BOSTON –– Danny Valencia has endured a trying season.
He rotated from the Twins, to Triple-A and back to the Twins
before being traded to the Red Sox in August. Even with a new organization,
Valencia was forced to dabble in Pawtucket prior to receiving a call-up this
week.
The string of adversity made Saturday's game much sweeter. In his first major league start in over a month, Valencia blasted a two-run
home run over the Green Monster, his first as a member of the Red Sox.
"It
was great," Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine said. "He came back with
a different swing. [PawSox manager] Arnie [Beyeler] and crew down there worked
with him pretty rigorously. When he was here last time, remember, he hadn't
played very much. He was in limbo or something for a while.
"His swing wasn’t what it
should be, and it looked much different when he came back in batting practice
and it looked much different in the game. He’s still getting into the routine
of feeling good about himself."
In 13 games with the PawSox,
Valencia showed strides at the plate, hitting one home run with eight RBIs. He
also batted .306 as he keyed the team's run down the stretch to the Governor's
Cup.
"He
had a unique situation," Valentine said. "Getting traded, that’s
tough, and then not playing, then going to the minor leagues, then coming here
and not playing, then going back to the minor leagues — he’s been on a tough
ride. More unique than usual."
Making
his second straight start at third on Sunday, Valencia is trying to highlight
his value.
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