Prior to tonight's game against the Philadelphia Phillies, the Boston Red Sox returned catcher/utility player Blake Swihart from his rehab assignment with Short-A Lowell and activated him from the 10-day disabled list. To make room for Swihart on the active roster, catcher Dan Butler was designated for assignment.
The Red Sox' 40-man roster is now at 39.
President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski made the announcement.
Swihart, 26, has played 51 games for the Red Sox in 2018, batting .226 (26-for-115) with 13 runs scored, six doubles, one home run, six RBI, and three stolen bases. From June 26 until his placement on the disabled list on August 3, the switch-hitter batted .366 (15-for-41) with a .959 OPS over 17 games, including a career-long 11-game hitting streak from July 6-31. He started at catcher in his only rehab game with the Spinners on Sunday, going 0-for-3. Originally selected by Boston in the first round of the 2011 June Draft (26th overall), Swihart has played 160 games over parts of four seasons with the Red Sox, batting .260 (122-for-470) with 70 runs scored, 23 doubles, six home runs, and 42 RBI. This season, he has made seven starts behind the plate, five in right field, three at first base, one at third base, and one in left field, while also appearing once at second base. 
Butler, 31, made two starts for the Red Sox during the club's recent series in Baltimore, his first major league games since 2014. He has played 58 games for the PawSox this season, making 57 starts at catcher and batting .202 (37-for-183) with 18 runs scored, seven doubles, five home runs, 22 RBI, and a .312 on-base percentage. He has recorded a .998 fielding percentage behind the plate for the PawSox, making just one error in 547 total chances and throwing out nine of 48 attempted base stealers (18.8%). The catcher has spent nine of his 10 professional seasons in the Red Sox organization, batting .252 (637-for-2,525) with a .344 on-base percentage, 60 home runs, and 339 RBI over 759 career minor league games.