Red Sox activate Hanigan from 60-day DL

TORONTO -- The Red Sox activated catcher Ryan Hanigan ahead of Thursday's 12-6 win against the Blue Jays at Rogers Centre. In a corresponding move, the club optioned reliever Jonathan Aro to Triple-A Pawtucket.

Hanigan had been on the 60-day disabled list since May 3 after he broke his throwing hand on a foul tip.

"I'm pleased with the progression, how it feels and it's just good to be back," Hanigan said prior to the series finale, in which he was starting at catcher and batting in the No. 9 spot.

Hanigan will be trying out a new setup behind the plate going forward in an attempt to shield his right hand and prevent a similar injury from occurring again in the future. He'll use his glove to better protect his throwing hand, similar to the way fellow Red Sox catcher Christian Vazquez receives the ball.

The adjustment has taken some getting used to, Hanigan said, but he has grown more and more comfortable with it in every rehab start.

"Obviously that's the biggest work in progress, because truthfully it is a bit of a change," Hanigan said. "I looked at a lot of video of myself over the years and looked at video of other catchers and how they protect their hand and ways to do it to feel comfortable."

With Hanigan's reinstatement, the Red Sox have three catchers on the 25-man roster. Manager John Farrell said that with Shane Victorino due to come off the 15-day DL as early as Friday, the roster in its current form will likely only be temporary.

"We don't anticipate staying with that alignment too much going forward," he said. "With Shane soon to come back, there are probably a couple of things that are soon to take place roster-wise."

Farrell said earlier in the week that Victorino will likely fit into a platoon in right field with Alejandro De Aza, who'd been manning left field for the about a week while the team was without Hanley Ramirez, who returned to action Wednesday.

"We have to closely monitor the number of games played consecutively for Shane," Farrell said.