The Boston Red Sox restocked their depth at the catcher position Thursday afternoon, as veteran backstop Sandy Leon cleared waivers after being designated for assignment on July 20th by the team, finding himself optioned to Triple-A Pawtucket.
Lacking minor league options, Leon was originally sent to the waiver wire last week as Boston activated rookie catcher Blake Swihart from the 15-day disabled list to take over the reserve catching role behind starter Ryan Hanigan. Manager John Farrell had insisted that although Leon was a valuable member of the catching group on the big league squad, there was simply not enough room to house three backstops on the roster at one time.
The 26-year-old has been lauded for his defensive prowess, however his ability at the plate leaves much to be desired. His proficiency rating in throwing out potential base-stealers leads the team, as he has thrown out nine of the 16 baserunners that have attempted to steal against him this season, and his rapport with the pitchers on the Red Sox staff (Boston arms have a 3.88 ERA when pitching to Leon, the best mark of any catcher on the squad) is nothing to ignore.
#RedSox announce Sandy Leon cleared waivers and has been outrighted to Pawtucket. Gives team additional depth at catcher.
— Sean Penney (@spenney83) July 30, 2015
However, his horrific .180 average coupled with his .438 OPS, the worst mark in the American League for batsmen with over 100 plate appearances, made him expendable, causing doubts in Farrell's mind concerning whether Leon could become an reliable everyday option for the ball club.
When asked about his reasoning for designating Leon for assignment in the first place, Farrell told the Boston Herald, “Trying to get an upgrade on offense to the total catching position, [although] Sandy did an excellent job for us in the time he was here.”
Over the course of his major league career, spent between the Washington Nationals and the Red Sox, Leon has garnered an average of just .185, an on-base percentage of just .265, and an OPS of .488.