Ryan Lavarnway, Nate Spears, Kyle Weiland Called Up by Red Sox

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Sep 5, 2011

Ryan Lavarnway, Nate Spears, Kyle Weiland Called Up by Red Sox The Red Sox have 31 active players with them in Toronto after another round of September call-ups Monday.

Slugging catcher/designated hitter Ryan Lavarnway, infielder Nate Spears and right-hander Kyle Weiland have each joined the club for the stretch run.

For Lavarnway, it is his second stint with the team. He batted .304 (7-for-23) with two doubles, three RBIs and four walks in seven games last month when David Ortiz was sidelined. Upon returning to Pawtucket for six games, he hit just 4-for-18, but two of the hits were homers and two were doubles.

The 24-year-old Lavarnway finished his season in the minors batting .290 with 32 home runs and 93 RBIs in 116 games split between Double-A and Triple-A. He could be a nice piece for a team that recently has been shut down by some good lefties.

Spears, 26, played 96 games with the PawSox, batting .248 with eight homers, 19 doubles and 13 stolen bases. He played all four infield positions, primarily second base, and also saw 36 games in the outfield.

A native of Fort Myers, Fla., Spears played plenty with the big league club during spring training, and impressed. He hit .290 (18-for-62) with a team-high 10 walks and four steals in as many attempts. A left-handed bat, Spears figures to see most of his playing time as a pinch runner or a late-inning replacement for Dustin Pedroia or Kevin Youkilis. He also serves as extra insurance in right field, where Conor Jackson was hurt Sunday.

Weiland may make the most immediate impact of the three if he is chosen to take the start of Erik Bedard on Friday in Tampa Bay. Bedard will be skipped due to left knee pain.

In two starts filling in for Jon Lester back in July, Weiland was 0-1 with an 8.10 ERA. The right-hander, who turns 25 next Monday, was 8-10 with a 3.58 ERA in 24 starts for Pawtucket.

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