The Boston Red Sox have signed first baseman Adam Lind to a minor league contract.
The team announced the move Tuesday, four days after designating first baseman/designated hitter Hanley Ramirez for assignment in a rather surprising roster move.
Lind doesn’t quite have Ramirez’s track record, but he’s been a productive major leaguer at various points throughout his 12-year career and will add organizational depth. The New York Yankees released the 34-year-old last week, paving the way for him to sign with the Red Sox. He’ll join Triple-A Pawtucket.
Lind hit .303 with 14 home runs, 59 RBIs and an .875 OPS in 301 plate appearances across 116 games with the Washington Nationals in 2017. He’s hit at least 20 home runs six times, including a career-high 35 with the Toronto Blue Jays in 2009, and has finished with an OPS north of .800 in four of the past five seasons.
It should be noted that Lind, a left-handed hitter, has very dramatic splits. He owns a .288/.348/.504 slash line in 3,939 career plate appearances against right-handers and a .217/.263/.329 line in 1,090 career plate appearances against left-handers. But the decision to DFA Ramirez left the Red Sox vulnerable in the event something happens to first baseman Mitch Moreland, so signing Lind certainly makes sense.
Lind hasn’t appeared in a major league game yet this season. He’s hitting .302 with three homers, 14 RBIs and an .838 OPS in 94 plate appearances over 24 games split between Triple-A and High-A.
