With Ryan Sweeney dealing with a left toe injury –– and reportedly heading to the disabled list –– the team promoted Ryan Kalish to the majors for the first time since he splashed onto the scene in 2010.
Kalish will make the start Sunday's rubber match against the Cubs in center field with Darnell McDonald and Scott Podsednik on the corners.
It marks a remarkable comeback for the 24-year-old, who overcame two major surgeries on his neck and shoulder over the offseason. Kalish suffered the initial shoulder injury, which triggered the neck problems, last April and it shortened his 2011 season.
Kalish has been scorching in nine games with the PawSox, clubbing four home runs and 10 RBIs with a .378 batting average. His presence could potentially provide a jolt to the Red Sox' offense, which has mustered up just 34 runs in the past 10 games.
Take away the 10-run barrage in the series finale against the Marlins and the team's offense has been relatively stagnant in that period.
The addition of Kalish could certainly change that trend. Back in 2010, when he made his major league debut, the outfielder immediately impacted the offense, hammering four homers and 24 RBIs.
During that stint, his speed and defense also earned him praise. Kalish swiped 10 bases and patrolled the Fenway Park outfield adeptly.
In recent years, Kalish was highly regarded as the outfielder of the future for the Red Sox. Now that he's overcome injuries and returned to the majors, he'll have another crack at justifying those claims.
With Carl Crawford, Jacoby Ellsbury, Cody Ross and Sweeney on the disabled list –– not to mention Daniel Nava's sore left hand –– Kalish finds himself in position to capitalize on the opportunity and entrench his territory.
While the details surrounding Sweeney's toe are still unclear, reports indicate that he could be receiving a cortisone shot in the coming days to alleviate the pain. Sweeney was previously on the seven-day DL in May with mild concussion symptoms.
For now, the outfielder reigns are going back to Kalish.
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