Red sox activate outfielder/first baseman Allen Craig from disabled list

BOSTON, MA - The Boston Red Sox today activated outfielder/first baseman Allen Craig from the 15-day disabled list. To make room for him on the 25-man roster, outfielder/first baseman Alex Hassan was optioned to Triple-A Pawtucket. Craig will be active for tonight's series finale at Fenway Park against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim beginning at 7:10 p.m.

Executive Vice President/General Manager Ben Cherington made the announcement.

Craig, 30, was placed on the disabled list on August 5 (retroactive to August 2) with a left foot sprain. Acquired from St. Louis along with right-handed pitcher Joe Kelly on July 31, Craig went 1-for-4 with a double in his Red Sox debut on August 1 against the New York Yankees. He was removed from that game after sustaining the injury while running the bases in the eighth inning. Between the Red sox and Cardinals, the right-handed batter is hitting .237 (88-for-371) with 18 doubles, one triple, seven home runs, and 44 RBI in 98 games this season. A 2013 National League All-Star, he ranked fourth among NL qualifiers with a .312 batting average from 2011-13, helping St. Louis to the postseason in all three years. Signed by the Cardinals as an eighth-round selection in the 2006 June Draft, Craig is a career .291 hitter (483-for-1,662) with 104 doubles, three triples, 57 home runs, 291 RBI, and 127 walks over 470 major league games.

Hassan, 26, was recalled yesterday for his second career major league stint and went 0-for-1 in as a pinch-hitter in last night's game against the Angels. In three games with the Red Sox this season, his first career major league action, he is 1-for-8 with a walk and a run scored. He has hit .282 (104-for-369) with 29 doubles, one triple, eight home runs, 50 RBI, 54 walks, and a .373 OBP in 104 games for Pawtucket this season. Defensively, he has combined for a .993 fielding percentage (2 errors/292 total chances) at Triple-A, while appearing in right field (64 games), left field (22 games), and first base (12 games). Born in Quincy, MA, he grew up in Milton, MA and was a four-year letter winner at Boston College High School before being signed by the Red Sox as a 20th-round selection in the 2009 June Draft.