Boston Red Sox Place Pablo Sandoval on Disabled List

By Nick Fustor | Apr 14, 2016

Apr 9, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Boston Red Sox third baseman Pablo Sandoval (48) throws his helmet away after being forced out at second base in the seventh inning against Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports /

First, Pablo Sandoval lost his spot in the Boston Red Sox lineup. Now, he is being placed on the disabled list.

The Boston Red Sox have placed disgruntled third baseman Pablo Sandoval on the disabled list with a shoulder strain, according to Rob Bradford of WEEI.com. The team called up infielder Josh Rutledge to take Sandoval’s spot on the roster, and he’ll likely serve as a utility man now that Brock Holt is mainly playing left field.

Alex Speier of the Boston Globe said the Sox have outlined a conditioning program for Sandoval while he’s on the DL, as he’s received much scrutiny for his weight during his short tenure with the team. Sandoval has been atrocious in only seven plate appearances this season, as he’s yet to register a hit while striking out four times with one walk.

Travis Shaw, who won the starting third base job out of spring training, on the other hand, has been rock solid. The soon to be 26-year-old is slashing .300/.417/.450 in 7 games this season, but his strikeouts have been a concern as he’s at 29.2 percent for the season. In such a small sample, that number is likely inflated after struck out in 23 percent of his at-bats last season.

More from Boston Red Sox

While he’s only in the second year of a 5-year, $95MM contract, Sandoval doesn’t seem to have a place with the team now that Shaw has asserted himself as the starter and that he lacks the ability to play any position other than third base. Much of Sandoval’s struggles during his first season with Boston came against left-handed pitching, which caused him to abandon switch hitting.

The Panda finished as one of the league’s worst all-around players in 2015, as he hit .245/.292/.366 with 10 home runs and 47 RBI. While his defense was praised during his time with the San Francisco Giants, Sandoval saw his UZR/150 plummet to -21.9 last season while also posting a -11 DRS.

Toward the end of spring training, rumors swirled regarding the San Diego Padres interest in the 29-year-old – but with the injury, it’ll take a big comeback for any team to take a flier on Sandoval.

Earlier this week, Sandoval was passed over to pinch hit against a right-hander in a game against the Baltimore Orioles – which furthered the assertion that Sandoval has virtually no role with the Red Sox.

Next: Braves' Hector Olivera Arrested for Assault

While manager John Farrell has continually said he has faith in Sandoval, it’s becoming ever clearer that the Red Sox are quickly moving on from what looks to be their worst free-agent signing since Carl Crawford.

Home/Boston Red Sox