After agreeing to a deal with former Washington Nationals first baseman Nathaniel Lowe and calling up Nate Eaton to replace a day-to-day Wilyer Abreu, the Boston Red Sox had to make two corresponding roster moves.
Boston on August 18 surprisingly placed outfielder Rob Refsnyder on the 10-day injured list with an oblique strain and designated catcher Ali Sánchez for assignment. Refsnyder's IL stint is retroactive to August 15, and the last time he appeared in a game was on August 13 against the Astros.
The Red Sox selected Sánchez off waivers from the Blue Jays as a third backup catcher when they feared Carlos Narváez would need an IL stint. Narváez just had a sore knee and didn't spend any time on the IL, so Sánchez never appeared in a game for Boston.
Refsndyer is a tough loss for the Red Sox, especially with a four-game series against the Yankees looming. The lefty killer is slashing .272/.357/.471 with an .828 OPS in 54 games so far this season, and he's batting .333/.375/.400 in his last seven appearances. The Sox will face southpaw Max Fried at some point in their series in the Bronx, and New York just sent Ryan Yarbrough on a rehab assignment to potentially return to the big leagues soon.
Red Sox activate Nathaniel Lowe and Nate Eaton, place Rob Refsnyder on 10-day IL, designate Ali Sánchez for assignment
The #RedSox today announced the following roster moves: pic.twitter.com/5idaqQ6REe
— Red Sox (@RedSox) August 18, 2025
Despite signing his replacement, the Red Sox kept Abraham Toro on the roster. Toro has played most of his innings at first base since Triston Casas' season-ending injury in May, but he's struggled enough offensively to justify giving Lowe a chance. Toro surprised Boston fans by batting .341/.353/.573 through June 8, but he's been in a long slump since, batting .173/.229/.265 in his last 30 games.
Lowe has historically been much more successful at the plate than he was with the Nationals. He batted .272/.356/.433 in the first six years of his major league career, and even won a Silver Slugger in 2022, with a .302/.358/.492 slash line over 157 games. Lowe could also provide a spark of power to the Sox's lineup, as his 16 homers on the season ties Alex Bregman for the third-most on the Red Sox this year.