With Kevin Youkilis out for a third straight game due to a stiff back, the Red Sox called up shortstop Jose Iglesias from Triple-A Pawtucket. He will be activated for Tuesday's game. In order to create a spot for him on the big league roster, right-hander Junichi Tazawa will be optioned back to the PawSox.
Iglesias is hitting .200 with a .274 OBP, .212 slugging mark and one double in 85 at-bats. However, Sox officials suggest that his performance at the plate has reflected some of the progress he showed during spring training, foremost better pitch recognition and an improved ability to drive the ball, and suggest that he has endured some bad luck that have skewed his April numbers.
Will Middlebrooks (hitting .348 with a .396 OBP, .708 slugging mark and nine homers in 23 games) might have been considered for a call-up, but he tweaked his thumb slightly on a swing over the weekend. The 23-year-old had Monday off, and his health will be re-evaluated after he returns to the PawSox lineup on Tuesday.
Tazawa has not allowed an earned run in five games spanning 6 1/3 innings, but he struggled in the second of back-to-back appearances on Monday, allowing all three batters he faced to reach (walk, hit batter, error) to create some instability in the late innings of what had been a blowout.
Youkilis has not been placed on the DL, and so it is possible that the addition of Iglesias is merely temporary, particularly if Youkilis returns quickly to health. In sending down Tazawa, the Sox could also be making a precursor move to the potential addition of Aaron Cook to the major league roster, though at this time, according to multiple major league sources, no action has been taken with regards to promoting Cook.
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