Jonathan Arauz swings his way into Red Sox lineup

Yankee Stadium served as the venue for Jonathan Arauz’s sixth big league start Friday night.

The youngest player on the Red Sox active roster has made an impression through the season’s first 19 games. Arauz has more than compensated for coming up empty in his first 10 at-bats, piling up multiple hits in three of his last four games.

"Everything he has allows you to think he’s going to do well expect for experience," Boston manager Ron Roenicke said. [...]

Yankee Stadium served as the venue for Jonathan Arauz’s sixth big league start Friday night.

The youngest player on the Red Sox active roster has made an impression through the season’s first 19 games. Arauz has more than compensated for coming up empty in his first 10 at-bats, piling up multiple hits in three of his last four games.

"Everything he has allows you to think he’s going to do well expect for experience," Boston manager Ron Roenicke said. "Because of his makeup, the experience doesn’t seem to bother him that much. He’s so confident in what he can do."

Arauz was a Rule 5 Draft selection from the Astros who had never appeared in a game above the Double-A level. The 22-year-old is now on an 8-for-13 run at the plate, piecing together a four-game hitting streak. He was at second base as Boston visited New York for this weekend’s four-game series.

"I’ve never seen him lose confidence," Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts said. "That speaks a lot about a young kid."

Bogaerts was a 20-year-old rookie thrust into a pennant race when he debuted in 2013. One of the top prospects in baseball was promoted after 60 games with Triple-A Pawtucket and played 18 times for Boston down the stretch. He’s now the club’s de facto captain and a two-time World Series winner, including that first season’s October victory over the Cardinals.

"Being thrown into the playoff race, that was tough," Bogaerts said. "Every game meant something. I think we got called up in a different type of situation."

The Red Sox have staggered to a 6-13 start in this 60-game campaign, including a four-game sweep at Fenway Park against the Rays this week. Arauz made an early error at second base in Thursday’s 17-8 spanking and misplayed another grounder later in the game. Those two results were different from the fine defensive showing he managed at third base earlier in the week, including a couple of slick plays on the backhand.

"You want to see how a guy reacts when things don’t go well," Roenicke said. "We’ll see how he reacts today after making a couple mistakes yesterday. If they go well there – I would be surprised if it didn’t.

"It’s just his makeup. He’s really confident. He is very talented. I would be surprised if it wasn’t good today."

Arauz was an international signing from Panama by the Phillies in 2014 and was part of a seven-player trade with Houston in 2015. The Astros left him off their 40-man roster entering the offseason, exposing him for selection by any of the other 29 clubs. Boston will be forced to keep him on its active 28-man roster to retain his rights going forward.

"In Fort Myers we thought he was very calm in all situations," Roenicke said, referencing spring training. "We liked his swing. We thought he did a nice job defensively. We knew he had good hands because they work with him all the time – they can see that. You can see his arm is good."

Arauz was a utility option entering Summer Camp but has quickly worked his way up the depth chart. Jose Peraza (right knee) was out of the lineup Friday and Michael Chavis has operated as more of a platoon option with Mitch Moreland at first base. Arauz, as a switch-hitter, offers more lineup flexibility than Tzu-Wei Lin.

"I think the plan at the beginning was more Chavis and Peraza and how they were doing," Roenicke said. "Whoever was playing better, we were going to put him out there more often. We know Lin is still in the picture there, too.

"I think it’s just because of the way Jonathan has played lately. I know defensively it was his first flaw yesterday, but we think he’s done a really nice job defensively. That’s why he’s out there again."

bkoch@providencejournal.com

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