Boston Red Sox designate Grady Sizemore for assignment
The Boston Red Sox gave Grady Sizemore a chance to rehab his major league career after it was derailed by injuries, but on Tuesday the club may have ended his career as the former All-Star was designated for assignment, according to Alex Speier of WEEI.com.
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Sizemore played well during spring training when he earned a spot on the 25-man roster, but through 52 games and 185 at-bats boasted a slash line of .216/.288/.324 with two home runs, 15 runs batted in, 10 doubles, two triples and five stolen bases.
Furthermore, his work in the outfield was a far cry from his gold glove winning days with the Cleveland Indians when he was one of the rare five-tool players in the game of baseball. His defense in center was disappointing and while he had a better zone rating in left field, it wasn’t enough to justify his spot on the roster any longer.
Sizemore was one of baseball’s brightest stars when he was coming up with the Cleveland Indians in 2005 and finished in the top 12 of American League MVP voting from 2006-2008. His best season came in 2008 when he had his first 30-30 season with 33 home runs and 38 stolen bases and was only caught stealing five times to go along with his 101 runs, 170 hits, 39 doubles, five triples, 90 runs batted in, 98 walks and an .876 OPS.
His career was all downhill after that magical year as he dealt with a myriad of injuries and knee operations that sapped his rare combination of speed and power. He had not appeared in a major league baseball game since 2011 and hasn’t played more than 100 games since the 2009 season.
Third baseman Garin Cecchini was recalled and will take his spot on the active roster.