Red Sox Place Christian Arroyo On IL; Call Up Jonathan Araúz

Arroyo was hit by a pitch on the hand Wednesday

The Boston Red Sox are shutting down Christian Arroyo for a little bit.

Arroyo is headed to the 10-day injured list due to a left hand contusion retroactive to May 7, the team announced Sunday morning. As a result, Boston is calling up another utility man in Jonathan Araúz.

Arroyo left Wednesday’s game against the Detroit Tigers after a pitch hit him on the hand. X-rays came back negative and the Red Sox tried to stay away from him, using him as a pinch-runner but not in hitting situations thereafter. Clearly, though, the situation became desperate enough that the team found it best to just put him on the IL.

Araúz, a Rule 5 Draft pick in Dec. 2019, spent all of the 2020 season on the big league roster but began this season in Triple-A. He’s hitting .200 with one RBI in 15 at-bats in five Triple-A games this season. He hit .250 in 25 games with Boston in 2020.

The 22-year-old will begin Sunday’s game against the Baltimore Orioles on the bench.