Red Sox sign Blake Tekotte to minor league deal

The Red Sox have continued to stockpile minor league depth as, after already adding Mitchell Boggs, Jeff Bianchi, and Luke Montz on minor league contracts earlier this week, the Red Sox have signed outfielder Blake Tekotte to a minor league deal.

The San Diego Padres selected Tekotte, an athletic outfielder from the University of Miami, in the third round of the 2008 draft. Tekotte rolled through the minor leagues, hitting well enough in Double-A San Antonio to receive a promotion to San Diego. However, Tekotte didn’t impress during his first stint in the majors, slashing .176/.263/.265 in 40 plate appearances and failing to secure any longterm position with the Padres.

Since that first stint in San Diego, Tekotte’s former promise has fizzled out. His minor league totals have not been nearly so gaudy in recent seasons, and he has been no short of awful at the big league level, with his best performance being in 2013, when he hit .226/.306/.355 for the White Sox.

Tekotte did not appear in the major leagues in 2014 and he compiled just a .249/.320/.439 slash line between Triple-A Charlotte and Reno, knocking 11 home runs but stealing only 1 base (caught 4 times). His once-intriguing combination of power and speed is no longer prominent in Tekotte’s game and he has failed to make consistent contact even in Triple-A.

At this point in his career, he is simply minor league depth for the Red Sox and he may not even start in Pawtucket. Considering Boston’s packed outfield (even after the Yoenis Cespedes trade), it’s unlikely that Tekotte will even receive a promotion to the major leagues. Still, there’s nothing wrong with compiling minor league depth, particularly when they have any semblance of upside, and that’s exactly what the Red Sox are doing. Tekotte might not be much, but don’t expect any big news for the Red Sox for the rest of the winter as the team simply looks to find a diamond in the rough in the later stages of the offseason.