June 29, 2013 at 2:00 PM
Diaz called up, Mortensen designated for assignment
With Stephen Drew likely out a few more games, the Red Sox have called up Jonathan Diaz (pictured) to fill the void on the left side of the infield. To make room for Diaz on the 40-man roster, Clayton Mortensen was designated for assignment. Diaz is in today's starting lineup, batting ninth and playing third base.
Diaz was signed as a minor league free agent in December of 2012 after spending the previous seven seasons in the Toronto Blue Jays organization. Drafted in the 12th round of the 2006 draft out of North Carolina State, Diaz first reached Triple-A in 2009, and has bounced around the upper minors every season since then. This is Diaz's first major league call-up. His familiarity with John Farrell and the rest of the coaching staff from his days with Toronto may have helped him get the call over Drew Sutton, who has major league experience.
Farrell said that the decision to designate Mortensen for assignment was "performance based", as the 28-year-old right-hander has allowed 10 runs in his last 8 1/3 innings with the Red Sox. Mortensen was acquired in January of 2012 from the Colorado Rockies in exchange for Marco Scutaro.
While Diaz's .242/.350/.341 line in Pawtucket is not impressive, he is a solid defender who can hold his own at the hot corner. Brock Holt would have been the likely call-up had he not injured his oblique on June 16, as he was hitting .366/.425/.436 over his last 28 games. Will Middlebrooks was not eligible to be called up since he was sent down less than 10 days ago, and nobody went on the disabled list.
Photo Credit: Jonathan Diaz by Kelly O'Connor