MLB Player News

Red Sox manager John Farrell said Saturday that infield prospect Xander Bogaerts will split time between shortstop and third base at Triple-A Pawtucket, the Boston Globe reports.

The organization sees Bogaerts as a shortstop over the long term, but they want to get him acclimated at third base in case they decide to use him at the position in the major leagues this season. Bogaerts has hit .289/.376/.469 with eight homers and 27 RBI in 194 at-bats with Pawtucket while playing 44 games at shortstop and seven at third base.

Red Sox manager John Farrell said Wednesday infield prospect Xander Bogaerts is "in the discussion" as a solution at third base, according to the Boston Herald. However, his promotion to the majors doesn't appear imminent.

The Red Sox made the bold move to trade infielder Jose Iglesias to Detroit, freeing up a path to the majors for for highly touted prospect Xander Bogaerts. Although Brock Holt is being recalled from Triple-A Pawtucket to take Iglesias' roster spot, it shouldn't be too much longer before Bogaerts gets his chance.

With Stephen Drew blocking Bogaerts' path at shortstop, the 20-year-old infielder has started to takes reps at third base. Thus far, the results have been positive. Bogaerts hasn't committed an error in seven chances at third base for Pawtucket. But he's still learning the position and while his offensive game might be major-league ready, the Red Sox can't afford to have a defensive liability at third base during a pennant race.

Still, even if Bogaerts spends most of August in the minors, he's likely to be summoned to the majors when rosters expand Sept. 1. Bogaerts can help Boston down the stretch, so it would be more shocking if he isn't called up this season.

The attentive owner who needs help at third base is going after the Phillies' Cody Asche right now, but the clever one is going after the Red Sox's Xander Bogaerts.

Anyone who needs help at shortstop might want to jump on that bandwagon as well. After all, that's the position Bogaerts has played throughout his minor-league career and projects to play long-term. But lately, he's been playing third base, where the Red Sox have a need in the majors right now. And according to the Boston Globe, manager John Farrell isn't exactly shooting down the possibility of him joining the big club, "whether that's this week or next month."

Bogaerts is only 20, so who knows if he's really ready? But he has stormed up the minor-league ladder this year and has the potential to be a Hanley Ramirez-type hitter. He doesn't run like Ramirez, mind you, but you can't have everything.

I'll take that over Asche.

Red Sox infield prospect Xander Bogaerts could be quietly getting himself prepared for a potential call up to man third base for Boston down the stretch. Bogaerts made his fifth start at third base for Triple-A Pawtucket Monday night, the Boston Globe reports. 

The 20-year-old Bogaerts, who entered the season as the No. 8 prospect in the majors, according to Baseball America, is batting .273 on the year at Triple-A over 143 at-bats after a promotion from Double-A Portland earlier in the season. Bogaerts is batting .306 over his last 10 games with Pawtucket. 

"Xander's doing everything that he can to tell us when he's ready to come to the big leagues," Red Sox manager John Farrell said. "Whether that's this week or next month, that's still in the debate or in the conversation. But it's an exciting young player. We're all looking forward to the day he begins his career, not knowing when that's going to be. There's still some things that are a work in progress for him defensively. Any time you go up against more veteran and accomplished pitching, that's going to be another adjustment on his part. He's a pretty exciting player."

The Royals have assigned infielder Pedro Ciriaco to Triple-A.

Ciriaco was acquired on waivers from the Padres Tuesday. In 114 at-bats with Boston and San Diego, Ciriaco is hitting .228/.288/.342. 

Red Sox shortstop prospect Xander Bogaerts has homered three times in his last six games for Triple-A Pawtucket, giving him more home runs (seven) in 29 games for Pawtucket than he had (six) in 56 games for Double-A Portland.

Although Bogaerts is hitting more home runs for Pawtucket, his batting average and slugging percentage have taken a slight hit since his promotion. He's batting .260 with a .462 slugging percentage for Pawtucket after batting .311 with a .502 slugging percentage with Portland.

Bogaerts has no doubles or triples for Pawtucket, which is dragging down his slugging percentage.

With the Royals adding Pedro Ciriaco Tuesday, there's a decent chance for AL-only owners to snag a possible starting middle infielder for the remainder of the season. There's plenty of "meh" involved -- the Royals could continue giving Johnny Giavotella and Miguel Tejada the majority of at-bats -- but Ciriaco has some nice potential in batting average and steals, and could end up being a smart add for a Fantasy team weak in MI options. 

Ciriaco hit .293 with 16 steals over 259 at-bats with the Red Sox last year. He was fairly erratic with his batting average in the minors (it evened out to .272), but showed some nice speed potential, stealing 35-plus bases twice and 19 or more five times. 

With Giavotella hitting .206 and Tejada having a nice season but not expected to handle a full-time role at 39, Ciriaco could step in and provide a solid presence at second base for the Royals. In AL-only, the promise of regular at-bats alone should make Ciriaco a nice add in most leagues. But if he can contribute like he did in 2012 with the Red Sox, Ciriaco could be a nice boost for a team sagging in the standings. 

The Royals have claimed third baseman Pedro Ciriaco from the Padres. 

The Padres designated Ciriaco for assignment Friday. In 114 at-bats with the Red Sox and Padres, Ciriaco is hitting .228/.288/.342. 

Red Sox prospect Xander Bogaerts hit his third home run in his last five games with Triple-A Pawtucket Tuesday, ESPN reports. It was his fourth HR since being promoted to Triple-A. 

Bogaerts, however, was still hitting just .195 over his last 10 games entering Tuesday's contest.