Ahead of potentially their biggest series of the season so far, the Boston Red Sox have shuffled their infield.
The Red Sox have designated infielder Abraham Toro for assignment and recalled David Hamilton to take his roster spot, first reported by Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic. Boston signed Toro to a minor league deal before the 2025 season, and he quickly became a fixture in the lineup at first place after Triston Casas' season-ending injury.
The Red Sox summoned Toro to play in Casas' stead on May 4, and he made an immediate impact. He batted .296/.296/.537 in 17 games in May, and he only got better as the summer came. His slash line reached .341/.353/.573 by June 8 (while the Sox were playing the Yankees), and Toro quickly became a Boston folk hero, as Dominic Smith did the season before him.
Red Sox designate Abraham Toro for assignment, summon David Hamilton before Yankees series
But his offense came down to earth soon enough. Toro's slash line dropped down to .239/.289/.371 after a weeks-long slump, and the Red Sox can't afford to keep him in a lineup spot while they're in the playoff hunt. Boston's August 18 signing of recently-DFA'd first baseman Nathaniel Lowe was the nail in Toro's Red Sox coffin.
Toro's prolonged offensive skid had Sox fans calling for the team to move on, but Hamilton isn't the roster replacement most of them had in mind. The infielder spent most of the first half of the season with the big league club with seriously underwhelming results. Hamilton is slashing .174/.227/.265 in 69 games with the Red Sox this year — hardly an offensive improvement over Toro.
Hamilton's defense has improved since last year's 10-error total between second base and shortstop, and he's stolen 17 bases this year. There's no denying Hamilton as a weapon on the base paths, and the Yankees have struggled to contain him in the past. He racked up four steals against them as he carried the Red Sox to a franchise record nine steal game on July 16, 2024.
The Red Sox's infield depth options in Triple-A are suddenly minimal after Nate Eaton's August 18 call-up and Vaughn Grissom's August 19 injured list placement. Boston could've (and probably should've) summoned Nick Sogard instead of Hamilton, but they likely see Hamilton's speed as too big an advantage to pass up.
Toro had a great run with the Red Sox, and his first-base folk hero status won't be forgotten anytime soon. But Boston is hitting a critical point in its playoff chase, and it's time to let Toro go, as he's been one of the worst hitters in MLB for weeks.