Swihart Still Aims To Be A Catcher

BOSTON—For Blake Swihart, the long-term goal remains unaltered.

“I still love catching and want to be a catcher,” he said.

But while he continues to do daily catching drills and continues to get regular playing time behind the plate, his job description at Triple-A Pawtucket has expanded to include time in left field.

With both Swihart and Christian Vazquez in the organization and the Red Sox rotation struggling early, Boston elected to commit to Vazquez at the big league level while optioning Swihart to Pawtucket.

---

That path was chosen both because of the team’s high regard for Vazquez’s work behind the plate and in hopes of letting Swihart prepare to serve as a depth option both behind the plate and in the outfield over the course of the year. Swihart welcomed the opportunity.

“Anything I have to do to get back to the big leagues, I’ll do it,” said Swihart, 24, who started 78 games for the Red Sox as a rookie catcher in 2015.

“It was tough at first. I just sat down and told myself, ‘Look, don’t be ticked off. Go about it the right way . . . (I need to) go prove to everyone I can do it . . .

“I know that I want to be able to help (the Red Sox) win. I want to be a big part of that team. My job is to get back up there and do anything I can to help that team.”

Pawtucket manager Kevin Boles noted that within a few games in left, Swihart was already tracking down balls in the gap in a way that highlighted his unusual athleticism and the above-average speed that make him a bit of a novelty as a catcher.

Despite unimpressive early numbers at the plate—he hit .222/.293/.296 through 22 games—Swihart had shown a more mature and patient approach than a year ago.

“I feel really good,” said Swihart, a first-round pick in 2011 from high school in Rio Rancho, N.M. “I probably have more walks than I did all of last year. I’m seeing the ball really well (and) hitting the ball hard.”

SOX YARNS

• Low Class A Greenville righthander Anderson Espinoza struck out 11 on May 5, matching a franchise record.

• High Class A Salem outfielder Andrew Benintendi and second baseman Yoan Moncada were named Carolina League players of the week in back-to-back weeks.