Red Sox Activate Drew, Send Iglesias to Pawtucket
BOSTON (CBS) - Stephen Drew is expected to make his Red Sox debut on Wednesday, meaning the end of Jose Iglesias' run at shortstop.
At least for now.
Drew was activated from the seven-day concussion DL on Wednesday after playing in four rehab games with Double-A Portland. Drew went 2-for-13 in his four rehab games, clubbing a home run on Monday night and finishing with three RBI. He suffered a concussion on March 7 after being hit by a pitch in the head.
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Boston signed Drew to a one-year, $9.5 million contract over the off-season to be their primary shortstop, but the injury allowed Iglesias to start the season and he answered by not only showing off his always-stellar glove in the field but his bat at the plate. In his six starts at short, Iglesias hit .450 with two doubles, an RBIs and three runs scored at the bottom of the Red Sox lineup.
While Drew doesn't have the range or defensive prowess of Iglesias, he is a career .265 hitter and has a .978 fielding percentage. While he struggled with the Diamondbacks and Athletics in 2012 coming back from a brutal ankle injury, he's looking for a payday after the season and will use the one-year deal with Boston to prove he's worth it.
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Iglesias may have been hitting the ball well over the first six games, but heading back down to the minors will let him continue to play every day and will help Boston figure out if, in fact, his bat has caught up with his glove.
