The Red Sox have signed right-handed reliever Tony Pena Jr. to a minor league contract, according to ESPN's Jayson Stark.
A converted shortstop, Pena will be given an invitation to spring training camp, joining a collection of arms that will potentially give the club more relief depth at the minor league level.
The 29-year-old Pena appeared in 53 games at two levels of the San Francisco Giants' minor league system last year. He was 3-2 with a 4.13 ERA and six saves, striking out 62 in 76 1/3 innings. It was his second season in the minors as a pitcher after several years as a position player.
Pena hit .228 with four home runs and 66 RBIs as a shortstop at the major league level from 2006 to 2009. His best season came in 2007, when he played 152 games for Kansas City, batting .267 and driving in 47 runs.
Pena's father is Tony Pena, the longtime major league catcher who played for the Sox from 1990 to 1993.
