BOSTON — The Red Sox emerged victorious Saturday, but their depth chart at catcher might have taken a hit.
Catcher Ryan Hanigan and left fielder/backup catcher Blake Swihart both left with injuries in a span of less than an inning in Boston’s 6-4 win over the Toronto Blue Jays at Fenway Park.
Hanigan departed after the sixth inning with what the team termed a neck strain and was replaced by usual starter Christian Vazquez. That ended a forgettable outing for Hanigan, who surrendered three passed balls, all of which led to Blue Jays runs, and went 0-for-3 at the plate with two strikeouts.
The injury bug bit again in the top of the seventh, when Swihart injured his left ankle in a collision with the side wall in left field while trying to catch a fly ball. His foot appeared to jam up against the concrete on the lower part of the wall, and he hobbled off the field with a considerable limp.
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Red Sox manager John Farrell said after the game that both players will undergo tests on their respective injuries.
“Once we get information on them, we’ll have a better read on the severity of both (injuries),” Farrell said.
Hanigan has been battling neck issues lately and also dealt with a spell of dizziness last week. But Farrell ruled out the possibility that the veteran catcher has a concussion.
“It’s more tightness. It’s some pain,” Farrell said. “It’s not some dizzying type — he had it that one evening. But every field test, every training room test to determine that has been negative.”
Swihart had been playing well in left field since converting from catcher, and Farrell is hoping the 24-year-old’s injury isn’t serious.
“It wasn’t pretty,” Farrell said of Swihart’s injury. “You get in up against the concrete basement there, the base of that wall — we don’t know exactly what’s taken place yet, so he is going to go for an MRI here (Saturday night). So, until we get the results, it’s hard to really comment any further on that.”
Swihart and Hanigan represent Boston’s only two backup catchers behind Vazquez. If both he and Hanigan are forced to miss time, the Red Sox likely would call up catcher Sandy Leon, who along with Rusney Castillo was removed from Triple-A Pawtucket’s game Saturday as a precaution.
Thumbnail photo via Bob DeChiara/USA TODAY Sports Images
