RED SOX ANNOUNCE SIGNINGS

RED SOX SIGN FIRST-ROUND PICK TREY BALL

Club signs 11 Players Selected in the 2013 June Draft

BOSTON, MA – The Boston Red Sox today signed first-round draft pick Trey Ball, an 18-year old left-handed pitcher from New Castle, Indiana. Ball, the seventh player selected in the draft, was one of 11 signings announced today by Director of Amateur Scouting Amiel Sawdaye. He will practice with the Red Sox today at Fenway Park and report to the Gulf Coast League Red Sox in Fort Myers, Florida next week. Ball is Boston’s earliest draft pick since 1993, when Trot Nixon was also the seventh pick in the country.

Ball was the top draft-eligible left-handed pitcher according to Baseball America. The 6-foot-6, 175-pound southpaw was named the Gatorade Indiana Baseball Player of the Year after his senior season at New Castle High School, where he went 6-0 with a 0.76 ERA, with 93 strikeouts and only 13 walks in 46.0 innings. Also a left-handed hitting outfielder, Ball batted .329 with nine home runs, 28 RBI, 40 runs scored, and 20 stolen bases, to help lead New Castle to a school-record 22 wins and its first-ever outright North Central Conference Championship.

This past summer, Ball was selected to participate in the Under Armour All-American Game and both hit and pitched in the Perfect Game All-American Classic. He was also named an Aflac All-American and an Under Armour All-American as a junior in 2012.

In addition to Ball, the club announced the signings of 10 more players selected in the June draft. Among the players are outfielder Forrestt Allday (eighth round), right-hander Kyle Martin (ninth round), right-hander Taylor Grover (10th round), infielder Carlos Asuaje (11th round), and catcher Jake Romanski (14th round).

Allday, a senior at the University of Central Arkansas this season, led the Bears with a .365 batting average, 59 runs, 53 walks, and a .503 on-base percentage.

Martin went 3-4 as a senior at Texas A&M and posted a 3.96 ERA in 92 appearances, including seven starts, over his last three seasons on the Aggies’ staff.

Grover was a consensus 2013 All-American as a junior at the University of South Carolina Aiken and led the Peach Belt Conference with 11 saves while going 5-0 with a 0.92 ERA and 37 strikeouts in 29.1 innings over 31 appearances.

Asuaje, drafted out of Nova Southeastern University, hit .320 as a junior this year with 13 doubles, two triples, two homers, and 33 RBI, and led the Sunshine State Conference leaders with 32 stolen bases.

Romanski hit .303 with nine doubles, a triple, three home runs, 33 RBI, and 31 walks in 60 games this spring a senior at San Diego State University.

The Red Sox also signed outfielder Bryan Hudson (15th round), right-hander Joe Gunkel (18th round), infielders Reed Gragnani (21st round) and Jantzen Witte (24th round), and catcher Daniel Bethea (34th round).

SOX MAKE MORE MOVES

RED SOX ANNOUNCE ROSTER MOVES

BOSTON, MA – The Boston Red Sox announced the following roster moves after the first game of today’s doubleheader against the Rays:

· Right-hander Clay Buchholz was placed on the 15-day disabled list (retroactive to June 9) with a neck strain. To fill his spot on the 25-man roster, catcher Ryan Lavarnway was recalled from Triple-A Pawtucket.

· Catcher David Ross was placed on the seven-day concussion disabled list. To fill his spot on the roster, right-hander Alex Wilson was recalled from Pawtucket.

Both Lavarnway and Wilson are expected to be available for the second game of today’s doubleheader against the Rays at Fenway Park at 8:05 p.m.

Executive Vice President/General Manager Ben Cherington made the announcement.

Buchholz, 28, has gone 9-0 with an American League-leading 1.71 ERA (16 ER/84.1 IP) in 12 starts for Boston this season. The Red Sox have an 11-1 record in his starts in 2013. Buchholz last pitched on June 8 against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

Lavarnway, 25, returns to the Red Sox for his third major league stint of the season. In three games for Boston this season, he has hit .250 (2-for-8) with 2 RBI. In 38 games for Pawtucket this season, he has hit .261 (36-for-138) with nine doubles, three home runs and 21 RBI.

Ross, 36, was also on the seven-day concussion disabled list from, May 12-24. He originally experienced concussion symptoms after taking a pair of foul balls off his catcher’s mask on May 11 against Toronto. In 23 games for the Red Sox this season, he has hit .185 (12-for-65) with two doubles, four home runs and six RBI.

Wilson, 26, will begin his third stint with Boston this season. In 17 appearances out of the bullpen for the Red Sox in 2013, he has gone 1-1 with a 2.61 ERA (6 ER/20.2 IP). His last major league appearance was last Thursday at Baltimore. In eight games for Pawtucket, he is 1-1 with a 4.22 ERA (5 ER/10.2 IP) with three walks and 12 strikeouts.

RED SOX TO START SECOND GAME SHORTLY

GAME 2 OF RED SOX-RAYS DOUBLEHEADER EXPECTED TO START AT 8:05 P.M.

BOSTON, MA – Due to the extended rain delay of Game 1 of today’s Red Sox-Rays doubleheader, Game 2 will start at 8:05 p.m.

The current forecast calls for relatively dry conditions for the remainder of the evening.

A reminder that fans holding tickets for Game 1 are invited to attend Game 2 free of charge. They can exchange their tickets at the Gate E ticket window.

RED SOX DOUBLEHEADER TODAY !

LET’S PLAY TWO: The Red Sox and Rays will play a day/night doubleheader today, with the day tilt serving as the make-up game for 4/12’s postponed contest.
· This marks the 3rd doubleheader for the Sox this year…They were swept by the Royals on 4/21 and split a day/nighter with the Angels on 6/8.

ACEVES ADDED: The Red Sox today recalled RHP Alfredo Aceves from Triple-A Pawtucket and added him as the club’s 26th man on the active roster for today’s day-night doubleheader…Aceves will start the 1:05 p.m. game.

FRIENDLY FENWAY: The Red Sox have won 8 of their last 11 contests at Fenway Park, outscoring opponents 78-43 over that 11-game stretch at home.
· Boston is 3rd in the AL with a 21-14 (.600) home mark…The Sox own a MLB-best .474 home SLG and top all teams with 140 extra-base hits at home…Their 92 home doubles pace the majors and are 13 more than any other club at home.

ACEVES TO MAKE START TODAY

RED SOX RECALL RIGHT-HANDER ALFREDO ACEVES

BOSTON, MA—The Boston Red Sox today recalled right-handed pitcher Alfredo Aceves from Triple-A Pawtucket and added him as the club’s 26th man on the active roster for today’s day-night doubleheader against the Rays at Fenway Park. Aceves will start the 1:05 p.m. game. Under Major League Baseball Rules, teams are permitted to add an extra player for doubleheaders.

Executive Vice President/General Manager Ben Cherington made the announcement.

This is the fourth major league stint of the season for Aceves, 31, who has gone 3-1 with a 5.58 ERA (19 ER/30.2 IP) in eight games (five starts) for Boston. Over his last two major league outings, both spot starts, he is 2-0 with a 1.50 ERA (2 ER/12.0 IP). Aceves last pitched for Boston on Wednesday against Tampa Bay at Tropicana Field where he allowed one run on four hits in 6.0 innings in the Red Sox’ 2-1 victory. At Pawtucket this season, Aceves is 2-1 with a 3.52 ERA (12 ER/30.2 IP) in five games, all starts.

SOX LOOKING FOR 10th WIN IN JUNE

DAYDREAMERS: The Red Sox lead the majors with a .700 winning percentage (14-6) in day games this year.
· Daniel Nava (3rd, .360) and Dustin Pedroia (4th, .360) and and are both among AL leaders in day AVG.

BUSTIN OUT IN JUNE: The Sox, who lead MLB with 360 runs overall, have outscored opponents 85-56 while going 9-5 in 14 June contests…They are tied for the major league lead with 22 homers in the month with David Ortiz and Mike Carp tied for 2nd in the AL with 5 each in the month.

CARP CRUSHING: Mike Carp has 5 homers and 11 RBI in his last 10 games…His .680 SLG is 2nd in the majors among players with at least 100 plate appearances behind only Baltimore’s Chris Davis (.684).

BEATO CALLED UP BY RED SOX

RED SOX SELECT RIGHT-HANDER PEDRO BEATO TO ACTIVE

BOSTON, MA – The Boston Red Sox today selected right-hander Pedro Beato to the active major league roster from Triple-A Pawtucket. To make room for him on the 25-man roster, right-hander Rubby De La Rosa was optioned to Pawtucket after yesterday’s game in Baltimore. With the addition of Beato, the Red Sox 40-man roster is now at 40.

Executive Vice President/General Manager Ben Cherington made the announcement.

For Beato, 26, it marks his first major league stint of 2013. In 19 relief appearances for the PawSox this season, he has gone 4-1 with two saves, a 1.89 ERA (7 ER/33.1 IP), and 29 strikeouts. He has thrown more than 1.0 inning 14 times and has tossed 8.0 scoreless frames over his last five outings. Acquired by the Red Sox from the New York Mets on August 16, 2012, completing the trade for catcher Kelly Shoppach, Beato went 1-0 with a 4.70 ERA (4 ER/7.2 IP) in four relief appearances for Boston last year. He owns a 3-1 record and 4.67 ERA (41 ER/79.0 IP) in 71 career major league games, all in relief, with the Mets (2011-12) and Red Sox (2012). Beato will be active for today’s game in Baltimore, wearing No. 54.

De La Rosa, 24, was recalled for his first major league stint of the year on Friday but did not appear in a game. He returns to Pawtucket where he has gone 0-1 with a 3.29 ERA (14 ER/38.1 IP) in 11 starts. De La Rosa has held Triple-A batters to a .188 opponent average (25-for-133) this season and has recorded 38 strikeouts compared to 20 walks.

RED SOX -O’S BACK AT IT TODAY

DAYDREAMERS: The Red Sox lead the majors with a .684 winning percentage (13-6) in day games this year.
· Dustin Pedroia (3rd, .366) and Daniel Nava (4th, .365) and are both among AL leaders in day AVG.

SOX AND O’S: The Red Sox and Orioles today continue a 4-game set in Baltimore, the 2nd series between the 2 clubs in 2013…The O’s lead the season set 4-1 with 14 match-ups remaining…The Orioles are the only AL East team that the Sox have a losing record against this year with all 4 of their losses in the season series coming by 3 runs or less…Boston has a .200 win percentage vs. Baltimore and a combined .667 (16-8) vs. all other AL East rivals.

IGGY’S POP: Jose Iglesias, who collected 2 of the Sox 3 hits last night, has hit safely in a career-high 15 straight games (with an AB), batting .444 (24-for-54) with 5 doubles, a homer, 5 RBI, 8 runs, and 5 walks over the 15-game stretch with multiple hits in 9 of those contests.
· His 15-game streak is the longest active in the majors and matches the longest for a Sox batter this year (also David Ortiz, 4/20-5/7)…It is also the longest hit streak for an AL rookie in 2013 and 2nd-longest for any rookie behind Miami’s Marcell Ozuna’s 16-gamer from 5/15-31…The last Sox rookie with a single-season stretch of at least that length was Jacoby Ellsbury’s 18-game run, 9/5-28/08.

RED SOX vs O’S – GAME II

ROSTER MOVE: The Red Sox today recalled RHP Rubby De La Rosa from Triple-A Pawtucket…To make room on the 25-man roster, RHP Alex Wilson was optioned to Pawtucket after last night’s game.

PEDRO TO THE PADRES: The Red Sox today traded INF Pedro Ciriaco to San Diego in exchange for a player to be named later or cash considerations…Boston designated Ciriaco for assignment on Monday.

PAPI IN JUNE: David Ortiz, who knocked his team-leading 14th home run last night in Baltimore, is tied for the major league lead with 5 homers in June and paces the AL with 14 RBI during the month.

ROAD RELIEF: Sox relievers have combined to toss 22.2 innings over the 1st 4 games of the current road trip, including 8.1 frames in Monday’s 14-inning win at Tampa Bay and 8.0 innings in last night’s 13-inning loss at Baltimore…The Sox have used 9 different pitchers in relief on the trip, posting a combined 2.38 ERA (6 ER/22.2 IP) with 23 strikeouts.
· Red Sox relievers own a 2.31 ERA in road games this season compared to a 5.62 mark at home.

ELLS IS ON: Jacoby Ellsbury has stolen at least 1 base in a career-high 6 straight games with 9 total steals in that time…According to Elias, the last Red Sox player with a stolen base in at least 6 straight games was Tris Speaker, who did it in 8 straight from 5/19-30/1913.

CIRIACO TO PADRES

RED SOX TRADE INFIELDER PEDRO CIRIACO TO THE PADRES FOR A PLAYER TO BE NAMED LATER OR CASH CONSIDERATIONS

BOSTON, MA—The Boston Red Sox today traded infielder Pedro Ciriaco to the San Diego Padres in exchange for a player to be named later or cash considerations.

Executive Vice President/General Manager Ben Cherington made the announcement.

Ciriaco, 27, was designated for assignment by the Red Sox on Monday. He hit .216 (11-for-51) with two doubles, one triple, one home run, and four RBI in 28 games for Boston this season. Defensively, he played in 10 games at third base (five starts), eight at shortstop (seven starts), three at second base, and one at first base. He also appeared in five games at designated hitter, all after pinch-running.

For his major league career, the Dominican native has batted .287 (100-for-349) with three home runs and 30 RBI in 135 games between the Pittsburgh Pirates (2010-11) and Red Sox (2012-13). He was signed by the Red Sox as a minor league free agent on December 15, 2011.