BOSTON — Mike Carp is in. Jonathan Herrera is out.
The Red Sox activated Carp from the 15-day disabled list before Monday’s game against the Chicago White Sox at Fenway Park. Herrera was optioned to Triple-A Pawtucket in what manager John Farrell described as a difficult decision.
“He’s done a lot of good things. He fits the role to a tee — the utility role. It was a difficult conversation,” Farrell said of Herrera. “He’s a quality person, a quality player. He stayed prepared and contributed when asked in the role that he was in. He occupies a role that is difficult — to sit for seven or eight days and come in and play to the efficiency that he did. We clearly view him as a major league player, and I would suspect that he would be back with us at some point this season.”
Carp landed on the DL at the beginning of June with a broken right foot. He suffered the injury when he was hit by a pitch during the Red Sox’s series against the Atlanta Braves at the end of May and hasn’t appeared in a major league game since May 31. Carp appeared in seven rehab games with Triple-A Pawtucket, hitting .238 (5-for-21) with a home run and three RBIs.
Carp, who is hitting .214 with a .317 on-base percentage and six RBIs in 33 games with Boston this season, will give the Red Sox some extra left-handed pop off the bench. He’ll play first base and the outfield, while Brock Holt will be looked upon as Boston’s utility infielder with Herrera out of the mix.
Herrera, who was acquired from the Colorado Rockies over the offseason, hit .233 with a .307 on-base percentage and nine RBIs in 42 games with the Red Sox. He delivered a pinch-hit, walk-off single Saturday to give the Sox a 3-2 win in the first game of a doubleheader against the Baltimore Orioles.
