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Say hey, baseball: Ryan Hanigan’s pinky finger paves the way for Red Sox prospect
Saturday morning’s baseball includes Blake Swihart’s major league call-up, Alex Rodriguez’s 660th home run and Homer Bailey’s elbow. Subscribe for your daily Say Hey!
Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
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The Red Sox just can’t catch a break. During Friday’s contest against the Yankees, backstop Ryan Hanigan went down with a fractured knuckle on his pinky finger when a wayward pitch ricocheted off of batter Mark Teixeira in the seventh inning. Hanigan is expected to undergo surgery and a lengthy stint on the disabled list, though manager John Farrell doesn’t have an exact timetable for his return.
Hanigan’s departure is the second major setback the Red Sox have suffered since the beginning of the season after losing starting catcher Christian Vazquez to Tommy John surgery in April. Farrell admitted that he doesn’t have a long-term solution in mind, but will bring up the club’s top prospect, 23-year-old Blake Swihart, as a stopgap for the time being. Although the team is expected to utilize outside help, they won’t be calling on former Red Sox catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia, whose .069 batting average contributed to his release from the Marlins.
Swihart opened the 2015 season with the Triple-A Pawtucket Red Sox, batting a hefty .338/.392/.382 in his first 18 games. The switch-hitter accelerated quickly through the minors, but failed to make the Opening Day lineup due to his underdeveloped defensive skills. Boston Herald’s Scott Lauber believes that Swihart will require some veteran assistance, particularly with pitch-calling during his first few games. Until reinforcements arrive -- reinforcements that can both hit and catch well -- the Red Sox have no better option available.
- Say hey, say who? Say… Alex? Friday’s Yankees-Red Sox matchup finally yielded Alex Rodriguez’s 660th career home run, tying Willie Mays on the all-time list and earning the slugger a cool $6 million dollar bonus. Now, he just needs another 54 homers to tie Babe Ruth’s 714.
- You’re not imagining things: Pace-of-play regulations have shortened the average MLB game by over eight minutes in 2015.
- Bryce Harper’s newfound patience at the plate is paying off so far, but is the dramatic shift in his hitting approach a permanent one?
- After a month of regular season play, here’s how things are shaking out around the league.
- The Marlins may have some advice for the Yankees when it comes to cutting ties with slugger Carlos Beltran.
- Former two-time All-Star Carlos Quentin announced his retirement after nearly a decade in the game. The 32-year-old outfielder called it quits following a minor league game with the Mariners on Thursday.
- Homer Bailey’s elbow joined the ranks of Tommy John candidates on Friday, making Bailey the second pitcher with a $100 million contract to undergo season-ending surgery.
- Addison Russell hit his first major league home run and you can relive it in glorious, slow-mo GIF form here.
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