Scott Lauber, ESPN Staff Writer 8y

Red Sox facing potentially difficult decision on catchers

ARLINGTON, Texas -- When it comes to catchers, usually three is a crowd. Within the next week, then, the Boston Red Sox might face a difficult decision.

Veteran catcher Ryan Hanigan is nearing a return after three weeks on the disabled list with a strained neck. But Sandy Leon, who was supposed to be little more than a placeholder for Hanigan as the backup to Christian Vazquez, suddenly looks like the second coming of Pudge Rodriguez, his 11-pitch at-bat in the ninth inning of Friday night's rousing comeback against the Texas Rangers serving as the latest example of his improvement as a hitter.

Leon can't be sent back to the minors without being exposed to waivers. Red Sox officials were surprised last year when Leon went unclaimed, enabling the team to re-sign him to a minor league contract, and the way he has been playing, there isn't any chance of it happening again.

What's an organization to do?

One scenario that is looking more like a serious possibility: Vazquez could be optioned to Triple-A.

"I don't know that we have a definitive outlook on it," manager John Farrell said Saturday before the Sox and Rangers continued their three-game series. "[Leon] is doing an excellent job. We've always viewed it as a two-man position. How that breaks up remains to be seen once Hanny is good to go. We've got some time to get to that point."

A few days, at least. Hanigan won't be activated from the DL until he catches nine innings in back-to-back games, a workload that he's expected to bear on Tuesday and Wednesday. The Red Sox are off Thursday, giving them ample time to talk over their options.

Vazquez draws rave reviews for his defense and game-calling, the reasons the Red Sox wasted little time activating him in mid-April once he proved he had recovered from missing all of last season due to Tommy John elbow surgery. But he has struggled at the plate, going 14-for-78 (.179) over his past 25 games and batting .215 in 149 at-bats overall.

Asked if Vazquez might benefit from more time in Triple-A to attempt to regain the timing at the plate that might have been lost during a year of not playing, Farrell said, "I don't know that we're there yet."

But Leon also is regarded as a solid defensive catcher. He has 12 hits in 22 at-bats (.545) since getting called up June 5, and if he continues to hit, sending down Vazquez might make the most sense as a way of preserving as much catching depth as possible.

"All things being equal, the offense certainly weighs into it," Farrell said. "At the same time, because of the attrition rate at the position, we have to be careful, too, from an organizational depth standpoint. You're always a foul tip away from needing the next guy. We've got some thought to give to how we fit Ryan back here."

Of course, the Red Sox also could decide to carry three catchers, a use of the 25-man roster that would be unusual but hardly unprecedented. One thing they know for sure: They don't want to see Leon playing for another team.

"We don't want to lose him," Farrell said. "He's doing a great job."

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