Red Sox recall right-handed pitcher Anthony Ranaudo from Triple-A Pawtucket

The Boston Red Sox today recalled right-handed pitcher Anthony Ranaudo from Triple-A Pawtucket. To make room for him on the 25-man roster, left-handed pitcher Edwin Escobar was optioned to Pawtucket yesterday. Ranaudo is scheduled to start tonight's series opener in Tampa against the Rays beginning at 7:10 p.m.

Executive Vice President/General Manager made the announcement.

Ranaudo, 24, returns to the Red Sox for his third career major league stint, all this season. In two career major league outings, starts on August 1 against the Yankees and August 13 in Cincinnati, he is 2-0 with a 4.50 ERA (6 ER/12.0 IP) and three strikeouts. The right-hander has spent the majority of the season with Pawtucket, where he was named the International League's Pitcher of the Year and earned a spot on the IL's year-end All-Star team. For the PawSox, he is 14-4 with a 2.61 ERA and a .223 opponent batting average, leading the league in wins, ERA, and opponent batting average. In 138.0 innings with the PawSox, he has fanned 111 batters compared to just 112 hits and 54 walks allowed. Signed as a supplemental round selection in the 2010 June Draft, he is 35-18 with a 3.46 ERA (170 ER/442.2 IP) and 382 strikeouts in 84 career minor league outings, including 83 starts.

Escobar, 22, was recalled from Pawtucket on Wednesday for his second career major league stint and made his big league debut that night in Toronto with a perfect inning to conclude the loss. Acquired on July 26 in the deal that sent right-handed pitcher Jake Peavy to the San Francisco Giants, he has since made five starts for Pawtucket, going 0-2 with a 4.28 ERA (13 ER/27.1 IP) and 20 strikeouts. Between both Pawtucket and Triple-A Fresno in the Giants system, the Venezuelan native is 3-10 with a 4.94 ERA (76 ER/138.1 IP) with 116 strikeouts in 25 starts in 2014. He entered this season as the No. 2 overall prospect in the Giants minor league system as rated by Baseball America.