MLB Player News

In an exchange of backups, the Angels have traded catcher Drew Butera to the Royals for infielder Ryan Jackson.

The 31-year-old Butera, who had been designated for assignment Monday, has four hits in 21 at-bats this season.

"Obviously, our hope was that we would be able to maintain Drew in the organization, but he's been a backup catcher in the big leagues for a number of year," Angels general manager Jerry Dipoto told MLB.com. "As soon as we designated him for assignment, it became fairly clear that he was going to get claimed on waivers, so putting together a trade made the most sense."

Jackson, who has now been with four different organizations since 2012, has two hits in 24 big-league at-bats. But he was batting .305 this year with Triple-A Omaha.

Following a torrid start to the season, Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts has been in an offensive funk for a few weeks. After batting .395 in his first nine games, Bogaerts is batting .152 over his last 14 games, dropping his season average to .262.

Bogaerts has not had a multihit game in his last 14 appearances after having five in his first nine outings. Bogaerts has one double, one home run, two RBI, five runs, four walks and 12 strikeouts in his last 14 games.

Red Sox utility man Brock Holt gets a start at shortstop in place of Xander Bogaerts for Friday's game at Baltimore. 

Holt has started games at second, third, short and center. With Friday's game, Holt will have three starts at shortstop, more than any other position. It's the second time in four games he's gotten the start at short ahead of Bogaerts. 

Boston and Baltimore are even with -105 money lines for the game. 

The Indians activated utility man Zach Walters from the 15-day disabled list Friday and then optioned him to the team's Triple-A affiliate, the team announced.

Walters has not played in the majors this season after he sustained an oblique injury in spring training.

Indians infielder Zach Walters went 1 for 4 for the Columbus Clippers in a rehab start on Wednesday night. 

The Clippers took on the Indianapolis Indians and lost 8-6. Walters played third base in this game, with his lone hit going for an RBI triple. Two of the outs Walters recorded came via strikeout. 

Walters injured his oblique early in the season and is on the 15-day disabled list. 

Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts is out of the starting lineup Tuesday against the Rays, the team announced. Bogaerts started the last four games for Boston, but will get the day off Tuesday, giving Brock Holt the start at short.

Holt is hitting .462 with five RBI in 26 at-bats this season.

Indians first baseman Nick Swisher and left fielder Zach Walters are both expected to start minor league injury rehab assignments this week, according to the Northeast Ohio Media Group.

Swisher started the season on the 15-day disabled list after having surgery on both knees. Walters is on the 15-day DL for an oblique injury. 

Swisher and Walters will both play for Triple-A Columbus on injury rehab. Walters will begin his rehab assignment Wednesday. 

Orioles pitcher Wei-Yin Chen has surrendered a .323 batting average to current Red Sox hitters, masnsports.com reports.

Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia has collected more hits against Chen than anyone in the lefty pitcher's career, going 14 for 27 with a .519/.567/.778 line. Designated hitter David Ortiz is 8 for 21 with a home run, right fielder Shane Victorino is 4 for 10 with a home run and shortstop Xander Bogaerts is 3 for 10 with a home run against Chen. All four are in the starting lineup Monday, as are first baseman Mike Napoli, who's just 3 for 17 against Chen but with two home runs, and catcher Ryan Hanigan, who's 1 for 9 with a home run against the pitcher.

The Orioles are underdogs (+110) against the Red Sox in Boston Monday.

Though early-season statistics can be skewed, those registered by Red Sox young shortstop Xander Bogaerts in 2015 compared to the numbers he recorded last year jump off the page. And there are several reasons for it.

Bogaerts sweetened his stat line to .395/.452/.474 with a 2-for-4 performance Friday night, which included a game-winning single that made him the youngest Boston player to slam a walk-off hit since Jim Rice in 1975. Not bad considering he batted just .240 with a .297 on-base percentage a in 2014.

Among the reasons for his surge has been opposite-field hitting. He has hit more line drives and fly balls to right and with greater success, MLB.com is reporting. He hit .218 on balls hit to right a year ago, but is 6-for-13 going that way this season.

But perhaps the most significant improvement has been in regard to patience and discipline. John Farrell has certainly noticed.

"He's just been a little more relaxed at the plate, letting the ball travel a little bit deeper in the strike zone," Farrell said. "It's allowed him to use the whole field a little bit more, which is more the norm of what he's always been as a hitter. He's in a confident place right now."

Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts' one-out single in the bottom of the ninth inning pushed across Mike Napoli for the game winner Friday against the Orioles.

Bogaerts went 2 for 4 with a run scored in the game.

The two hits on the night lifted Bogaerts' batting average to .382, best among Red Sox starters.

"Yeah, because when you're going bad, you don't get anything," Bogaerts said when asked about balls falling in when you're hot.