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Red Sox Make Surprise Move By Designating Versatile Infielder For Assignment

Boston designated one of its middle infielders for assignment Friday

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Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox

The Boston Red Sox made a somewhat surprising move Friday afternoon.

Boston officially designated infielder Christian Arroyo for assignment to make room on the roster for newly acquired infielder Luis Urías, according to the club. 

"The Red Sox today recalled (infielder) Luis Urías from Triple-A Worcester. To make room for Urías, the club designated (infielder) Christian Arroyo for assignment," the club said in a tweet.

Boston acquired Arroyo during the 2020 campaign after claiming him off waivers from the Cleveland Guardians. Arroyo has been with the club since then and at times has shown flashes of solid offensive potential but injuries have hampered his time in Boston. The 28-year-old's best season was without a doubt the 2022 campaign where he appeared in a career-high 87 games and slashed .286/.322/.414 to go along with six home runs and 36 RBIs. 

Throughout his career in Boston, Arroyo developed into a fan favorite. He entered the 2023 season as the club's starting second baseman with Trevor Story injured and Xander Bogaerts playing elsewhere but struggled to get his footing initially. He has turned things around of late and so far this season in 66 games is slashing .241/.268/.369 to go along with three home runs and 24 RBIs. 

Now that he has been designated for assignment, clubs will have one week to place a waiver claim on him. If a team does so they would then need to add him to the 40-man roster. If no team claims him, he can opt for free agency. It wouldn't be surprising in the slightest to see Arroyo quickly land with another club this season. He has shown strong offensive promise and could be a solid depth piece for a contender looking for a little extra offense from the middle infield. 

Arroyo likely was going to lose some playing time with Story's return imminent, but it was surprising to see him designated for assignment. Hopefully, he can land with another club quickly. 

More MLB: Ex-Red Sox Outfielder Reportedly Lands With AL East Rival Looking To Get Back To Big Leagues

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