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The Boston Red Sox had a busy Friday, with three players leaving the active roster for various reasons and three players rejoining the team.
Shane Victorino and Will Middlebrooks were both placed on the disabled list and Ryan Lavarnway was optioned to Triple-A., reports Tim Britton of the Providence Journal. Taking the three open roster spots will be Alfredo Aceves and Jose Iglesias, who were both recalled from Triple-A, and David Ross, activated from the disabled list.
Middlebrooks is suffering from back spasms and had to exit Thursday night's game when they became too difficult to play through. The third baseman has had a lackluster sophomore campaign in 2013, posting just a .642 OPS. As a rookie in 2012, he hit 15 home runs in 75 games while getting on base at a .325 clip.
Victorino, 32, has not played since Monday due to strained left hamstring. The outfielder is in his first season with the Red Sox after signing as a free agent in the off season. Victorino has been dealing with several nagging injuries, including a back injury that caused him to miss some time in late April.
Lavarnway, 25, was on the roster to back up Jarrod Saltalamacchia while Ross was on the disabled list with a concussion. Lavarnway only appeared in three games and, now that Ross has been deemed healthy, will be sent back to Triple-A.
Aceves, 30, was with the Red Sox earlier in the season, making three starts in five appearances but pitching poorly with an 8.66 ERA. After a great 2011 campaign as a reliever, Aceves struggled out of Boston's bullpen in 2012, posting a 5.36 ERA over 69 games. In four starts at Triple-A this season, he has pitched well.
Iglesias is known as a defense-first shortstop, a quality that caused him to be a top prospect off and on the past few years despite the unlikelihood of his bat allowing him to play in the majors. He has a .622 career OPS in the minors over four seasons and has not done anything to dissuade fears about his hitting this year. Over 33 Triple-A games, Iglesias has hit for just a .202/.262/.319 line.
