Anthony Seigler's Well-Deserved Promotion Comes With Strong Praise From Iggy Suarez

Worcester, MA — Things moved quick for infielder Anthony Seigler on Tuesday night. Not long after being a part of a walk-off win, Seigler was celebrating for a different reason: being called back up to the major leagues

“It was kind of quick,” acting manager Iggy Suarez explained before Thursday night’s game against the Buffalo Bisons. “We got the phone call from Abes [Brian Abraham], who let us know that was going to be the move. Good thing he hadn’t left the ballpark yet, so he was still here, he was pumped. He probably had an idea with being called into the office.”

Seigler, who was acquired as part of the Caleb Durbin-Kyle Harrison trade, had a rough start to his Boston Red Sox career. The former first-round pick was injured early in spring training, miss the entirety of it with left knee patellar tendinopathy. The injury followed into the regular season, having the start of his year halted until April 9 when he began a rehab assignment.

Without a proper ramp-up period, Seigler got off to a slow start, appearing in just 11 games while slashing .222/.364/.361 with three doubles, a triple and seven RBIs. The slow start didn’t go unnoticed by Suarez or the WooSox coaching staff.

“He didn’t have a spring training, so now a month in, that’s spring training for him. Now, he’s getting into the swing of things and getting his rhythm back. I think having that month under his belt when he was a month behind helps a lot," Worcester's skipper said.

To say Seigler turned a corner in May would be an understatement. Appearing in 18 games across the month, the infielder was a force on offense for a team that lost two of its best hitters in Nick Sogard and Mickey Gasper. During that time, Seigler became a consistent bat in the lineup for Suarez, hitting .344/.468/.531 with three doubles, three home runs and 14 RBIs while playing both second base and third base.

His production didn’t go unnoticed. With the major-league club in need of another infielder after placing Sogard on the injured list, his name was called. Seigler, who originally was a fringe 40-man roster player when he was acquired, had transformed his value within the organization over the span of a month. Now, he’s up in the majors for the second time in his career after appearing in 34 games last year with Milwaukee. The promotion was well deserved as Seigler will now look to provide as a left-handed bat off the bench while providing defensive versatility for the infield.

“You kind of see his eyes light up and everything,” Suarez said of Seigler's reaction to the news. “The first time’s always good, but I think anytime you hear that, going back up to the big leagues, they’re gonna have a cool reaction so he was pumped about it. Well deserved man, he’s at a point where he’s swinging it. That’s opportunities that come up. You hate to see someone like Sogie go on the IL but again, it’s an opportunity he was ready for. I think it’s a good time for him to go up there.”

The loss of Sogard won’t be easy for the Red Sox to manage, as he had appeared in 12 games since being promoted on May 16. The utility player managed to hit .257/.350/.371 with two doubles, one triple and two RBIs while appearing at all four infield positions at least once. His versatility was important for manager Chad Tracy along with his production from the left-handed side of the batter’s box. A sore side kept him from hitting as a left-handed batter and ultimately led to his placement on the injured list.

After the infielder was told of the news Tuesday night, he returned to Polar Park Wednesday morning during the WooSox’s morning game to gather his belongings. With equipment now in tow, Seigler departed Polar Park and the Heart of the Commonwealth as he made the trip up the Masspike to Boston. Come Thursday afternoon, he got into his first action with the Boston Red Sox, coming off the bench to pinch hit in the seventh inning for Andruw Monasterio. His at-bat concluded with a lineout to left field before playing the final two innings at second base.

Now, Seigler will look to step into the role Sogard previously filled. It’ll be a lot to ask of the former first-round pick immediately, but he proved in May that he's more than capable of living up to the task.

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