Welcome back, Travis Shaw.
The Red Sox are bringing the veteran first baseman back to Boston, claiming him off waivers from the Milwaukee Brewers, according to The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier and WEEI.com’s Rob Bradford. According to Bradford, the plan is for Shaw to join the Red Sox in New York on Tuesday.
The Red Sox announced the move shortly after news broke.
Shaw has played in 56 games with the Brewers this season, hitting .191. He returned to Milwaukee this past offseason after a year with the Toronto Blue Jays. He came up through Boston’s system, and was a fairly productive corner infielder in 2015 and 2016.
His time in Boston was cut short due to a trade that sent him to Milwaukee, with Tyler Thornburg coming to the Red Sox in return. He spent three seasons with the Brewers, then played for the Jays last season before his Milwaukee reunion.
Shaw is in the middle of rehabbing a shoulder injury, and the Brewers designated him for assignment during his recovery. It isn’t entirely clear when he will be fully healthy, but the fact he’s playing in rehab games is encouraging.
First base is an area of need for Boston, although it has helped that Bobby Dalbec is tearing the cover off the ball lately. Franchy Cordero also can contribute at first base and once fully healthy, the hope is Kyle Schwarber can fill in there as well. Danny Santana is able to play first also, but he has not yet started a rehab assignment for his groin injury.
