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Christian Vazquez to Undergo Surgery on Finger Injury, Miss 6-8 Weeks
July 9, 2018
The Boston Red Sox will be without catcher Christian Vazquez for approximately two months.
Evan Drellich of NBC Sports Boston reported the news, noting Vazquez will be sidelined for six to eight weeks with surgery planned for Tuesday. A pin will be inserted into his fractured finger during the procedure.
Despite the setback, Drellich pointed out manager Alex Cora said he was comfortable with Blake Swihart and Sandy Leon manning the backstop.
Vazquez has appeared in 60 games this season and is slashing .213/.249/.300 with three home runs and 14 RBI.
While the offensive numbers have never jumped out for Vazquez—he has never hit more than five home runs in a season—he has typically been a solid source of defense behind the plate. According to FanGraphs, he was responsible for 12 defensive runs saved last year and 31 for his career entering the 2018 campaign.
However, even the defense has slipped this year seeing how he is at minus-three in that category in 492.2 innings.
Cora's expressed confidence in Swihart and Leon suggests Boston doesn’t have to rush to the trade market to bolster its catching depth following this injury as it attempts to hold off the New York Yankees in the American League East.
While Swihart is hitting just .185 and plays some left field as well, Leon is slashing .250/.292/.391 with four long balls and 18 RBI after playing a career-high 85 games last year for the Red Sox.
