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Red Sox recall right-handed pitcher Rubby De La Rosa and catcher Christian Vazquez from Triple-A Pawtucket

Designate Catcher A.J. Pierzynski for Assignment; Option Right-Handed Pitcher Brandon Workman to Triple-A Pawtucket

BOSTON, MA-The Boston Red Sox today announced the following roster moves:

  • Right-handed pitcher Rubby De La Rosa was recalled from Triple-A Pawtucket. To make room for him on the 25-man roster, right-handed pitcher Brandon Workman was optioned to Pawtucket following last night's game.
  • Catcher Christian Vazquez was recalled from Triple-A Pawtucket. To make room for him on the 25-man roster, catcher A.J. Pierzynski was designated for assignment today.

De La Rosa and Vazquez will be active for tonight's 7:10 p.m. game against the Chicago White Sox at Fenway Park, with both scheduled to start. Vazquez will wear No. 55.

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

De La Rosa, 25, is 2-2 with a 2.51 ERA (9 ER/32.1 IP) and 30 strikeouts compared to just eight walks and 25 hits allowed in five starts for the Red Sox this season. He limited opponents to one or no runs in three of his five starts with Boston, including 7.0-inning shutouts in both of his outings at home to become the first pitcher in Red Sox history with no runs allowed in each of his first two career starts at Fenway Park. The right-hander has made 12 starts over two stints with the PawSox, posting a 3.45 ERA (23 ER/60.0 IP) with 57 strikeouts and 25 walks. He was acquired by Boston on August 25, 2012 as part of a nine-player trade with the Los Angeles Dodgers. In 30 career major league appearances (15 starts) between the Dodgers (2011-12) and Red Sox (2013-14), he is 6-9 with a 3.69 ERA (43 ER/105.0 IP) and 96 strikeouts.

For Vazquez, 23, this is his first career major league stint. He has hit .273 (68-for-244) with 17 doubles, three home runs, 20 RBI, 35 runs, and 21 walks in 66 games this season with Triple-A Pawtucket, where he ranks second on the team in hits, doubles, and total bases (tied, 94). The right-handed batter has hit safely in his last seven games and has a .314 average (33-for-105) in his last 29 contests beginning May 30. A 2014 International League All-Star named to this year's Sirius XM All-Star Futures Game, Vazquez was rated by Baseball America as the Red Sox system's best defensive catcher, as well as his league's best defensive catcher, in each of the past three seasons. This year, the native of Puerto Rico leads IL catchers in fielding percentage (.996) and has the league's second-best caught stealing rate (39.6, 19 of 48). In 2013, he topped the Double-A Eastern League with a 46.5 caught stealing percentage (47 of 101) and was named the Portland Sea Dogs' Most Valuable Player. Signed by the Red Sox as a ninth-round selection in the 2008 June Draft, he has hit .265 with 103 doubles, four triples, 38 home runs, 204 walks, and a .344 on-base percentage over seven seasons in the Red Sox farm system.

Pierzynski, 37, hit .254 (65-for-256) with 10 doubles, a triple, four home runs, 31 RBI, and nine walks while appearing in 72 of Boston's 90 games this season, his first with the Red Sox after signing as a free agent last December. He threw out 19.1 percent of attempted base stealers (9 of 47). The left-handed batter is a lifetime .282 hitter with 366 doubles, 23 triples, 176 home runs, and 831 RBI over parts of 17 major league seasons with the Twins (1998-2003), Giants (2004), White Sox (2005-12), Rangers (2013), and Red Sox (2014). 

Workman, 25, has gone 1-3 with a 4.13 ERA (24 ER/52.1 IP), 41 strikeouts, and 19 walks allowed in 11 outings this season over two stints with the Red Sox. Each of his last eight appearances have come as a starter. Last night, he allowed three earned runs (five runs total) over a 7.0-inning start, but took the loss against the White Sox. With Pawtucket this year, the right-hander has a 3-1 record and a 5.12 ERA (22 ER/38.2 IP) while striking out 34 batters compared to 10 walks over seven starts.

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