Red Sox place first baseman/catcher Ryan Lavarnway on 15-day disabled list

The Boston Red Sox today placed first baseman/catcher Ryan Lavarnway on the 15-day disabled list with a left hamate fracture.   To fill his spot on the 25-man roster, outfielder/first baseman Alex Hassan was recalled from Triple-A Pawtucket. Hassan will wear No. 68 and will be active for tonight's game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Fenway Park, which begins at 7:10 p.m.

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

Lavarnway, 26, was recalled by Boston for his first major league stint of the year on Monday and is 0-for-4 in four games for the Red Sox this season. In last night's game against the Atlanta Braves at Fenway Park, he made his first career major league start at first base but left the game in the bottom of the fifth inning due to a sore left wrist. The right-handed batter has a .265 average (43-for-162) with seven doubles, two home runs, and 11 RBI in 44 games for the PawSox this year. Defensively, he committed only two errors between 26 games played at first base and 10 at catcher at the Triple-A level. Lavarnway has appeared in 92 big league games, all with the Red Sox over the past four seasons from 2011-14.

For Hassan, 26, this marks his first career major league stint. In 45 games with Pawtucket this season, he has hit .217 (33-for-152) with 10 doubles, one home run, and 19 RBI. The right-handed batter is leading the PawSox with 10 doubles (tied), 22 walks, and 22 runs scored, and he has hit .288 (15-for-52) against left-handed pitching. Defensively, he has combined for a .984 fielding percentage (2 errors/127 total chances) while appearing in right field (25 games), left field (11 games), and first base (7 games). Born in Quincy, MA and a four-year letter winner at Boston College High School, Hassan was signed by the Red Sox as a 20th-round selection in the 2009 June Draft. He has hit .285 (455-for-1,598) with 109 doubles, six triples, 35 home runs, 231 RBI, 266 walks, and 232 runs scored in 469 career minor league games. Over his six minor league seasons from 2009-14, he has compiled a .393 on-base percentage. His .431 on-base percentage in 55 Triple-A games last season led all International Leaguers with at least 125 at-bats.