Red Sox Place Victorino On DL With Hamstring Injury
BOSTON (CBS) -- Shane Victorino will have to wait a little longer for his 2014 season to begin.
The Red Sox placed Victorino on the 15-day disabled list on Monday after the right fielder suffered a right hamstring strain while running the bases in Saturday's Grapefruit League finale against the Minnesota Twins. He flew to Boston on Sunday for an MRI and was scheduled to go through a full exam on Monday morning, with the hopes that he could rejoin the team in time for their season opener in Baltimore.
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But that was not the case, and Victorino will now begin the season on the disabled list. Jackie Bradley Jr. was recalled from Triple-A Pawtucket to take Victorino's roster spot, and Daniel Nava took his spot in right fielder and atop the Boston lineup for their season opener on Monday.
In 10 games this spring, Victorino hit .250 (7-for-28) with three doubles, one RBI, and three runs scored.
The 33-year-old Victorino battled various injuries in 2013, but still put together a solid season overall. He missed a handful of games last April with a lower back injury and landed on the DL in May with a left hamstring issue, and both injuries lingered throughout the season. But Victorino battled through to play 122 games, hitting .294 with 15 homers, 61 RBI and 82 runs scored, and winning a Gold Glove for his stellar defense in right.
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Victorino hit just .212 during the postseason, but played a very pivotal role to Boston's World Series Championship. He hit .429 in the ALDS against the Tampa Bay Rays, and despite hitting just .125 in the ALCS against the Detroit Tigers, Victorino delivered the knock-out blow with a decisive grand slam in Boston's Game 6 series-clinching victory.
Victorino, a career .277 hitter, is entering the second year of a three-year, $39 million he signed with Boston last off-season.
Bradley Jr. did not make Boston's 25-man roster after going 9-for-57 (.158) in 19 spring games, but now gets an opportunity to come in off the bench in the big leagues.
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