Pawtucket Red Sox update: Xander Bogaerts, Ryan Rowland-Smith, Brock Holt

Xander Bogaerts, SS

Bogaerts hasn't been in Triple-A very long, hence the .214 batting average. It's pretty easy to ignore said batting average, though, when you see that, in 14 games, he's already gone deep four times, and has drawn four of his five walks at the level in the last 10 games. It took him some time to fully adjust to Double-A as well, back in what seems like forever ago in his development in the late summer of 2012. The results were similar to a degree, with Bogaerts having some trouble drawing walks, but destroying any baseball that dared make its way into the strike zone.

With time, pitchers will realize he's got real power, and the whole adjustment period thing will start on their end. Before that happens, of course, Bogaerts is going to have to show he's a threat for more than just a homer. That'll all come in due time, we're sure, considering how the 20-year-old has already rocketed through the system. At this time, just two years ago, Bogaerts was playing a few times per week in Low-A Greenville. Now, he's potentially three months from a September cup of coffee in the majors.

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Ryan Rowland-Smith, LHP

At a time when the depth of the Red Sox bullpen is a concern due to injuries and Andrew Bailey's ineffectiveness, it's probably best to remember that there are viable options on hand even outside of the 40-man roster. Rowland-Smith is one such option, as he's succeeded in the majors as a reliever before -- over 93 career relief frames, he owns a 2.3 K/BB, 8.6 strikeouts per nine, and 3.68 ERA -- and is dominating Pawtucket, as you would expect a 30-year-old with 360-plus innings in the majors to do.

Rowland-Smith isn't an option to close or anything like that, but he's yet another depth arm the Red Sox could consider calling up from the reserves, along with Jose De La Torre, Pedro Beato, and, at least after the next time he's sent down, Alex Wilson. If Clayton Mortensen continues to have issues, Rowland-Smith could be an option to take over in that role.

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Brock Holt, IF

Holt hasn't played since June 16 thanks to an oblique injury, and that's part of why Brandon Snyder was added to the 40-man roster and called up to the Red Sox to give Boston additional infield depth. It's a shame, too, as Holt had a huge May that helped hide his awful start to the year, and was doing well for himself in June before he had three hit-less games in a row leading up to his removal from the lineup.

He hasn't shown much power, but he's getting on base and putting the ball in play. Combine that with his ability to play a couple of infield positions, and the decision to designate Pedro Ciriaco and then trade him makes even more sense. Once he comes back, he's an option to come to the big-league roster, assuming Will Middlebrooks hasn't already worked his way back there first.

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