NEW YORK — When the Red Sox signed Nathaniel Lowe on Monday to strengthen their first base options, it appeared Abraham Toro’s time on the roster might soon end. That became a reality Thursday.
Boston has cut bait with Toro, designating him for assignment before Thursday’s series opener at Yankee Stadium, a source confirmed. In his place, second baseman David Hamilton was recalled. The Athletic’s Jen McCaffrey first reported the moves.
Toro’s time on the roster ends after he played 76 games — and made 66 starts, including 10 at first base — in the wake of Triston Casas’ season-ending knee injury in May. Originally called up on May 3 after Casas went down a night earlier, Toro and Romy Gonzalez served as Boston’s first base platoon for most of the last few months. Toro performed admirably at the start, but prolonged struggles over the last two months made Lowe a clear upgrade once he was cut by Washington last week.
“I think Toro did an amazing job for us,” said manager Alex Cora. “We’re not here without him. Obviously, we had to make a move but we’ll see what happens.
“He did an amazing job. Yeah, he struggled at the end numbers-wise, but even the ball (an inning-ending double play with the bases loaded in the 10th Tuesday), he hit the other day, he hit that ball hard. If that ball goes through, we win that game. The picks at first base throughout the whole time here, he was amazing. Played third (base), hit third, hit second. Whatever we needed from him, he did. I’m very proud of him. We’ll see what the future holds.”
A journeyman who was signed to a minor league contract over the winter, Toro impressed the Red Sox with his early at-bats as he hit .330 with five homers, eight doubles and a .928 OPS in his first 27 games. Since then, his offensive performance has come crashing down to earth. He hit just .194 with two homers, five doubles, 26 strikeouts and a .524 OPS in 49 games since June 13. In August, Toro hit .152 with a .449 OPS.
Lowe is expected to play against right-handed pitchers while Gonzalez, who has a 1.040 OPS against southpaws, will be in the lineup against left-handers. Gonzalez can also mix in at second base along with Ceddanne Rafaela, who is expected to continue getting the lion’s share of starts there, as well as Hamilton.
“Because of the situation at first base, we feel like that (Toro losing playing time) was going to happen,” Cora said. He was gonna play less. And bringing Hammy here, especially knowing that Willy (Abreu) was going to be a possible IL.”
Hamilton has appeared in 69 MLB games so far this season and owns a .174 average with three homers, three doubles and a .492 OPS. He was most recently sent down August 11 when Boston activated third catcher Ali Sánchez and was just now eligible to return because he spent 10 days in the minors.
“Get him here, play defense,” Cora said. “Offensively, he (Hamilton) has been really good the last 10 days when he was there. Hopefully, he got into the groove and he’s locked in and can help us win games.”
The Red Sox will announce a series of roster moves before Thursday’s 7:15 p.m. ET first pitch. In addition to Hamilton replacing Toro, the club will also recall righty Richard Fitts to pitch in relief, as MassLive reported Thursday. The club sent Isaiah Campbell down Wednesday.
Boston will have seven days to waive or release Toro, as trades aren’t allowed after July 31.
If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.