to get nipped by the injury bug. Reese McGuire is the latest Sox player to land on the injured list, after suffering a right oblique strain during Wednesday night’s 5-4 loss to the Twins.
McGuire strained his right oblique muscle on a swing during his at-bat in the sixth inning Wednesday and immediately coming out of the game.
“I think it was either during the swing or at the end point of the swing, I felt it grab and tighten up,” McGuire said. “Definitely my oblique.
“We’ve talked to the doctor but didn’t get any imaging or anything so we’ll probably end up doing that tomorrow and just let it chill out tonight,” added McGuire. “I kind of felt it and wanted it not to be true. I knew what I felt so at that point, I knew I was going to be missing it a little bit of time. It sucks.”
The team will recall WooSox catcher Caleb Hamilton to fill McGuire’s spot on the roster.
The Red Sox will need to make a 40-man roster move to facilitate adding Hamilton to the 26-man roster. All signs are pointing in the direction of placing Yu Chang on the 60-day injured list.
Hamilton might only be a temporary replacement for McGuire, the team is reportedly considering an external options. Two options the Sox could look at are recently released Guardians catcher Mike Zunino and old friend Sandy León who was designated for assignment by the Rangers.
With the loss of McGuire the Sox catching depth takes a massive hit. The logical choice for a promotion would have been Jorge Alfaro, but he opted out of his deal on June 1 and then later signed with the Rockies.
Hamilton is a defensive-first catcher and has been described as an “elite framer” behind the plate by WooSox skipper Chad Tracy.
This season he owns a .174 average with three homers, 13 RBIs and a .587 OPS.
The move now leaves just Ronaldo Hernandez and Stephen Scott as the two catchers on the WooSox roster. There’s a strong chance an external option is made to give the organization more depth at the position.
Thursday will be a busy day for the Sox from a roster move perspective. The club needs to officially add Brandon Walter to the 26-man roster. The most logical choice would be to option Kaleb Ort back to Worcester. If Chang is indeed moved to the 60-day IL, Hamilton easily takes his spot.
The WooSox will also likely need to make a move after losing Hamilton. Their bench was already thin with three guys available due to carrying more pitchers.
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