It's official. The captain is back for his 15th season with the Boston Red Sox.
Red Sox GM Theo Epstein announced that catcher Jason Varitek will be returning for another season on Friday. The official addition of Varitek pushes the Red Sox' 40-man roster to 39 players.
The first reports of the one-year deal surfaced on Dec. 2, as NESN Insider Peter Gammons tweeted that Varitek was "close" to signing a $2 million contract with $300,000 in incentives.
The captain will likely continue to serve in his back-up role with the team, and will mentor the young starter Jarrod Saltalamacchia.
Varitek played in 39 games last season, sitting out with a broken foot through July and August, and posted a .232 batting average with seven home runs and 16 RBIs.
The one-year contract salary was not disclosed with the announcement.
