The Boston Red Sox have acquired a veteran infielder from the New York Mets. The club acquired 28-year-old Zack Short in exchange for cash considerations. Short was designated for assignment on April 26 when the club activated J.D. Martinez. Short is out of minor league options and will have to join the 26-man active roster when he joins the team.
The Red Sox also recently acquired left-handed reliever Bailey Horn and first baseman Garrett Cooper. Cooper was acquired from the Chicago Cubs on April 27. Cooper was hit by a pitch on April 30 and exited the game. However, he is “just bruised and is going to be OK after that hit by pitch,” wrote MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo on X.
The Red Sox have been forced to make additions to the team after a series of injuries. Short will likely fill the role that Pablo Reyes held before he was designated for assignment to make room for Garrett Cooper.
Short’s Role on the Red Sox
Short is in his fourth major league season. He began his career with the Detroit Tigers before the Mets claimed him off of waiver in the winter. Short had a strong spring slashing .300/.404/.475 in 40 at-bats. He made the opening day roster for the Mets but struggled in the regular season.
Short recorded just one hit across nine at-bats for the Mets. However, the Red Sox could use his defensive versatility with all of the injuries they have on the infield.
“Short has big league experience at three infield positions, logging 90 appearances at shortstop, 58 at second base and 39 at third base in his career,” wrote Cotillo.
The team’s former utility man, Reyes, was designated for assignment. Short will fill an important role for the Red Sox while they deal with significant injuries. Short has played 187 games in the majors over the last four seasons and is a career .172 hitter with 13 homers and 55 RBIs.
“It appears the Red Sox eyed Short to take over the role Pablo Reyes had before the utility man was designated for assignment by the club Monday,” Cotillo wrote on May 1. “Short will provide versatility in a banged-up infield that has seen Trevor Story go down for the season with a shoulder injury, Rafael Devers deal with lingering injuries and Vaughn Grissom dealing with repeated setbacks in his attempt to make his Red Sox debut.”
Red Sox Infield Injuries
The Red Sox season took a major turn when All-Star Silver Slugger Trevor Story suffered a season-ending injury. Story’s injury was not the only key injury to impact the Red Sox. The club has also lost first baseman Triston Casas for a significant time. Casas suffered a rib injury in the top of the first inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates on April 20. His injury ultimately led to the acquisition of Cooper to play first base.
“No ribs were fractured,” Casas said, according to MLB.com’s Ian Browne. “It’s not a bone thing. It’s more a cartilage thing. So there’s the ribcage and then there’s the sternum, and there’s pieces of cartilage that are in between those that connect the two. And that was what was torn, was the cartilage.”
Casas was one of the most productive players for the Red Sox before his injury. He hit six home runs and had a .867 OPS in 22 games this season. Casas will miss “anywhere from three weeks to six weeks to nine weeks,” Casas said.
The Red Sox are also awaiting the debut of second baseman Vaughn Grissom who has been sidelined with a hamstring injury. He suffered a setback when he came down with the flu. He is “expected to be Boston’s starting second baseman when he recovers from his illness,” according to MLB.com.
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