V-Mart Back For #RedSox

The Boston Red Sox today activated catcher Victor Martinez from the 15-day disabled list and optioned catcher Dusty Brown to Triple-A Pawtucket. Martinez is slated to start behind the plate and bat sixth in tonight’s game at Angel Stadium.

The announcement was made by Executive Vice President/General Manager Theo Epstein.

Martinez, 31, has missed 22 games since being placed on the disabled list on June 29 (retroactive to June 28) due to a left thumb fracture. He sustained the injury after having two foul balls hit off his thumb while he was behind the plate during the June 27 game in San Francisco. The switch-hitter, who was named an All-Star for the fourth time in his career in 2010, has batted .289 (71-for-246) with 20 doubles, nine home runs, 38 RBI and 36 runs in 66 games with the Red Sox this season.

The 28-year-old Brown is 2-for-11 (.182) in six games with Boston since he was recalled on July 17, appearing at catcher in all six games including three starts. Brown has hit .225 (38-for-169) with 14 doubles, five home runs, 24 RBI, 25 runs and 24 walks in 52 games with the PawSox this season, appearing in 48 games behind the plate.



---RED SOX---

Alex Gonzalez is Gone, Boston.com Post Pic of V-Mart, Panic Ensues

Look very, very carefully (and click on) the photo in the upper right-hand corner next to the "Blue Jays sign Gonzalez" headline. I might be wrong, but isn't that Victor Martinez?

Red Sox Press Release on V-Mart, 'Tek, Wake, and A-Gon

 
The Boston Red Sox today exercised the 2010 contract option on catcher Victor Martinez and declined to exercise team options on shortstop Alex Gonzalez and catcher Jason Varitek.

Additionally, the club signed right-handed pitcher Tim Wakefield to a two-year contract. No further terms were disclosed.

The announcements were made by Executive Vice President/General Manager Theo Epstein.

Acquired by the Red Sox from the Indians on July 31, Martinez combined to hit .303 (178-for-588) with 33 doubles, 23 home runs and 108 RBI in a career-high 155 games between Boston and Cleveland in 2009. Named an American League All-Star for the third time in his career, he made 85 appearances at catcher (82 starts) and 70 (66 starts) at first base. Martinez, 30, finished among AL leaders in RBI (T-5th), road batting average (7th, .323) and average vs. right-handers (10th, .316), and also ranked among the league’s top switch-hitters in RBI (T-2nd), batting average (4th), on-base percentage (4th, .381), home runs (5th) and slugging (5th, .480). In his 56 games with Boston, he hit .336 (71-for-211) with eight home runs and 41 RBI.

Martinez has compiled a .299 career batting average (971-for-3,246) with 111 home runs and 559 RBI in 877 Major League games over parts of eight seasons with the Indians (2002-09) and Red Sox (2009). He leads the Majors with 161 doubles and 429 RBI as a catcher since the start of the 2004 campaign.

The 43-year-old Wakefield posted an 11-5 record and 4.58 ERA (66 ER/129.2 IP) in 21 starts for Boston during the 2009 season. He finished fifth among AL qualifiers with a .688 winning percentage and reached double-digits in victories for a club-record 11th time. The right-hander earned his first career All-Star selection this summer and, then 42, was the oldest player to do so since Satchel Paige (46) in 1952.

Wakefield holds the all-time Red Sox record with 388 starts, ranks second in club history with 1,869 strikeouts and 525 appearances, and third with 175 wins and 2,711.1 innings. His 15 seasons with the Red Sox are fifth-most in club history behind Carl Yastrzemski (23), Dwight Evans (19), Ted Williams (19) and Jim Rice (16). He is also one of just 19 pitchers ever to spend at least 15 seasons with a single AL franchise.

Gonzalez, 32, combined to bat .238 (93-for-391) with eight home runs and 41 RBI in 112 games with Cincinnati and Boston in 2009. Traded to the Red Sox on August 14, he hit at a .284 clip (42-for-148) with five home runs and 15 RBI while posting a .994 fielding percentage (1 error/159 total chances) at shortstop in 44 AL games (43 starts).

Varitek, 37, was behind the plate in 108 games for Boston in 2009, including 106 starts. The switch-hitter batted .209 (76-for-364) with 14 home runs and 51 RBI. Over parts of 13 Major League seasons with the Red Sox, he has caught in a club-record 1,381 contests and ranks among franchise all-time leaders in overall games played (9th, 1,439), doubles (8th, 290), home runs (12th, 175), RBI (15th, 705) and walks (15th, 583).

--- RED SOX ---

SATURDAY MORNING LINKS

Senior Little League World Series Championship today in Bangor

• Former University of Maine DL Jovan Belcher leads the Kansas City Chiefs in tackles in a 17 – 13 loss to the Brett Favre led Minnesota Vikings.
• Texas to battle California in the Senior Little League World Series today in Bangor.
• The Portland Sea Dogs were rained out Friday, but have schedules a double header Saturday at Hadlock.
• Win in sight for 1 Oxford Plains Driver
• Shawn Crable continues to have issues getting on the field.
• The New York Yankees blasted the Boston Red Sox 20 – 11 Friday night. Some good and bad news for the Sox Friday, Jacoby Ellsbury tied Tommy Harper’s club record of 56 stolen bases and Victor Martinez left the game after fouling a ball of his big toe, he should be fine.