NEW YORK – A subpar start to the season and three rather unimpressive turns through the starting rotation prompted to the Red Sox to shake up their roster Tuesday.

Blake Swihart was designated for assignment and Sandy Leon was summoned from Triple-A Pawtucket, seemingly a surprising final resolution to a crowded catching situation that lingered throughout the 2018 season.

Leon joined Boston prior to the opener of its two-game [...]

NEW YORK – A subpar start to the season and three rather unimpressive turns through the starting rotation prompted to the Red Sox to shake up their roster Tuesday.

Blake Swihart was designated for assignment and Sandy Leon was summoned from Triple-A Pawtucket, seemingly a surprising final resolution to a crowded catching situation that lingered throughout the 2018 season.

Leon joined Boston prior to the opener of its two-game set at Yankee Stadium. Right-handed pitcher Erasmo Ramirez was also selected from the PawSox and will give some aid to a bullpen that’s running on fumes. Red Sox starters have managed just 79 innings and only one of them – David Price, at 3.79 – has an earned-run average below 7.95.

Swihart remained on the 25-man roster last season despite having no clear role behind Leon and fellow catcher Christian Vazquez. He made the club out of spring training this season and recorded all six of his starts behind the plate, including in Monday’s 8-1 loss to the Orioles. Swihart’s .231/.310/.385 slash line included a double and a home run in 29 plate appearances.

Leon was a favorite of the pitching staff last season, with Boston posting a 28-3 record during one particularly blistering stretch in games he started. His offensive woes prompted the Red Sox to phase him out of the picture, as Leon slashed just .106/.170/.169 over his final 49 games. He started just four of 14 postseason contests, as Vazquez took over the primary catching duties.

Swihart’s time with the organization feels like eight years of missed opportunity. The Red Sox selected him out of New Mexico’s Cleveland High School in the first round of the 2011 draft and agreed to a signing bonus of $1.6 million. An ankle injury limited him to just 25 games combined in 2016 and 2017, and Swihart never earned the consistent at-bats required to replicate a promising 84-game stretch in 2015 where he slashed .274/.319/.392.

Boston now has two open spots on its 40-man roster after subtracting Swihart and adding Leon and Ramirez. They face the Yankees twice, have a day off Thursday and travel for a three-game weekend series with Tampa Bay beginning on Friday.