Red Sox Call Up Ryan Lavarnway, Kyle Weiland, Nate Spears To Majors

by Ben Buchanan on Sep 5, 2011 1:11 PM EDT in News

The second round of call-ups has come in, with Ryan Lavarnway, Kyle Weiland, and Nate Spears joining the big league club.

The most exciting addition is Ryan Lavarnway. The young righty was impressive in his first trip to the majors, reaching base more than 40% of the time. While he didn't show off his power in his limited time, its presence isn't really in question.

Kyle Weiland has had a more difficult time adjusting to the majors, running into some consistency issues on the mound. It's possible a trip to the bullpen will help the young righty figure things out.

As for Nate Spears, this move seems to be more about defensive depth than anything. While the infielder had a surprising 2010, hitting 20 homers in Double-A Portland, he hasn't sustained that offensive performance through to 2011. Don't expect too much from Spears aside from possibly the occasional defensive replacement in late innings on the left-side of the infield.

To make room for Nate Spears on the 40-man roster, the Red Sox designated Drew Sutton for assignment.

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making a 40-man spot for Spears

Would putting Kalish on 60-day disabled have been a way to avoid DFA-ing Sutton?

by yuj on Sep 5, 2011 3:31 PM EDT reply actions

No

Minor league players can’t be put on the 60-day ML list so easily. It’s likely to avoid teams from protecting extra players from the Rule 5 draft.

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by Ben Buchanan on Sep 5, 2011 9:57 PM EDT up reply actions

I don't understand

the underwhelming treatment of Drew Sutton. Is Aviles and Spears really better in the field and at the plate? He hustled, hit well, played multiple positions reasonably well, got along with his mates. Did he leave spinach in his teeth?

by GerryT on Sep 5, 2011 11:04 PM EDT reply actions