Red Sox surprisingly DFA former SF Giants first-round pick infielder
Former SF Giants first-round draft pick Christian Arroyo was designated for assignment by the Boston Red Sox on Friday afternoon. The Red Sox, who had just acquired infielder Luis Urías in a trade with the Milwaukee Brewers, decided to designate Arroyo to make space on the active 40-man roster for Urías. Arroyo was out of options, and because the trade deadline has passed, will be placed on waivers. If claimed on waivers, his new team will have to pick up the remainder of the salary he and the Red Sox agreed to outside of arbitration last season (approximately $624k). His new team would also then retain control of him through the 2024 season. If he clears waivers, Arroyo will have to choose between accepting an outright assignment to the minor league or becoming a free agent and foregoing his remaining salary.
Christian Arroyo runs toward first base after hitting a two-run RBI double. (2023)
Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports
Arroyo, who was born and raised in Florida, was drafted by the Giants in the first round of the 2013 draft. He was committed to the University of Florida but decided to sign with the Giants instead. The infielder impressed in his debut with the AZL, the Giants' rookie-league affiliate in Arizona, hitting .326/.388/.511 with two home runs and 39 RBIs over 209 plate appearances in 45 games.
In 2014 he played with the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes and Augusta GreenJackets, and in 2015 he was promoted to the San Jose Giants. He continued to impress throughout and by 2016 he was playing with the Richmond Flying Squirrels, batting .274 with three home runs, 49 RBIs, and 36 doubles in 119 games. He started 2017 with the Sacramento River Cats, hitting .446 with seven doubles, three home runs, and 12 RBIs in 16 games before he made his Major League debut on April 24th, 2017, against the Dodgers.
Arroyo earned his way into fans' hearts early, recording his first hit off Clayton Kershaw the day after his debut. He was hitting .192/.244/.304 with 24 hits and eight walks in 135 plate appearances before he was sent down to Triple-A when Hunter Pence was activated after injury.
In December, before the 2018 season, Arroyo and three other players were traded to the Tampa Bay Rays for Evan Longoria and cash considerations. Though he started the season with the Rays' Triple-A affiliate, Arroyo did eventually get the opportunity to play for his childhood team, making his debut on May 17th. He was once again optioned that season and finished it out in Durham with Triple-A.
In 2019, the Rays traded Arroyo to Cleveland. Due to injury, he didn't make his debut until the COVID-shortened 2020 season, when he appeared in one game at third base. He did not record a single plate appearance. He was designated for assignment less than 15 days after that appearance.
The Red Sox capitalized off of Arroyo's availability, claiming him off waivers in mid-August of 2020 before they too designated him for assignment and sent him to their alternate training site. In early September, he was selected for their active roster and made his debut for them on September 8th against the Philadelphia Phillies. For the next three seasons, Arroyo would stay in the Majors but be plagued by various injuries. He appeared in the most games of his major league career in 2022, hitting .286/.322/.414 in 300 plate appearances over 87 games.
Though originally thought of as a shortstop prospect, he has grown into a second/third base versatile option. While errors are by no means a perfectly representative statistic for defensive strength, it's worth noting that Arroyo has only allowed 11 over 294 games at second, third, and shortstop combined.
The Giants have had something of a revolving door at second base with Thairo Estrada on the injured list (though days from returning) and have shown that they appreciate having roster depth at the infield positions. If the SF Giants were willing to take on Arroyo's salary dependencies, a reunion could be a good fit for both.
