Nursing foot injury, Swihart placed on DL

BOSTON -- With Ryan Hanigan back in the catching mix, the Red Sox were able to get Blake Swihart off his feet and put him on the disabled list prior to Friday's game against the Astros.

Swihart has been dealing with a left foot injury since June 20, when he jarred it in a game against the Royals.

"With Blake, he had been playing with some pain, as we know. The injury that he suffered to that small left toe is obviously still there," said manager John Farrell. "The symptoms have never really subsided to the point where the recommendation at the time with the number of days needed initially, we kind of took a short cut initially to get him back in the lineup. We're afforded the ability to give him some added rest right now."

Hanigan and Sandy Leon will handle the catching duties in Swihart's absence. Overall, the Red Sox have been pleased with Swihart's development, as he was thrust into action following the untimely injury to Hanigan on May 1.

"There's a lot of positives here with Blake," said Farrell. "Maybe arriving before his natural timeline would suggest, he was thrust into it and did a good job."

To replace Swihart on the roster, the Red Sox selected righty reliever Noe Ramirez from Triple-A Pawtucket. This is the first trip to the Major Leagues for the sidewinder.

"He's been a closer throughout the Minor League career," said Farrell. "It's a different arm slot. There's some sink to his fastball. We've had a little bit of turnover in that bullpen and some guys pressed into action that we needed to get a fresh arm here so Noe comes to us."

• Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia, who is eligible to come off the disabled list next Friday, is making progress with his right hamstring strain.

"He was taking more BP today in the cage," said Farrell. "The running has started to gradually increase. The baseball activities and all ground-based activities continue to expand. He's on the up elevator."