Red Sox Call Up Daniel Nava; Batting Sixth Against Indians
BOSTON (CBS) - The Boston Red Sox have recalled outfielder Daniel Nava from Pawtucket, who will play left field and bat sixth for the Sox as they open a four-game set with the Cleveland Indians.
Nava hit .316 for the PawSox in 27 games, and leads the International League with a .429 average over the last three weeks. Nava made a name for himself in 2010 when he smacked a grand slam for the Sox for his first career hit. That season, he hit .242 with 14 doubles and 24 RBI in 60 games in Boston.
Nava struggled mightily in 2011, spending the entire season in the minors, but is happy to finally be back in the big leagues.
"I learned a lot last year; struggling and trying to find myself as a hitter again and just a lot of other things that put baseball in perspective," the 29-year-old Nava said from the Boston clubhouse. "I'm glad to be back, glad to have a shot, and we'll see what happens."
Daniel Nava On Being Back In The Majors
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To make room for Nava, the Red Sox optioned right-hander Clayton Mortensen back to Triple-A. Mortensen allowed just one run over 9.1 innings of work with Boston, striking out 12 while issuing no free passes.
Releiver Justin Thomas was removed from the 40-man roster to clear a spot for Nava.
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Here is the full Red Sox lineup for Thursday night's game against Derek Lowe and the Cleveland Indians:
Ryan Sweeney, RF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
David Ortiz, DH
Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
Will Middlebrooks, 3B
Daniel Nava, LF
Mike Aviles, SS
Marlon Byrd, CF
Kelly Shoppach, C
Josh Beckett gets the start for Boston after missing Saturday's scheduled go in the rotation with a strained lat.
It should be interesting to hear what kind of reception he gets from the Fenway crowd, as 98.5 The Sports Hub's Hardy broke the news on Wednesday that Beckett went golfing last Thursday, just a day after being scratched.
