Red Sox's Christian Arroyo: Will be used at leadoff vs. lefties
Rotowire
Arroyo and Enrique Hernandez will be utilized in the leadoff spot against left-handed pitching this season, Red Sox manager Alex Cora told Ian Browne of MLB.com on Friday.
Cora mentioned Triston Casas and Alex Verdugo as potential leadoff hitters against righties as he uses a revolving door at the top of the batting order. Arroyo, who is set to start at second base, figures to be in the lower third of the order versus righties.
Arroyo went 2-for-3 with two home runs and five RBI in Thursday's spring game against Philadelphia.
Arroyo belted a solo shot the opposite way in the second inning then followed with a grand slam an inning later. The original plan during the offseason was for him to return to a utility role, but that changed when shortstop Trevor Story underwent an elbow procedure that will keep him out until the second half of the season. The resulting domino effect has Enrique Hernandez moving to shortstop and Arroyo slotting in at second base. Once Adalberto Mondesi (knee) is ready, there could be a rotation of those three players at the two positions.
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Red Sox's Christian Arroyo: In line to start at second base
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Arroyo "is our second baseman as of now," Red Sox manager Alex Cora told Christopher Smith of The Springfield Republican Tuesday.
Adalberto Mondesi (knee) will be a candidate to start at second base once he's ready, but he'll be behind others at the start of spring training. Arroyo sports a solid .273/.320/.427 batting line with 15 home runs over 158 games during his two-and-a-half years with the Red Sox. He might ultimately be just a placeholder for Mondesi but we've learned over the years that Mondesi is no sure thing to play or perform.
Arroyo signed a one-year, $2 million deal with the Red Sox on Friday to avoid arbitration, Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reports.
Although Arroyo was able to record a career-high .286 batting average last season, the quality of his plate appearances was pretty low for someone with an average as high as his -- his 4.3 percent walk rate didn't help his cause either. Still, he displayed enough offensive production and defensive versatility to get into Boston's lineup most games, though he holds little fantasy value.
Arroyo went 2-for-2 with one RBI and one run scored in Tuesday's win over the Rays.
Arroyo got Boston on the board with an RBI single in the second inning to score Alex Verdugo. He later singled to start the fifth inning and came around to score on a Xander Bogaerts grand slam. The game was called short after the fifth inning due to rain, preventing Arroyo from the opportunity to record his seventh three-hit game of the season. Since missing several games due to illness at the end of September, Arroyo is 6-for-20 with two runs and four RBI.
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Red Sox's Christian Arroyo: Rejoins starting nine
Rotowire
Arroyo (illness) is in the lineup for Thursday's game against the Orioles.
After spending the last two innings of Wednesday's game at second base, Arroyo will join the starting nine Thursday for the first time since Sept. 18. He will start at second base and hit seventh in Boston's batting order.
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Red Sox's Christian Arroyo: Remains out of lineup
Rotowire
Arroyo (illness) isn't starting Wednesday against the Orioles, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports.
Arroyo continues to recover from a non-COVID illness and will remain out of the lineup for a ninth consecutive game. On a fortunate note, Arroyo doesn't look like he's being shut down for the season, as he's set to face Kutter Crawford (shoulder) in a simulated game Tuesday, according to Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic. Enrique Hernandez is starting at the keystone while Abraham Almonte enters the lineup in center field.
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Red Sox's Christian Arroyo: Still out Tuesday
Rotowire
Arroyo (illness) is not in Tuesday's lineup against the Orioles, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports.
Arroyo hasn't played since Sept. 18 due to a non-COVID illness. Enrique Hernandez will shift to second base while Rob Refsnyder draws the start in center field.
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Red Sox's Christian Arroyo: Still out Sunday
Rotowire
Arroyo (illness) is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Yankees, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.
Arroyo is dealing with a non-COVID illness and hasn't seen the field since Sept. 18. Yu Chang will start at second base and bat eighth in Sunday's series finale.
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Red Sox's Christian Arroyo: Out again Monday
Rotowire
Arroyo (illness) is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Orioles, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports.
Arroyo hasn't played since Sept. 18 while he recovers from a non-COVID-19 illness, but the Red Sox have thus far resisted moving him to the 10-day injured list. With Trevor Story (heel) done for the season, Arroyo could have a fairly clear path to a near-everyday role in the middle infield once he eventually moves past his illness.
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Red Sox's Christian Arroyo: Remains on bench
Rotowire
Arroyo is not in the starting lineup Friday versus the Yankees, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports.
Arroyo will remain on the bench for a fourth consecutive game. Enrique Hernandez will draw the start at second base while Rob Refsnyder enters the lineup in center field and bats seventh against the Yankees.
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Red Sox's Christian Arroyo: Remains out of lineup
Rotowire
Arroyo (illness) isn't starting Saturday against the Yankees, Christopher Smith of The Springfield Republican reports.
Arroyo hasn't played since Sept. 18 due to a non-COVID illness, but he's with the Red Sox during their current road trip in New York. Enrique Hernandez will start at the keystone and bat fifth Saturday.
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Red Sox's Christian Arroyo: Missed time due to illness
Rotowire
Arroyo has not played since Sept. 18 due to a non-COVID illness, but he is joining the team this weekend in New York, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.
He had been playing pretty regularly up until then, so this explains why he has been absent from the lineup for a few days. Arroyo was not yet at the park a couple hours before the game and he was not in Friday's lineup. He should return later this weekend.
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Red Sox's Christian Arroyo: Out of Tuesday's lineup
Rotowire
Arroyo is not in Tuesday's lineup against the Reds.
It's noteworthy that Arroyo is not starting against a lefty (Nick Lodolo), even with Trevor Story (heel) still missing in action. Enrique Hernandez is starting at the keystone while Rob Refsnyder gets the nod in center field.
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Red Sox's Christian Arroyo: Starting at first base Sunday
Rotowire
Arroyo is in Sunday's starting lineup at first base and batting sixth.
This will be Arroyo's fifth consecutive start, with two of those coming at first base and three others at second base, as Trevor Story (heel) hasn't played since Tuesday. Yu Chang starts in place of Story at second Sunday.
