The Red Sox have designated corner infielder Travis Shaw for assignment, according to MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo. In Shaw’s place, first baseman/outfielder Franchy Cordero is expected to be called up from Triple-A Worcester.
Shaw, who turned 32 earlier this month, signed a minor-league deal with Boston during spring training after spending the latter half of the 2021 campaign with the club. The left-handed hitter made the Sox’ Opening Day roster but got off to a dreadful start in which he went 0-for-19 at the plate with seven strikeouts over seven games.
Between Shaw and Bobby Dalbec, Red Sox first baseman have struggled to the tune of a .357 OPS so far this season, which ranks dead last in the major-leagues.
Although Cordero is a natural outfielder, the 27-year-old began making the transition to first base last year and made back-to-back starts at the position for the WooSox this week ahead of his impending promotion.
Cordero lost his spot on Boston’s 40-man roster back in October but will now fill the void left behind by Shaw, who will either be traded, waived, or released by the Sox within the next seven days.
With Worcester this season, Cordero has batted a stout .296/.378/.535 with eight doubles, three home runs, 24 RBIs, 13 runs scored, one stolen base, 10 walks, and 23 strikeouts over 19 games spanning 82 trips to the plate. Last year, the left-handed slugger appeared in 48 games for Boston and mustered just a .497 OPS with one homer and 51 strikeouts across 136 plate appearances.
In addition to swapping Cordero for Shaw, the Red Sox have other moves to make ahead of Friday’s series opener against the Orioles as well. Right-handers Kutter Crawford and Tanner Houck both need to be activated from the restricted list and it is not yet clear which two players will be sent down to make room for them.
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