Jonathan Diaz Optioned To Pawtucket; Brock Holt Likely Recalled

After last night’s 6-2 win over the Angels, Jonathan Diaz was seen saying his goodbyes to teammates. Although it was never formally announced by the Red Sox, this indicates that Diaz was sent back down to Pawtucket and the likely candidate to join the Red Sox is Brock Holt. Holt was injured when Stephen Drew pulled a hamstring and thus the Red Sox recalled Diaz to the majors; however, now that Holt is back and ready to play, the sensible move is to call up the young utility infielder.

Mar 15, 2013; Sarasota, FL, USA; Boston Red Sox shortstop Brock Holt (26) against the Baltimore Orioles during a spring training game at

Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

This will be Holt’s first stint with the Red Sox, but he did play and played well in a cup of coffee with the Pirates last year. In 24 games and 69 plate appearances, Holt slashed .292/.329/.354 while contributing at second base, third base, and shortstop. That season, Holt had raked in the minors– his combined slash line between Double-A and Triple-A was .344/.406/.453– but this season has been a bit slower for the 25 year old.

Holt has been solid of late, he has hit .322 since April. However, a sluggish start to the season has brought his season slash line down to a relatively mediocre .263/.335/.297 and his .631 OPS is unimpressive even for a utility infielder. Still, if Holt can continue his recent pace in Pawtucket, he will certainly provide some value.

Brandon Snyder seems to have the third base job down pat until Stephen Drew returns (likely in the next few days), so Holt will likely contribute mostly off the bench or through an occasional spot start. Holt has the ability to work walks and get on base at a decent rate while providing passable defense at three positions. This is a temporary move as he will probably be optioned in favor of a reliever as soon as Drew is ready for game action. However, it will be interesting to see what Holt, a somewhat unpredictable player, will be able to do.