Recently signed Red Sox utilityman Danny Santana is in the hospital with a foot infection, per Sean McAdam of the Boston Sports Journal (via Twitter). He is currently being treated with antibiotics, and there’s no timetable for his return. Barring any complications, however, it’s reasonable to expect a relatively short layoff for Santana.
Boston signed Santana earlier this month with an eye on adding him to the pool of short-bench candidates capable of playing both the infield and outfield. It’s now worth wondering if Santana will be able to get ready in time to fully compete for an Opening Day roster spot. He has only two plate appearances in spring training since suiting up.
Whenever Santana does return, he’ll audition to be a right-handed complement for the bench. Especially with left fielder Franchy Cordero expected to miss the beginning of the season, there will be some playing time to be had in the outfield. That will likely go to Marwin Gonzalez unless Santana makes a very speedy recovery. Boston also has the option of moving Enrique Hernandez to left and giving some additional playing time to Christian Arroyo or another bench bat.
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