Alex Cora Explains Decision By Red Sox To DFA Christian Arroyo

The Boston Red Sox wanted to create an avenue to get Luis Urías on the major league roster after acquiring him in a trade Tuesday with the Milwaukee Brewers.

But to get Urías to the big leagues, the Red Sox had to part ways with another infielder Friday.

Boston designated Christian Arroyo for assignment, opening up a roster spot to Urías, which he quickly filled. He also is in the starting lineup for the series opener against the Toronto Blue Jays at Fenway Park. Urías played only 20 games for the Brewers this season, batting .145 with one home run and five RBIs. He has shown power in the past, though, belting 23 homers during the 2021 campaign.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora explained that they wanted to give Urías a chance after trading for him and Arroyo happened to be the odd-man out in the middle infield mix.

“We trust this kid,” Cora told reporters. “This kid, I think offensively has had some good seasons and he can play second base. Obviously, pull the trade and he’s here to play. Decision-wise, I think versatility came into play. Pablo (Reyes) is more versatile than Arroyo. That’s basically what happened.”

Arroyo, a 2013 first-round pick by the San Francisco Giants, played the last three-plus seasons with the Red Sox. The 28-year-old dealt with various injuries over his tenure with Boston, which limited him to 66 games this season. He never got fully on track at the plate, either, posting a .241 batting average with three home runs and 24 RBIs.

The Red Sox now have seven days to either trade Arroyo or place him on irrevocable outright waivers. If Arroyo clears waivers, he could potentially rejoin the Red Sox and head to the minors or be released.

“Obviously, Arroyo has been great for us,” Cora said. “He’s a good kid. Up and down season. I think at one point it felt like he was trying too much in a sense. But he got some big hits, played second base. One thing about him, he can play second base. He’s a good defender. Obviously, we’ll miss him. We’ll see what the future holds and go from there.”