With Mike Napoli on the disabled list and the Red Sox further removed from their extra-inning extravaganza, Boston has made a move to try to add some offense back to the lineup. Reliever Alex Wilson was optioned back to Triple-A Pawtucket, with the Sox recalling catcher/first baseman Ryan Lavarnway in his place according to the Boston Globe's Peter Abraham.
If you're tormented by Boston's current 10-game skid, the reappearance of Ryan Lavarnway isn't going to do anything to fix that. He's hitting .265/.357/.346 for Triple-A Pawtucket, continuing the seemingly never-ending sapping of what power he once showed at the level: Lavarnway has batted just .275/.363/.392 with 13 homers in 177 games for Pawtucket, dating back to the start of 2012, and has been far worse than that in the majors, with a career 57 OPS+. Last year went better, but again, he's not hitting in Triple-A, and his big-league time was a small sample. Optimism would be at a low even if the Sox were currently winning at the moment.
Lavarnway likely isn't going to get much playing time, though, as Mike Carp is likely to see the most playing time with Napoli out. Lavarnway is simply another option for them, and even though he's not a good defensive catcher, he does keep Jonny Gomes from being the emergency backstop in a situation where David Ross comes in for A.J. Pierzynski or vice versa.
Napoli isn't eligible to return from the disabled list until June 8, and he was one of the few Red Sox players consistently hitting. Maybe the Sox get lucky, and either Carp or Lavarnway run into a hot streak in the interim. You know, because baseball.
As for Wilson, he threw all of one inning during his stint with the club. He'll likely remain in Pawtucket until the next emergency, though, he remains high up on the list of players who could be designated for assignment this summer when 40-man space is needed.