Middlebrooks Returns To Lineup Tonight; Ciriaco Designated For Assignment
By Conor Duffy
Will Middlebrooks‘ time in Pawtucket has proved to be short, as he is back in the major leagues as of today. This weekend, Ben Cherington had announced that Middlebrooks would stay in Pawtucket on his rehab assignment until he gained “positive momentum.” Middlebrooks seemed to hit pretty well on his short assignment down on the farm, as he slashed .294/.429/.647 with 2 home runs and 4 walks in 5 games (21 plate appearances). That stint in Pawtucket hopefully will help him to generate some confidence that will translate to the big leagues.
May 15, 2013; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Boston Red Sox third baseman Will Middlebrooks (16) doubles during the second inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
He will need all of that confidence given his tremendous struggles so far in 2013. In his first full year as the Red Sox’ starting third baseman, he has batted just .201/.234/.408 and has struck out in nearly 30% of his plate appearances while walking in just 4%. Neither of those numbers show Middlebrooks’ full potential as a power-hitting third baseman with decent enough hitting skills to be an above average player. Middlebrooks will now need to improve his contact rate and walk rate, otherwise he may find himself sitting the bench in place of Jose Iglesias.
Jose Iglesias will be sticking around as the team’s utility infielder after having hit .446/.494/.581 in 80 plate appearances so far. He will replace Pedro Ciriaco, whom the Red Sox have designated for assignment. The Red Sox have 10 days to release, demote, or trade Ciriaco.
That’s perfectly fine for the Red Sox, as Ciriaco has only batted .216/.293/.353 after a surprisingly productive 2012 season. Iglesias is more than capable defensively as a utility infielder and has shown this year that he can handle the bat as well. In any luck, Middlebrooks will hit well enough to start for the rest of the year; if that doesn’t happen, however, Iglesias is a much more viable option that Ciriaco.