BOSTON — Amid a period of roster chaos, the reunion tour continued for the Red Sox on Monday when they signed José Iglesias and swiftly added him to the Major League roster.
The move comes three weeks after the Sox brought back another homegrown player — infielder Travis Shaw — for a second tour of duty with the club.
The return of Iglesias, who was released by the Angels on Friday, comes at a time when Boston’s roster has been ravaged by players who have had to go on the COVID-19-related injured list. That list includes starting shortstop Xander Bogaerts, which necessitated the Iglesias signing.
The 31-year-old Iglesias was signed out of Cuba by the Red Sox in 2009. He was part of the three-way trade with the Tigers and White Sox that sent Jake Peavy to the Red Sox on July 30 of Boston’s 2013 World Series championship season
Iglesias, a right-handed hitter who has always been known most for his glove, has had a decent season offensively, hitting .259 with 23 doubles, one triple and eight homers.
Iglesias did plenty of damage against the Red Sox at Fenway after he was traded, hitting .354 (29-for-82) with 11 doubles and two homers in 22 games.
Though the Red Sox hope Bogaerts will be back in the relatively near term, the club’s longest-tenured player is still quarantining in St. Petersburg, Fla. Bogaerts was removed from the Aug. 31 game against the Rays after his positive test came in.
Look for Iglesias to get a lot of playing time at short until Bogaerts returns. In fact, Iglesias was working on double-play feeds with second baseman Kiké Hernández prior to Monday’s game.
Hernández tested positive for COVID-19 on Aug. 27 and should return within the next day or two.
In his first tour of duty with Boston, Iglesias played in 98 games, slashing .280/.333/.356 with two homers and 21 RBIs.