Daniel

Nava

We haven’t heard anything from Nava since undergoing back surgery in February of 2018 while in camp with the Pirates on a minor league deal. Nava, who turns 37 in February, played with the independent Kansas City T-Bones this past season. He last appeared in the majors with the Phillies in 2017, posting a useful .301/.393/.421 batting line over 214 plate appearances. He’ll almost certainly have to settle for a minor league deal.

Nava is in the team’s media notes, suggesting they’ve summoned Nava without officially announcing the roster move. The 29-year-old outfielder has been on fire on the farm, hitting .429 with a .484 OBP and a .696 slugging percentage over his last 16 games. WEEI suggests Clayton Mortensen could be optioned to make room for Nova, but Boston would still need to open a spot on the 40-man roster.

He is batting sixth against Derek Lowe on Thursday. Nava is hitting a blistering .316/.421/.505 this season at Triple-A. He’s never had a problem in the minors, raking a .900-plus OPS over his career. Nava was a mini-sensation for the Sox in 2010 after he hit a grand slam on the first major league pitch he saw, but he ultimately batted just .242/.351/.360 with the one home run in 60 games. He didn’t crack the Red Sox roster last season.

The two-run blast came in the fourth inning against Jason Vargas. Nava also added a couple walks on the night. He was batting .316/.421/.505 at Triple-A at the time of his recall last week, but he’s failed to do much in his prior chances with Boston and we’re not expecting much this time around.

Nava has been a huge success for Boston so far, hitting .350 with two homers, 11 RBI and 10 walks in 40 at-bats. His swing isn’t without its flaws, so the average should come down soon enough. Still, one can enjoy it while it lasts.

Nava was scratched from Sunday’s lineup. It’s not clear when he suffered the injury, but Nava said it wasn’t during a game and that he first felt it during Saturday’s contest. “If it’s good tomorrow, I can go tomorrow,” he said of Monday’s game in Miami.

It’s not clear when he suffered the injury, but it doesn’t appear to be a big deal. Darnell McDonald took his place in left field, while Scott Podsednik slides into the leadoff spot.

It’s no surprise, as Nava received a cortisone shot for his sore left hand Sunday, and it usually take a couple days for the shot to take effect. The Red Sox are going with an outfield of Scott Podsednik, Ryan Sweeney and Adrian Gonzalez Monday.

Nava will get the nod with David Ortiz (Achilles) out of the lineup. He’s hitting third against right-hander Philip Humber.

Nava has been out since late July with a wrist injury. He shouldn’t need too many games with Pawtucket before being activated.