Prior to tonight's game against the Los Angeles Angels, the Boston Red Sox made the following roster moves:
President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski made the announcement.
Fister, who was claimed off waivers from the Angels yesterday, has made three starts for Triple-A Salt Lake this season, most recently on June 16 against Reno. The 33-year-old spent the entire 2016 season with the Houston Astros, making 32 starts and going 12-13 with a 4.64 ERA (93 ER/180.1 IP). The right-hander spent his previous two seasons with the Washington Nationals, finishing eighth in National League Cy Young Award voting in 2014 after going 16-6 with a 2.41 ERA (44 ER/164.0 IP). Originally selected by the Mariners in the seventh round of the 2006 June Draft, Fister has made 212 major league appearances (199 starts) for Seattle (2009-11), Detroit (2011-13), Washington (2014-15), and Houston (2016), going 77-76 with a 3.60 ERA (506 ER/1,266.0 IP).
Velázquez, 28, has made three appearances (two starts) for Boston this season, going 1-1 with a 5.27 ERA (8 ER/13.2 IP). He is also 4-1 with a 1.29 ERA (7 ER/49.0 IP) and a .189 opponent batting average in nine starts with the PawSox, striking out 35 batters and walking eight with 32 hits and one home run allowed. A native of Sonora, Mexico, the right-hander has made five scoreless starts of at least 5.0 innings for Pawtucket, having not allowed a run in his last 16.0 innings pitched. The Red Sox purchased his contract from the Piratas de Campeche of the Mexican League on February 18, 2017, and in seven seasons with Campeche (2010-15) and Monclova (2016), the right-hander went 43-29 with a 3.76 ERA (287 ER/687.1 IP) in 136 appearances (120 starts).
Rutledge, 28, is making his second appearance on the disabled list this season, having missed Boston's first 19 games with a left hamstring strain. He has batted .224 (24-for-107) with nine RBI and 10 runs scored in 37 games in 2017, making 15 starts at third base, 10 at second base, and one at first base. Selected by the Colorado Rockies in the third round of the 2010 June Draft, the Alabama native has played 370 games over a six-year major league career with Colorado (2012-14) and Boston (2015-17), hitting .258 (284-for-1,101) with 156 runs, 51 doubles, 14 triples, 20 home runs, 111 RBI, and 24 stolen bases in only 27 attempts. In 104 games with the Red Sox, he has hit .252 (58-for-230).
Lin, 23, has spent his entire professional career in the Red Sox organization since signing as an international free agent on June 16, 2012. A native of Kaohsiung County, Taiwan, the left-handed hitter has batted .302 (48-for-159) with an .870 OPS in 48 games for Portland this season, totaling nine doubles, three triples, five home runs, and eight stolen bases in 10 attempts. He is 7-for-10 with four extra-base hits in his last two games, notably going 5-for-5 with a double and a triple on Wednesday at Erie. Lin has made 37 starts at shortstop, as well as two at second base and five in center field. The only other Taiwan-born player to appear on a major league roster for the Red Sox is outfielder Che-Hsuan Lin, who played in nine games for Boston in 2012.
Holt, 29, was placed on the 10-day disabled list with vertigo on April 21 and has missed the club's last 57 games. He has gone 2-for-15 (.091) in five games with the Red Sox this season, including one start each at left field and third base. Over parts of six major league seasons with the Pirates (2012) and the Red Sox (2013-17), the 2015 All-Star has hit .270 (359-for-1,328) with 185 runs scored, 70 doubles, 12 triples, 13 home runs, 123 RBI, and 25 stolen bases. Selected by Pittsburgh in the ninth round of the 2009 June Draft, Holt is the most recent Red Sox player to hit for the cycle, having accomplished the feat on June 16, 2015 against the Atlanta Braves. He has been Boston's nominee for the prestigious Roberto Clemente Award in each of the last two seasons.