The Red Sox wasted no time in adding Pablo Reyes to their lineup, knowing he can provide a key element to the way Boston likes to play.
Reyes made his Red Sox debut on Saturday, batting ninth and playing second base in a matchup with the St. Louis Cardinals. The start came just one day after he was added to Boston’s active roster, with manager Alex Cora explaining what made the organization feel so comfortable about playing him on his second day in town.
“I think versatility is important,” Cora said prior to first pitch Saturday, per NESN’s pregame coverage. “He’s going to play second (base) against lefties. Late in the game we can do other stuff with him. He can play the outfield, too. He’s comfortable with that. We like the at-bat — which is important for us — and versatility. That’s something we took into consideration, especially late in games.
“We know Bobby (Dalbec) can make plays and all that, but he doesn’t have experience up the middle. Toward the end of the game — not that I was hesitant, but I feel more comfortable with a guy who’s played it before.
The Red Sox’s corresponding move in adding Reyes to the roster was to option Dalbec, sending the big right-handed bat back to Triple-A Worcester after he was primarily used as a pinch runner in his latest stint in Boston. That left the 27-year-old with just two options remaining.
Reyes is a versatile defender, playing 52 games in the infield and 58 games in the outfield throughout his on-and-off Major League Baseball career. The 29-year-old has experience playing shortstop with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Milwaukee Brewers and Triple-A Las Vegas over the past couple of seasons, with his middle-infield experience being a primary reason for his activation with Christian Arroyo and Yu Chang on the injured list.
In 294 career at-bats, Reyes is batting .238 with five stolen bases, 29 RBIs and 70 hits. You can catch his Red Sox debut live on NESN, with first pitch taking place at 4:10 p.m. ET on Saturday.
