Infielder Ryan Roberts has cleared waivers after being designated for assignment and accepted an outright assignment to Triple-A Pawtucket, the Red Sox announced yesterday.
The 33-year-old Roberts collected just two hits and three walks in 22 plate appearances for the Sox after signing a Major League deal with them when Will Middlebrooks went down with an injury. Though he didn’t perform particularly well in that very small sample, Roberts has demonstrated in the past that he has enough pop and speed to post double-digit totals in homers and stolen bases, particularly in his 2011 campaign with the D’Backs when he slashed .249/.321/.427 with 19 homers and 18 steals.
For his career, Roberts owns a .243/.320/.388 batting line with 46 homers and 35 stolen bases. He’s been particularly useful against left-handed pitching, hitting at a .261/.337/.435 clip. Defensive Runs Saved feels that he’s an average defender at third base and has been worth +5 runs in about a season’s worth of innings at second base (1357), while UZR/150 feels he’s a plus defender at each position.
I’m glad that he’s sticking around. The Sox really need another right handed bench player to balance out all the lefties. He has seen 35 games in left, and I expect that he’ll see time in both left and right in the minors.
He’s a pretty solid role player and a good guy to have in reserve. I suspect that he just wasn’t ready to start the season after missing so much training camp time.
I don’t know. See him as another player at Pawtucket taking away playing time at 3b/dh from Cecchini who should be out there just about every single day, yet we have seen 4a players in the line up there 2-3 times per week early on and Cecchini sitting as it is trying to get them some at bats.
This is yet another 4a player.
It was either forfeit his salary and look for a better opportunity or stay in the organization
There is no better opportunity for Roberts, he made the right choice