Monday was a memorable night for Jonathan Arauz.
Arauz, a Rule 5 draft pick by the Red Sox back in December, made his third career Major League Baseball start in Boston’s series opener against the Tampa Bay Rays at Fenway Park. The 22-year-old made the most of his opportunity with a 3-for-4 night at the plate, which included his first big league hit and a two-RBI single in the eighth inning that brought the Sox within one.
Following Boston’s narrow loss to Tampa Bay, manager Ron Roenicke praised Arauz for his approach to the game.
“It was pretty cool,” Roenicke said of Arauz’s big night, as seen on NESN’s Red Sox postgame coverage. “Any time you see a guy get his first major-league hit. I know he was really down after the last game in Tampa Bay, so for him to do that — and he killed that ball to center field, too, before that, and they made a nice play on it. With him, I tell you, he continues to not act like he’s out of A-ball. He’s calm, he’s good from both sides of the plate, does a great job, made a nice play defensively. He’s doing a great job.”
Arauz stands to benefit from the expanded-roster rules implemented for the abbreviated 2020 MLB campaign. If he continues to deliver when his number his called, he potentially could carve out a prominent role with the Red Sox next season.
