Red Sox infielder Pablo Reyes has been on the injured list for just over a month due to an abdominal strain, and most of that time has been spent on a rehab assignment. That rehab assignment is set to expire today, meaning the club will be forced to either roster or DFA Reyes, who is out of options, by the start of tomorrow’s game. That will create a logjam of middle infielders who can’t be optioned on the roster, with Enrique Hernandez, Yu Chang, and Christian Arroyo all also fitting that description.
While this logjam would seemingly create a situation where the Red Sox must trade or DFA a player in that group, MLB.com’s Ian Browne indicated yesterday that Arroyo is dealing with a jammed right thumb. If Arroyo, who hasn’t played since July 18, were to require a trip to the 10-day injured list, that would kick the can down the road for Boston until after the trade deadline on August 1, allowing them to keep all four players in the organization for longer and preserve leverage in trade negotiations.